Optimising cloud usage with FinOps insights

project results

• De-risked commercial approach to cloud with marketplace purchases
• Enhanced internal stakeholder communications
• Created a better understanding of cloud planning and forecasting
• Reduced the CO2e emissions of their cloud usage

how did we engage

Our combination of FinOps excellence, deep ITAM skills, and advanced cloud modelling skills meant we were well placed assist the client in a holistic manner, across their hybrid estate. The client felt us being able to advise across multiple areas of business spend simultaneously would provide them with the optimal outcome in a time, and cost, efficient manner.

our solution

Our FinOps specialists engaged with a variety of stakeholders across the client organisation including procurement, technology, commercial, and ITAM in order to comprehensively model their expected growth in cloud usage over the next 36 months. From this, our team built a clear roadmap of the steps they need to take to best optimise their current cloud environment.

Working with the Finance team we identified potential issues and gaps in their cloud budgeting processes, caused by a lack of cost data on which they could base accurate forecasts for future spend. Our FinOps team worked with both Commercial and Engineering to implement a collaborative process that ensures they work together on updating their forecast based on new cloud workloads.

A further part of this project was to engage our internal ITAM and contract specialists to review the client’s portfolio of on-premises software & SaaS subscription, such as backup and security tools. This was to identify areas where these products could instead be purchased via the cloud provider’s marketplace, contributing towards the client’s cloud spend commitment target.

client benefits

Altogether, our work across the software portfolio and cloud environment enabled the client to forecast when they would reach the prescribed thresholds to retain, and increase, discounts with their cloud provider while still maintaining a comprehensive cloud optimisation strategy. They can also model “what-if” scenarios to anticipate the impact of proposed changes on their cloud spend.

Identifying software and SaaS subscriptions the client can purchase through the cloud marketplace means they are able to avoid the significant financial risk posed by missing their commitment thresholds. Failing to achieve these agreed levels of cloud spend can lead to clients having to pay higher unit costs and even end of contract lump sums.

Commercial and other key stakeholders are now an integral part of the process, so as things change, forecasts can be updated and reviewed against the consistent, company-wide figures in which everyone has confidence. This has the additional benefit of putting the client in a stronger position for their next negotiation with the cloud provider. Having an accurate, comprehensive, real-time overview of both their current cloud use and projected future growth means they can have a data-driven conversation where targets and commitments are based on facts rather than suggestions.

Furthermore, this project allowed the organisation to not only improve FinOps processes and reduce wasted spend, but also to reduce the environmental impact of their cloud usage through reduced CO2e emissions and water usage in the cloud datacentre.