Full Capability Overview

Everything CloudSmith Does

CloudSmith is a full-lifecycle platform for Hyper-V and Azure Local hybrid cloud environments. Not a deployment tool. Not a monitoring add-on. Every capability — from pre-sales sizing to day-2 operations to retirement — in one modular, composable platform.

43+ Modules planned
6 Lifecycle pillars
3 Deployment models
4 Target personas

Hyper-V and Azure Local are hard to manage at scale

Today's operations teams rely on fragmented tooling — scripts, SCVMM, Windows Admin Center, vendor consoles, spreadsheets, and tribal knowledge. CloudSmith replaces that patchwork with a single, extensible platform that covers the entire infrastructure lifecycle.

🛠

Full Lifecycle — Not Just Day 1

Strategy and sizing, deployment, day-2 operations, security, governance, optimization, and eventual retirement. Every phase is a first-class capability, not an afterthought.

🧹

Modular — Use Only What You Need

Enable the Planning module without enabling Monitoring. Enable Troubleshooting without enabling Deployment. Every module installs, upgrades, and removes independently. No bloat forced on you.

🤖

AI-Assisted, Not AI-Dependent

Intelligent log analysis, anomaly detection, guided diagnostics, and natural-language queries enhance your engineers — they don't replace them. AI is always optional and explainable.

🏢

MSP-Ready from Day One

Multi-tenant, scoped RBAC, delegated access via Azure Lighthouse, and white-label branding. Managing 30 customers is the same experience as managing 1 — just scaled.

🔧

Deep OEM Hardware Integration

Dell iDRAC, Lenovo XCC, HPE iLO, and DataOn hardware — all first-class targets behind a single abstraction layer. Firmware inventory, health, boot control, and OOB operations unified.

🌎

Open Source, Apache 2.0

No proprietary lock-in. Self-host it, extend it, contribute to it. Community and OEM partners can ship modules into the same registry that ships with the platform.

The Six Pillars Lifecycle Framework

CloudSmith organizes every capability around six lifecycle pillars — the complete journey from first conversations with a customer through years of steady-state operations and, eventually, graceful retirement.

Pillar 1

Strategy & Assessment

Workload discovery, TCO and ROI analysis, vendor selection, cloud-vs-on-prem decision support. Answers the "should we, and if so — what hardware?" question.

assessment
planning
Pillar 2

Architecture & Design

S2D capacity sizing, Bill of Materials generation, network topology design, site surveys, Azure Local vs. Hyper-V decision questionnaire. Design artifacts, not guesswork.

planning
docs-gen
Pillar 3

Build & Deployment

Automated cluster deployment for Hyper-V and Azure Local. Storage Spaces Direct configuration, Network ATC, Arc onboarding, pre-flight validation. Repeatable, auditable, pipeline-driven.

deploy
cluster-mgmt
hardware-*
Pillar 4

Operations — Day 2

Monitoring, update management, troubleshooting, workload lifecycle, image library, AI-assisted diagnostics, ITSM integration. The daily platform — not a one-time event.

monitoring
update
troubleshooting
workload
itsm
Pillar 5

Security & Governance

Identity and access management, secrets management, security posture, compliance scanning, policy-as-code. Security is the foundation — not a module you bolt on later.

identity
secrets
security
governance
Pillar 6

Optimization & Evolution

Right-sizing recommendations, resource reclamation, workload placement optimization, cost reporting and chargeback, modernization paths. Make what you have work harder.

optimization
finops
Post-MVP

Retirement

Graceful decommissioning workflows, data sanitization, asset disposal tracking. The part every platform forgets to build. CloudSmith doesn't.

retirement

Every capability. One platform.

CloudSmith's modular architecture means every capability is an independently installable module. Enable what you need today — grow into the rest when you're ready.

Phase IV — MVP Platform Kernel & Core Infrastructure
cloudsmith-core
  • Module registry and lifecycle management
  • Portal shell and navigation framework
  • Event bus for inter-module communication
  • Centralized audit log
  • Notifications and alerting backbone
  • License and entitlement tracking
cloudsmith-identity
  • Entra ID and Active Directory integration
  • Local identity provider fallback
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • JWT-based session management
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Org and tenant model for multi-site
cloudsmith-secrets
  • Azure Key Vault integration (PaaS/hybrid)
  • PostgreSQL-encrypted secrets store (on-prem)
  • Provider abstraction — swap without reconfiguring consumers
  • Secret rotation and audit trail
cloudsmith-inventory
  • Hardware and cluster inventory discovery
  • Ranger collector framework for extensible data gathering
  • Configuration drift detection and alerting
  • CMDB-style asset tracking
cloudsmith-cluster-mgmt
  • Cluster lifecycle management (create/expand/remove)
  • Node management and health
  • Azure tenant and subscription discovery
  • Network scanning and topology awareness
cloudsmith-deploy
  • Azure Local deployment pipelines (end-to-end)
  • Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) configuration
  • Network ATC intent-based networking setup
  • Azure Arc onboarding automation
  • Pre-flight validation checks
cloudsmith-planning
  • S2D capacity sizing calculator
  • Bill of Materials (BoM) generator
  • Network topology designer
  • Site survey workflows
  • Azure Local vs. Hyper-V decision questionnaire
cloudsmith-api
  • Unified REST API surface
  • Single OpenAPI 3.x specification
  • Module-contributed route registration
  • Versioned API contracts
cloudsmith-sdk
  • .NET module-author SDK for building CloudSmith modules
  • Customer client SDK for API integration
  • Type-safe API wrappers
cloudsmith-cli
  • cs / cloudsmith CLI
  • Full API surface from the terminal
  • Scriptable pipeline-friendly output
cloudsmith-powershell
  • CloudSmith.* PowerShell Gallery namespace
  • Native PowerShell experience for Windows operators
  • Pipeline-compatible cmdlets
Phase V — First Operations Layer Operations, Hardware, and Intelligence
cloudsmith-hardware-dell
  • Dell iDRAC 9 and 10 integration
  • DMTF Redfish protocol
  • Firmware inventory and update orchestration
  • Out-of-band (OOB) health monitoring
  • Boot control and virtual media
cloudsmith-hardware-generic-redfish
  • DMTF Redfish fallback for any vendor
  • Baseline hardware health for non-primary OEM targets
  • Standard firmware inventory via standard protocol
cloudsmith-monitoring
  • Azure Monitor Workspace with Prometheus
  • Log Analytics Workspace (LAW) integration
  • DCR transformation pipelines
  • VictoriaMetrics for fully air-gapped on-prem
  • Alerting rules and notification routing
cloudsmith-update
  • OS update orchestration across the cluster
  • Azure Local Lifecycle Manager (LCM) integration
  • Azure Update Manager integration
  • Update rings and phased rollout policies
  • Hotpatching support
cloudsmith-troubleshooting
  • Centralized log collection from hosts and clusters
  • Guided remediation workflows
  • AI-assisted log analysis and issue identification
  • Built-in diagnostic playbooks
cloudsmith-workload
  • VM provisioning and lifecycle management
  • VM templates and golden images
  • Quota management and resource governance
  • Intelligent workload placement
cloudsmith-image-library
  • Self-hosted image catalog (ISOs, VHDs, VHDXs)
  • Azure Marketplace connector (optional)
  • Azure Compute Gallery connector (optional)
  • Azure Storage Account sync (optional)
  • Azure Image Builder integration (optional)
cloudsmith-ai-engine
  • Ollama as the default local AI provider
  • Cloud AI provider connectors (pluggable)
  • Log pattern analysis and anomaly detection
  • Natural-language query across platform data
cloudsmith-msp
  • Multi-customer management from a single control plane
  • Scoped RBAC delegation per customer
  • Azure Lighthouse integration
  • White-label branding for customer portals
cloudsmith-runners
  • Versioned PowerShell 7 runner payload library
  • Runner registration and management
  • Secure outbound execution — no inbound ports required
Phase VI Hyper-V Renaissance, Sync & Design Documentation
cloudsmith-sync
  • Bidirectional on-premises ↔ PaaS selective sync
  • Conflict resolution and sync policies
  • Offline-capable with eventual consistency
cloudsmith-deploy-hyperv
  • Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) deployment
  • Hyper-V cluster deployment pipelines
  • Parity with Azure Local deploy module
cloudsmith-assessment
  • Workload discovery and classification
  • TCO and ROI modeling
  • Vendor selection scoring matrix
cloudsmith-docs-gen
  • Automated as-built documentation generation
  • draw.io network topology export
  • Change-log diffs between infrastructure snapshots
Post-MVP & Future Extended Ecosystem Modules
cloudsmith-security
  • Security posture assessment
  • Microsoft Defender for Servers integration
  • Vulnerability scanning
  • CIS benchmark baselines
cloudsmith-governance
  • Policy engine and enforcement
  • Compliance scanning against frameworks
  • Policy-as-code pipelines
cloudsmith-finops
  • Cost reporting and dashboards
  • Chargeback and showback by tenant or workload
  • Right-sizing recommendations
cloudsmith-itsm
  • ServiceNow integration
  • Change management workflows
  • Service request fulfillment
cloudsmith-bcdr
  • Backup integration (Commvault, Veeam)
  • DR design and documentation
  • DR runbook testing and validation
cloudsmith-hardware-lenovo
  • Lenovo XCC Redfish integration
  • Firmware inventory and OOB health
cloudsmith-hardware-hpe
  • HPE iLO Redfish integration
  • Firmware inventory and OOB health
cloudsmith-hardware-dataon
  • DataOn vendor-specific extensions
  • DataOn appliance lifecycle management
cloudsmith-aks
  • AKS on Azure Local workload lifecycle
  • Cluster provisioning and node pool management
cloudsmith-avd
  • Azure Virtual Desktop workload management
  • FSLogix profile container lifecycle
  • Session host image management
cloudsmith-migration
  • VMware and Nutanix workload migration
  • VM Conversion Toolkit integration
  • Migration wave planning and tracking
cloudsmith-retirement
  • Decommissioning workflows and checklists
  • Data sanitization automation
  • Asset disposal tracking and documentation
cloudsmith-optimization
  • Right-sizing recommendations from telemetry
  • Stranded capacity reclamation
  • Workload placement optimization
cloudsmith-agent
  • Lightweight optional on-host agent
  • Enhanced local telemetry collection
  • Agentless WinRM fallback always available
cloudsmith-iac
  • Terraform provider for CloudSmith resources
  • Pulumi provider support
  • Bicep module library

Run it where your environment demands

CloudSmith doesn't dictate where the control plane lives. Three models — pick what fits your security posture, connectivity requirements, and operational model today. You can migrate between models later.

Model 1

Standalone On-Premises

The full CloudSmith control plane runs inside your data center. No Azure dependency required at runtime. Air-gapped environments supported. You own everything.

  • Complete control plane on-prem
  • No Azure subscription required
  • Air-gapped and disconnected-capable
  • PostgreSQL + local secrets store
  • VictoriaMetrics for fully local observability
  • Ollama for local AI (GPU optional)
Model 3

Hybrid

On-premises instance and PaaS control plane operate independently, connected by bidirectional selective sync. Best of both: local execution with cloud visibility and management.

  • On-prem and PaaS control planes both active
  • Bidirectional sync via cloudsmith-sync module
  • Selective — sync only what you choose
  • Continues to function if connectivity is lost
  • Conflict resolution and eventual consistency
  • MSP overlay works across both planes

MVP first. Everything else follows.

CloudSmith ships incrementally. The MVP ships a working platform — planning, deployment, identity, and the full API surface. Operations and extended features follow in subsequent phases.

Phase Name Focus Key Modules
Phase IV MVP Platform kernel, identity, secrets, inventory, cluster management, deployment, planning, and the full external surface (API, SDK, CLI, PowerShell) core, identity, secrets, inventory, cluster-mgmt, deploy, planning, api, sdk, cli, powershell
Phase V First Operations Day-2 operations: hardware management (Dell + generic Redfish), monitoring, updates, troubleshooting, workload lifecycle, image library, AI engine, MSP, runners hardware-dell, hardware-generic-redfish, monitoring, update, troubleshooting, workload, image-library, ai-engine, msp, runners
Phase VI Hyper-V Renaissance Bidirectional sync, full Hyper-V cluster deployment parity, workload discovery and assessment, as-built documentation generation sync, deploy-hyperv, assessment, docs-gen
Post-MVP Extended Ecosystem Security posture, governance, FinOps, ITSM, BCDR, Lenovo/HPE/DataOn hardware, AKS, AVD, migration, retirement, optimization, on-host agent, IaC providers security, governance, finops, itsm, bcdr, hardware-lenovo, hardware-hpe, hardware-dataon, aks, avd, migration, retirement, optimization, agent, iac

Built for the people doing the work

CloudSmith isn't a C-suite dashboard. It's a platform built for the engineers and operators who plan, deploy, and run Hyper-V and Azure Local environments every day.

🔨
Field Engineer

The person on the ground

Deploys and operates Hyper-V and Azure Local clusters day-to-day. Lives in the terminal. Needs fast answers and guided workflows — not dashboards designed for a demo.

Primary modules
deploy cluster-mgmt troubleshooting hardware-* update cli powershell
📊
Solutions Architect

The designer and sizer

Designs the infrastructure, creates Bills of Materials, sizes S2D clusters, plans network topology. Needs calculation tools and output artifacts — not vague spreadsheets.

Primary modules
planning assessment docs-gen inventory
Platform / Cloud Admin

The multi-cluster manager

Manages multiple clusters and sites, owns identity and policy, drives update compliance. Needs fleet-level visibility and policy enforcement — not per-cluster point-and-click.

Primary modules
identity governance monitoring update security finops
🏢
MSP Operator

The multi-customer manager

Manages multiple customer environments from a single control plane. Needs scoped access, white-label branding, and customer-level reporting without context-switching between 30 portals.

Primary modules
msp identity monitoring troubleshooting update finops
Ready?

Follow the build as it happens.

CloudSmith is being built in the open. Follow the GitHub org to stay current — code repos open from day one of Phase IV.

Get Started → Follow on GitHub View Roadmap →