Cloud
FinOps made simple: keeping cloud spend under control
What FinOps is and how it works in three phases: see your spend, optimise it, manage it every day. With a source from the FinOps Foundation.
The cloud is pay as you go. That is an advantage, but the bill at the end of the month can hold nasty surprises. That is why FinOps exists.
What it is
According to the FinOps Foundation (finops.org), FinOps is a practice for managing cloud finances. It brings engineers, finance and business leads around the same table, so that spending decisions are made together and based on data.
Three phases, in brief
The Foundation describes a repeating cycle with three phases: Inform, Optimize and Operate. Here they are in plain words.
1. Inform (see). Before cutting, you need to understand who is spending, on what and with what result. You need labels (tags) on resources and reports that non-technical people can read.
2. Optimize (optimise). You look for unused or oversized resources, choose the most suitable purchasing options and switch off test environments when nobody is using them.
3. Operate (manage). You set targets and alert thresholds, check every month and start again. FinOps is not a one-off exercise.
A useful question to start with
If someone asked you today which services weigh most on your cloud bill and why, could you answer in a few minutes? If the answer is no, that is the first step.
Our field
Infrastructure and cloud, including optimisation and FinOps, are among Lasagnaware's areas of expertise. If you would like to talk about it, write to info@lasagnaware.it.