Guide · January 27, 2025

Empowering Finance in the Cloud

Introduction

OneStream and Microsoft Azure redefine enterprise data and performance management. In today's dynamic business environment, the synergy between OneStream and Microsoft Azure offers enterprises a unique advantage in modernizing their finance and data strategies. OneStream is a cloud-based finance platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and built on the robust infrastructure of Microsoft Azure. Through this partnership, the platform delivers the scalability, security, and performance that information technology (IT) leaders and chief information officers (CIOs) demand. By aligning with Azure's infrastructure and strategy, OneStream seamlessly integrates into enterprise ecosystems, empowering organizations to optimize their financial operations while leveraging Microsoft's trusted cloud environment.

The Modern Finance Imperative

For enterprises navigating ever-increasing complexity, cloud-based, AI-powered platforms have become essential to staying competitive. Finance departments face growing pressure to deliver real-time insights, adapt quickly to changing business conditions, and provide strategic guidance across the organization. Yet traditional, siloed systems simply cannot keep up with the speed and scale required to drive meaningful decisions.

Delivering on those requirements is where modern platforms like OneStream, powered by Microsoft Azure, become indispensable. By unifying financial and operational data in a secure, cloud-native environment, OneStream allows organizations to eliminate manual processes, enhance forecasting accuracy, and enable agile scenario planning. Having AI at the core of OneStream drives smarter decisions through advanced analytics, outlier detection, and predictive modeling. For CIOs and IT leaders, OneStream represents the perfect convergence of technology and business needs — a scalable, enterprise-grade solution that reduces technical debt, optimizes IT infrastructure, and supports finance transformation. Choosing OneStream on Azure empowers enterprises to align their finance functions with broader data and cloud strategies, ensuring the enterprises are prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

Building Trust with Microsoft and OneStream

The Partnership at a Glance

OneStream Software is strategically built on Microsoft Azure, leveraging its powerful infrastructure to deliver enterprise-grade performance, security, and scalability. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to innovation, enabling both organizations to push boundaries in finance transformation. Together, OneStream and Microsoft Azure align their advances in cloud and AI technologies, ensuring finance teams and enterprises benefit from cutting-edge capabilities tailored to modern business demands. From providing real-time analytics to ensuring secure data governance, OneStream and Microsoft Azure work in harmony to empower finance and IT leaders to drive impactful outcomes.

Microsoft Azure and CIOs

Microsoft Azure has long been a trusted name in cloud computing and enterprise solutions, earning the confidence of CIOs worldwide. Offering an unparalleled combination of scalability, security, and global reach, the Azure ecosystem provides the ideal foundation for business-critical applications like OneStream. Azure integrates into enterprise IT landscapes, including Oracle and SAP, to simplify infrastructure management and accelerate innovation. With Azure, CIOs get the resilience and agility needed to support demanding finance and operational use cases while ensuring data is protected under world-class security protocols.

How Enterprises Can Leverage Their Azure Investment

For enterprises committed to Microsoft Azure, OneStream offers a unique opportunity to maximize the Azure Consumption Commitment. OneStream is available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace and enables organizations to drive their finance transformation while fully utilizing their cloud investment. By aligning finance operations with Azure's ecosystem, enterprises optimize their cloud spend and unlock new efficiencies and insights. OneStream ultimately ensures the investment in Azure goes beyond infrastructure, delivering tangible business value and empowering the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead with confidence.

Enhancing Enterprise Infrastructure

A Modern Platform for the Office of the CFO

Purpose-built to address the needs of today's CFO, OneStream offers a cloud-native, AI-powered platform that leads the industry in financial consolidations, reporting, planning, and analysis. Analysts recognize OneStream for its comprehensive capabilities and innovation, and the platform stands apart as a unified solution for managing the complexities of financial performance management. Whether automating consolidations, enhancing reporting, or delivering precise planning and forecasting, OneStream empowers finance teams to operate with agility and precision.

Scalable and Secure

Built on Microsoft Azure, OneStream delivers enterprise-level performance, extensibility, and world-class security for mission-critical finance activities. IT leaders can confidently support their finance teams with a platform designed to handle complex enterprise requirements while maintaining stringent data security and compliance standards. With Azure's global infrastructure, OneStream ensures reliable scalability and integration, providing a robust foundation for organizations to grow and adapt.

  • Enterprise-level performance
  • Extensibility
  • World-class security

Reduced Technical Debt

OneStream simplifies infrastructure by unifying financial processes on a single platform, eliminating the reliance on fragmented legacy systems and disjointed tools. Unlike legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors such as SAP, Oracle, and Workday, which often rely on multiple point solutions for enterprise performance management (EPM), OneStream consolidates these functionalities into a cohesive user experience. This unified approach reduces technical complexity, minimizes integration overhead, and empowers IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Unified Data at the Core

OneStream integrates effortlessly with Azure, leveraging its advanced data integration and analytics capabilities to empower finance teams with finance-ready data. Azure and OneStream's ability to unify data from ERP, CRM, procurement, and other systems enables the blending of financial and operational data for better, more actionable insights. When combined with OneStream's Agile Financial Analytics, this integration ensures finance professionals can effortlessly consume and analyze data, bridging the gap between operational and financial performance. Together, Microsoft Azure and OneStream create a scalable, unified data foundation for driving informed decision-making across the enterprise.

Driving Modern Finance Transformation

OneStream empowers decision-making through interactive dashboards, profitability analysis, and guided reporting that blend validated financial and transactional data — supporting statutory, management, and operational insights, all within a single platform.

Financial Analysis & Reporting

OneStream empowers decision-making through interactive dashboards, profitability analysis, and guided reporting that blend validated financial and transactional data. This unified approach supports statutory, management, and operational insights, all within a single platform.

Additionally, OneStream extends its capabilities to integrate financial and operational planning — covering finance, workforce, sales, marketing, supply, and demand — on a single, unified data model. Businesses can then, through that alignment, achieve integrated business planning for greater efficiency and accuracy.

Strategy & Forecasting

With AI-enabled forecasting, scenario modeling, and driver-based and rolling forecasts, OneStream enables financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams to align operational and financial goals. The platform's GenAI capabilities allow users to interrogate data using natural language, analyze enterprise-wide data quickly, and empower decision-makers with AI-driven insights. OneStream's automated machine learning (Auto ML) for time-series forecasting enhances planning accuracy, leveraging internal and external drivers to train models while providing full transparency.

Complementing these AI features are Sensible ML, Sensible AI, and an evolving Sensible AI Library, offering tools for anomaly detection, clustering, Monte Carlo simulations, and more. These features differentiate OneStream from ERP vendors, as the AI works cohesively across one trusted data model in OneStream, rather than as isolated solutions under a single brand name.

Business Process Automation

Through automated workflows with guided tasks, embedded data quality checks, and audit trails, OneStream ensures efficiency, transparency, and timely execution. The platform's Workflow Engine orchestrates end-user activities, guaranteeing data integrity and transparency while consistently managing activities within financial models. Through the unified approach, business processes are streamlined, transparent, and easy for users to navigate, regardless of the underlying model complexities.

Risk and Compliance

By providing full audit trails, global compliance alignment, and pre-built audit reports, OneStream enables proactive risk management and streamlined regulatory adherence. The Security Audit Reports solution offers an overview of user and group data, ensuring compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements through strict process controls, transparency, and certification questionnaires. These features provide peace of mind for enterprises managing sensitive financial and operational data.

Delivering Insights with Power BI

OneStream's Microsoft Certified Power BI Connector enables a smooth, no-code integration with Microsoft's tools, connecting trusted financial and operational data to Power BI dashboards. This integration ensures user-specific security, preserves financial hierarchies, and supports enhanced analysis and visualization, all while maintaining consistency across dimensions. With actionable insights accessible across devices, organizations can extend the value of their OneStream investment to more users, unlocking deeper business intelligence.

CIO-Centric Benefits

Streamlined IT Management

OneStream fully integrates with existing Azure infrastructure, reducing the IT burden while integrating into enterprise systems. By leveraging Azure's robust capabilities, IT leaders can support the Office of the CFO with a unified, secure platform that simplifies financial processes and reduces reliance on fragmented legacy systems. This alignment allows IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives while providing a scalable, low-maintenance solution for mission-critical finance activities.

Optimizing ROI on Cloud Investments

Deploying OneStream through Azure not only stretches Azure Consumption Credits but also maximizes the return on cloud investments. By unifying financial operations into a single platform, OneStream reduces costs associated with managing multiple disjointed tools and systems. Furthermore, through decision-making with real-time insights and automation, enterprises achieve operational efficiencies that directly impact the bottom line. This comprehensive approach ensures a significant return on investment (ROI) by driving value from both IT infrastructure and financial processes.

AI-Powered Insights at Scale

From an IT perspective, OneStream delivers enterprise-grade AI capabilities to finance and beyond. AI-driven forecasts, outlier detection, and automation are integrated into the OneStream platform, providing powerful analytics without the complexity of deploying isolated AI tools. IT teams can, as a result, confidently enable AI at scale and thus empower finance departments with advanced predictive models while ensuring data security, consistency, and transparency across the enterprise.

Future-Proofing with Microsoft and OneStream

The unified innovation roadmap between Microsoft and OneStream offers CIOs confidence in their investment. Microsoft's cloud vision, combined with OneStream's finance expertise, ensures enterprises are prepared for future challenges. Key innovations using Microsoft Azure services such as Cosmos DB, AI services, and cloud-native capabilities such as Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) can be leveraged to expand financial and operational analytics capabilities, offering unparalleled insights with data relationships.

Future integration with Microsoft Teams and Copilot will further enhance collaboration, allowing CFOs and analysts to effortlessly engage with financial data. Through integration, AI-powered tools streamline workflows and provide real-time insights to align with OneStream's mission to unify finance and operational data. This collaborative ecosystem ensures IT and finance are equipped with cutting-edge technologies to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Customer Success Stories

  • 67%

    reduction in time to produce budgets and forecasts, from 9 weeks to 3 weeks — Lawrence & Hanson

  • 250 minutes

    saved by automating manual data loads — Lawrence & Hanson

  • 15–20%

    more accurate forecasts — Stake Center

  • 10 million

    work orders evaluated each year — Stake Center

Lawrence & Hanson

Lawrence & Hanson also gained the flexibility to incorporate acquisitions into consolidation and forecasts. Beyond the headline numbers, the team reported:

  • Leveraged predictive capability using historical data to seed the forecasts.
  • Significantly reduced IT support costs and third-party application support costs due to moving to the unified platform hosted on MS Azure.
  • Employed uniquely pre-defined workflows to enable each user to independently complete their reporting cycle, without requiring additional assistance.

Stake Center

Stake Center saved millions of dollars due to improved forecast accuracy. Beyond the headline numbers, the team reported:

  • Empowered finance teams with a finance-owned solution where IT provides technical support but finance teams can make tweaks.
  • Revolutionized planning to now develop new automated 12-month forecasts every two weeks.
  • Gained full transparency into which numbers and calculations go into and emerge from the platform.

Customer Case Study: Driving Transformation with a Leading Automobile Manufacturer

A leading global automobile manufacturer recently embarked on a transformative journey to modernize its financial processes and align with a cloud-first strategy. By leveraging Microsoft Azure and OneStream, this automotive giant has set the stage for innovation, efficiency, and collaboration across the finance operations. This partnership is enabled through the Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) and exemplifies the power of a unified approach to enterprise transformation, underpinned by trust and innovation.

Strategic Alignment: Accelerating Cloud Adoption

The organization identified a critical need to enhance financial operations, unifying fragmented processes and modernizing outdated systems. Microsoft Azure, with its robust cloud infrastructure, was already a cornerstone of the organization's digital strategy. As part of Azure's MACC program, the inclusion of OneStream provided a natural extension of the organization's vision.

By being transactable through the MACC program, OneStream earned a seat at the table, positioning itself as a key player in advancing the manufacturer's cloud strategy. This alignment not only enabled financial transformation but also strengthened the CIO's relationship with Microsoft, further embedding Azure as a trusted partner in the enterprise's architecture.

Delivering Business Value: A Unified Finance Platform

Through the adoption of OneStream on Azure, the manufacturer achieved the following:

Cloud-Native Modernization

Consolidated financial operations onto a single, unified platform, reducing reliance on legacy systems and streamlining processes.

Optimized Azure Investment

Leveraged Azure Consumption Credits to maximize ROI, aligning with the broader IT strategy and ensuring cost-efficiency.

AI-Driven Insights

Empowered finance teams with real-time data analytics, predictive forecasting, and actionable insights, driving strategic decision-making.

Seamless SAP S/4HANA Integration

Utilized OneStream's connector to integrate SAP S/4HANA data into a unified model, enabling finance teams to access and analyze trusted real-time data across the enterprise without data silos or fragmentation.

Enhanced Collaboration

Improved alignment between finance and operational data, enabling better cross-functional collaboration and more accurate planning.

Landmark Moment: Strengthening the Microsoft Partnership

This success story represents a landmark achievement in the collaboration between Microsoft, OneStream, and the automobile manufacturer. By demonstrating the ability to deliver transformative outcomes, the partnership has not only reinforced Microsoft's position as a strategic cloud provider but also highlighted the potential for OneStream to drive finance-led innovation. This win serves as a rallying point for future initiatives, elevating the OneStream–Microsoft partnership to new heights. Ultimately, this customer success story is a powerful example of how the alignment between Azure and OneStream can help enterprises realize their cloud ambitions while delivering tangible business value.

Conclusion: Driving Success TogetherThe partnership between this leading automobile manufacturer, Microsoft Azure, and OneStream showcases the transformative power of collaboration. By aligning cloud strategy with innovative financial solutions, the organization has unlocked new levels of efficiency, insight, and agility. This case study stands as a testament to what can be achieved when vision, technology, and partnership come together.

Key Takeaways

Start Your Transformation With Microsoft Azure Marketplace

OneStream is available on the Azure Marketplace, offering seamless integration, simplified procurement, and the ability to leverage Azure Consumption Credits.

Visit OneStream's Microsoft Power BI web page to learn more about how OneStream is the only uniquely unified, corporate performance management platform built entirely on the Microsoft stack. Contact OneStream or Microsoft to leverage your Azure Consumption Credits for modern finance transformation.

Request a demo → See how OneStream and Microsoft Azure can power your finance transformation.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How is OneStream related to Microsoft Azure?

OneStream Software is strategically built on Microsoft Azure, leveraging its infrastructure to deliver enterprise-grade performance, security, and scalability. The partnership aligns OneStream's finance and AI capabilities with Azure's cloud strategy, giving CIOs and IT leaders a platform that integrates cleanly into existing enterprise ecosystems such as Oracle and SAP.

How can enterprises use their Azure Consumption Commitment with OneStream?

OneStream is available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, so organizations committed to Azure can apply their Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) and Azure Consumption Credits toward OneStream, driving finance transformation while fully utilizing their existing cloud investment.

What results have OneStream customers reported?

Lawrence & Hanson cut the time to produce budgets and forecasts from 9 weeks to 3 weeks (a 67% reduction) and saved 250 minutes by automating manual data loads. Stake Center gets 15-20% more accurate forecasts across the 10 million work orders it evaluates each year, and now produces automated 12-month forecasts every two weeks.

Does OneStream integrate with Power BI and SAP?

Yes. OneStream's Microsoft-certified Power BI Connector provides no-code integration that preserves financial hierarchies and user-specific security for dashboards, and OneStream's SAP connector integrates SAP S/4HANA data into a single unified model so finance teams can analyze trusted, real-time data without silos.

What's next for the OneStream and Microsoft partnership?

OneStream and Microsoft plan deeper integration with Microsoft Teams and Copilot, plus expanded use of Azure services such as Cosmos DB and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), to extend financial and operational analytics and let CFOs and analysts engage with financial data more easily.

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