What this covers
Cloud cost optimisation is not about cutting — it's about governance, visibility, and accountability.
Most enterprises struggle with cloud cost not because they don't know how to reduce spend, but because the operating model, ownership, and tooling don't support continuous control.
Topics in this pillar
FinOps operating models
How to design cost ownership and accountability structures that actually work in complex organisations. When FinOps helps — and when it becomes overhead.
Cost governance & policy
Setting sensible budget controls, reservation strategies, and approval workflows that don't slow teams down while maintaining financial discipline.
Tool evaluations & comparisons
Honest assessments of cloud cost management platforms across AWS, Azure, and GCP. What they actually deliver versus what they claim.
Real-world pitfalls
Common mistakes enterprises make when trying to optimise cloud spend — and how to avoid them.
Who this is for
This content is written for CIOs, heads of infrastructure, and FinOps leaders who need to reduce cloud spend without disrupting delivery teams or compromising on agility.
It assumes real-world constraints: multiple cloud providers, legacy commitments, and organisational complexity.
How tools are evaluated
Cloud cost tools discussed here are assessed on:
- Visibility — what they surface and how actionable it is
- Operational complexity — setup effort and ongoing maintenance
- Integration — how well they work with existing tooling
- Cost vs. value — whether the platform justifies its price
- Enterprise suitability — multi-account, governance, compliance
Affiliate relationships are disclosed where relevant and do not influence conclusions.
Start here
Recommended starting points:
- Why cloud cost spirals — and how to stop it
- FinOps maturity model: what actually matters
- Cloud cost tools comparison: CloudHealth vs. Apptio vs. native tooling
Cloud cost optimisation isn't a one-time exercise — it's an operating model.