The list of cloud cost optimization tool vendors keeps on growing. At my last count, there were over two dozen FinOps and cloud cost optimization solutions like FinOut, ProsperOps, Vantage.sh, CloudFix, nOps, Apptio, Spot, Kubecost, and others vying for differentiation. This is on top of cloud service providers themselves providing a number of free cost optimization tools like AWS Cost Explorer, and Compute Optimizer. What do all of these tools have in common? They are primarily reactive and identify corrective action when the cost waste has already taken place. Cloud cost optimization needs to shift left, where cost prevention is the leading strategy, and cloud cost optimization tools are only deployed in a downstream process to catch a tiny number of usage anomalies that have slipped through the tight net of preventive checks and balances across the customer organization.

A well-suited metaphor is from personal health where disease prevention is superior to treating the disease itself. The prevention requires a well-planned multi-layer strategy and then implementing it religiously. In the cloud operational world, we at Cloudidr call it Cloud Governance and Cost Management. These are sets of rules, policies, playbooks, and processes with an organizational structure that are established for a cost-first cloud organization. Learn more about how you can implement these in your organization by contacting us.