How do you teach stakeholders and users about cloud cost management?

1 Explain the cloud pricing models

One of the first steps to teach your stakeholders and users about cloud cost management is to explain the different cloud pricing models and how they affect the cloud bills. For example, you can compare the advantages and disadvantages of pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, spot instances, and savings plans. You can also show how different factors, such as regions, availability zones, usage patterns, and service tiers, influence the cloud costs. By explaining the cloud pricing models, you can help your stakeholders and users make informed decisions about their cloud resource allocation and utilization.

3 Provide cloud cost visibility and accountability

A third step to teach your stakeholders and users about cloud cost management is to provide cloud cost visibility and accountability. Cloud cost visibility means that you can track, measure, and analyze the cloud costs across different dimensions, such as projects, departments, teams, or applications. Cloud cost accountability means that you can assign the cloud costs to the responsible owners and hold them accountable for their spending. For example, you can use cloud cost management tools, such as AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, or Google Cloud Billing, to provide dashboards, reports, and insights on the cloud costs. By providing cloud cost visibility and accountability, you can help your stakeholders and users understand their cloud spending patterns, identify opportunities for optimization, and take actions to reduce or avoid overspending.

4 Share cloud cost optimization strategies

A fourth step to teach your stakeholders and users about cloud cost management is to share cloud cost optimization strategies and best practices. Cloud cost optimization strategies are actions that you can take to reduce or eliminate the unnecessary or inefficient cloud costs, while maintaining or improving the performance and quality of the cloud services. For example, you can share strategies such as right-sizing the cloud resources, scaling up or down the cloud resources according to the demand, choosing the optimal cloud service level, leveraging the cloud discounts and incentives, and deleting or archiving the unused or obsolete cloud resources. By sharing cloud cost optimization strategies, you can help your stakeholders and users adopt a cost-conscious mindset and behavior when using the cloud services.

5 Encourage cloud cost feedback and collaboration

A fifth step to teach your stakeholders and users about cloud cost management is to encourage cloud cost feedback and collaboration. Cloud cost feedback means that you can collect and analyze the feedback from your stakeholders and users on their cloud cost experiences, challenges, and suggestions. Cloud cost collaboration means that you can foster a culture of communication and cooperation among your stakeholders and users on cloud cost management issues and solutions. For example, you can use cloud cost management tools, such as Cloudability, CloudHealth, or CloudCheckr, to facilitate cloud cost feedback and collaboration. By encouraging cloud cost feedback and collaboration, you can improve your cloud cost management processes, practices, and outcomes, and create a shared sense of ownership and responsibility for the cloud costs.

6 Offer cloud cost training and education

A sixth step to teach your stakeholders and users about cloud cost management is to offer cloud cost training and education. Cloud cost training and education means that you can provide your stakeholders and users with the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively manage their cloud costs. For example, you can offer cloud cost training and education programs, such as online courses, webinars, workshops, or certifications, that cover the cloud cost management concepts, tools, strategies, and best practices. You can also provide your stakeholders and users with the access to the cloud cost management documentation, guides, blogs, podcasts, or videos, that offer the latest updates, tips, and insights on cloud cost management. By offering cloud cost training and education, you can enhance your stakeholders' and users' cloud cost management capabilities, confidence, and competence.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?