By its very nature, multicloud requires more precise and accurate governance. Having to implement and interconnect clouds from different providers means having to manage and optimize costs that, while similar in some respects, are the result of different companies. Multicloud is perceived and experienced as the solution to the problem of lock-in and as the maximization of the flexibility that the cloud has promised from the outset.
However, there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed: avoiding the allocation of unused resources; being able to add value to data and process it into reports that provide relevant insights; and optimizing costs. The FinOps methodology (a portmanteau of Financial and Operations) will increasingly become a term associated with multicloud: together, they enhance the technological aspect of the cloud and expand the efficient use of resources in order to minimize the unnecessary use of licenses and tools.
Sorint.Lab supports organizations in the planning and development of FinOps logic applied to multicloud, tailoring the project to the specific needs of all stakeholders.
FinOps and multicloud: how to proceed in 3 steps
Applying FinOps logic to multicloud requires a few fundamental steps to follow. Starting from a premise that may seem obvious but is essential: the organization must be able to perceive the dynamics underlying FinOps not as a series of processes and best practices to be implemented slavishly and learned by heart, but as a logical and natural transition towards a model of governance and sharing of responsibilities and resource utilization that fully embraces the agility and flexibility of the cloud (and even more so the multicloud).
Training
The first step, therefore, is training and awareness of what FinOps is and how the company must align itself in order to leverage its cloud resources. Sorint.Lab helps organizations build cross-functional teams that include both financial and technical personnel: the goal is for the organization, after learning the logic and dynamics, to become fully autonomous in applying the details of FinOps to the multicloud.
Assessment and analysis
The second step, on the other hand, is to assess the “as is” situation, i.e., to analyze the state of the company’s multicloud, how it is used, the business case underlying the adoption of the cloud, and, finally, the benefits the company hopes to achieve. This is a phase that is often underestimated: in many cases, the failure of a multicloud project is linked not to the technological implementation, but to a lack of careful assessment prior to the actual implementation.
Correcting multicloud anomalies
The third and final step is to identify the best tool for applying FinOps logic to the multicloud. This can be done through solutions provided directly by cloud service providers, which also include suggestions aimed at correcting the situation in the best possible way.
Sorint.Lab has gone one step further: with its Ercole software asset management solution, it integrates the features provided by cloud service providers to provide more information aimed at optimizing costs and generating detailed reports that can then be used to achieve the desired savings. Verifying multicloud inefficiencies through external tools such as Ercole is central to successfully applying FinOps logic and improving multicloud performance.
Multicloud: tracking costs can be simple
By its very nature, multicloud—i.e., the use of multiple cloud service providers—involves an inherent difficulty in monitoring costs because they are cross-functional: when applications reside on multiple clouds, tracking the source of a cost, its underlying cause, is less transparent.
However, this is not an unsolvable situation: multicloud can – indeed, must – be governed according to FinOps principles, which make resource usage more efficient and therefore lead to a better cost-to-results ratio. The ultimate goal should not be solely to reduce costs in absolute terms, but to align them with business needs.
Sorint.Lab’s expert consulting allows organizations to identify the business case, apply FinOps logic to multicloud, and achieve better results. Multicloud is a tool. Being able to govern it is an advantage.