FinOps is a discipline, not a tool: How to empower your cloud practice

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment,” said Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker.

Discipline carries you across the gap from where you are to where you want to be, and luckily, it’s a practice you can hone and strengthen — not a trait exclusive to a select few. Whether you’re in the gym or in the office, you can see the consistent efforts, the goal setting and determined execution, the focus and resilience despite setbacks.

But how does this translate to your FinOps practice?

Often in discussions around managing costs in the cloud, the assumption is that there’s a tool or program available for purchase to magically fix everything. This would be a common misconception, as the topic of cloud typically has some sort of tool associated with it. However, FinOps is not a tool; it is a way of working and a cultural mind shift that requires people and process. This could require a tool, but not just a tool for success.

The discipline of FinOps

As a discipline, the goal of FinOps is to bring the masses together for collaboration — no matter the team you work on. This fosters a cultural mindset that breaks down the barriers of communication between teams, regardless of their areas of expertise or specific functions.

The ability to make informed decisions around managing cloud and organizational costs relies on the ability to have these departments come together and align on the business needs. This leads to efficient cloud spending and better use of cloud resources across the organization.

Consider FinOps like exercise and health efforts in life. There is a plethora of diets, gym options, exercise programs, equipment, etc. that can assist in achieving fitness goals — but the discipline it takes to incorporate a regimen and the choice to add intentional nutrition and exercise do not automatically mean that your goal will be met. There are several factors that could encourage progress toward your unique wellness target, but it takes more than just one to succeed. Think of the same approach when it comes to FinOps and all the components that are required to effectively engage in its practices.

One of the key factors: the personas necessary to build a FinOps practice, including but not limited to engineers, finance, executives, FinOps practitioners, and product owners. Each persona has their own role within FinOps that aligns with their area of interest. While finance is aligning forecasts and budgets, the engineer wants to ensure that the application running has enough power and resilience for adequate availability and functionality. Their goals are different, but they share the same purpose under the full umbrella of functionality for their business. Demonstrating to these personas how their individual objectives contribute to the overall collective effort is essential for supporting engagement in your FinOps practice.

The role of tools

While FinOps is not a tool, that is not to say that tools do not have a place in FinOps. They can assist with automation, dashboards, and visibility efforts, to name a few.

But the tool alone cannot be the only operating factor; the people are necessary to interpret data, make decisions, and act upon those decisions. While gathering data and working together toward a common goal is essential, there is no change without action. If you identify a need for tagging implementation, anomaly reporting, and regular reviews, these process changes show FinOps should be an ongoing habit rather than a one-time or annual project.

It is important that tools alone do not define but instead support or enable FinOps to take place. To have momentum toward engaging in true FinOps, the following is essential to implement in your practice:

• Embrace FinOps as an organizational culture.
• Include all stakeholders at every hierarchical level.
• Create processes that are repeatable and make cost accountability transparent.
• Advocate for the use of tools that enable the practice to foster visibility and accountability.

Success is a journey

Similar to your fitness goals or business endeavors, FinOps is a journey and not a race. This is an ongoing effort that must be iterative to be successful. Since it is a discipline, you must practice it — it cannot just be bought. But with the right support and focus, your FinOps cloud practice can reach new heights.

SHI’s FinOps services align IT architecture with business governance to optimize your cloud’s performance. Our FinOps experts can explore your pain points and empower your goals, tailored to your environment. Here are three ways to start building a stronger FinOps practice:

1. Better visibility across your teams: SHI One, our proprietary cloud management platform, gives everyone from your procurement team to your C-Suite a centralized portal to track, manage, and support all your public cloud instances.
2. Better preparation with a clear roadmap: As you migrate, optimize, and manage your cloud, our cloud services and assessments simplify and accelerate transformation.
3. Lower cloud costs: Our cloud spend optimization services analyze your cloud usage, align with budgets, and identify opportunities to drive down your cloud spend.

NEXT STEPS

To focus on your FinOps practice and enable your cloud journey, connect with our team of experts today.