Keeping cloud costs under control with managed services and FinOps is the new optimization frontier A cultura l enterprises change is required, it is clear: the shift from CapEx logics, established in the past to OpEx logics inherent in the cloud is far from obvious.
However, organizations already need to address a path that allows them to leverage resources in the cloud, but without those resources ending up, then, weighing on the corporate balance sheet due to clueless of responsibilities consumption.
With managed services and FinOps cloud costs are not only safe but also allows the enterprise’s level of organization to be pushed even higher and the value produced by the cost of cloud services to be maximized.
Cloud under control with managed services and FinOps: the mistake not to make
The most common mistake when it comes to optimizing cloud costs is primarily cultural. Many organizations, in fact are not accustomed to monitoring , beyond system errors the operation of resources to assess whether their allocation is oversized or instead is used correctly. On the contraryresources are often not used: spending in this case is not justified.
If in an on-premise system this operational aspect does not affect the cost-because the purchased machine was paid for once at the beginning-in a cloud system it is the beginning of a potential disaster because it pushes the company into a situation where deprived of careful monitoring it cannot reconstruct the logic that is driving up costs and consumption. Especially if there is a lack of synergy between the finance department and the department delegated to cloud operations: the error in this case becomes even deeper
Cloud costs with managed services and FinOps: Sorint.Lab’s answer
To ensure that organizations have the ability to monitor resources and optimize cloud utilization, through managed services and FinOps, Sorint.Lab first undertakes an assesment of the customer’s situation “as is”. In short: to assess how many resources are being used in the cloud, how and why.
The reports that are generated as a result of the initial assesment indicate the state of affairs, the holes that need to be filled, any oversized resources or others that are totally idle. A common situation is the presence of snapshots that are older than necessary: together with the customer, Sorint.Lab assesses how to manage such snapshots in light of business needs.
Another common situation is the presence of cloud resources that are partially used. For example, exclusively during business hours; while they are not routinely used outside this time slot.
In such cases, it is possible to engage an automated dynamic that ensures that the resource is available only at certain times: the rest of the time the resource is turned off. With such judicious and reasoned management, cloud resources no longer represent a potential economic risk only a great opportunity.
Costs kept under control by responsible people
An additional element influencing cloud costs is individual consumption. In fact a cultural change that should not be underestimated concerns the use of resources by the various users:: culture must be spread within the enterprise where each individual user is responsible for the resources he or she is using. The Cloud makes it possible to activate resources (and thus add costs) with a simple click, and often the user does not have sufficient awareness that with a simple gesture can result in unjustified costs for the company.
Without mincing words sometimes excessive, ill-advised consumption has no clear purpose for the organization; therefore, it is an unnecessary cost.
Optimized cloud costs: the role of FinOps
Cloud cost optimization is the basis of FinOps. The assessment and data retrieval part about the state of the facility is the first. In the next one, the organization proceeds to optimization, verification of resources and possible scheduling of a “start and stop” system to avoid waste with unused resources.
The third phase of FinOps, on the other hand, is operational: the plan defined during the analysis and optimization processes is implemented , all with the intention of aiming for an automated system.
In this way the organization achieves two benefits:
- all people taking part in FinOps have visibility of the resources used and their cost;
- prospectively, each department is made accountable for its consumption and costs in order to arrive at an even more timely analysis and breakdown of costs.
FinOps is not a destination but it is a path. Each time the organization reaches the third phase, it starts over from the first: it collects new data, analyzes the situation, and verifies the resources used by leveraging the improved knowledge gained during the previous “cycle.” Optimizing cloud costs with managed services and FinOps, when supported by a reliable and timely partner, is within everyone’s reach and becomes the winning strategy for getting the most value possible from Cloud use.