Cloud Cost Chaos: The Importance of Proactive Azure Management and FinOps Methodology

It was December 31st, and we were ready to ring in the New Year with a bang. Our company had just deployed a new script on Azure to support one of our upcoming tools. We knew it was going to be a busy day, but we didn't realize the amount of data the script was processing.... and as a result it was quietly racking up a huge cloud bill.

Days went by, and we were not aware of the expense until we saw the amount in the Azure portal... 30,000 euros !!

We were shocked and confused, wondering how this happened.

It was a significant blow to our company's finances, and we realized the importance of managing Azure costs proactively.

Imagine if we wouldn't have noticed it and kept the script running for a month? 30,000 € would have been atleast 300,000 €. That's the cost of a brand new Rolls-Royce Spectre!

Managing Azure costs is a crucial part of cloud management for companies of all sizes. Without proper planning and monitoring, cloud costs can quickly spiral out of control. Just like nobody likes to receive unexpected electricity bills, no business wants to receive an unexpected cloud bill either.

To avoid these surprises, companies need to embrace the FinOps methodology, which stands for Financial Operations.

It is a methodology that focuses on cost optimization in cloud computing. FinOps teams work to balance the need for speed and innovation with the need to manage costs effectively.

With FinOps, companies can proactively manage their cloud costs, analyze their usage patterns, and forecast their future expenses. The methodology empowers businesses to make informed decisions about their cloud usage, negotiate better deals with cloud providers, and identify opportunities for cost savings.

Additionally, there are several tools available to help companies manage their Azure costs. For instance, the Azure Cost Management and Billing tool provides real-time insights into cloud spending and usage patterns. It also allows businesses to create budgets and alerts, so they can monitor their costs proactively.

In conclusion, managing Azure costs is critical for any business that uses the cloud. Companies should be proactive in managing their cloud usage, and they should embrace the FinOps methodology to optimize their cloud costs effectively. By doing so, businesses can avoid unexpected bills, optimize their cloud resources, and allocate their cloud budget effectively.

If you're interested in learning more about FinOps and how it can help your business optimize cloud costs, there's still time to join our upcoming event. We'll be discussing best practices for managing cloud costs, sharing real-world examples, and providing insights into the FinOps methodology.

Register via this link:

Our event is open to anyone interested in learning more about FinOps, regardless of their level of expertise. It's a great opportunity to connect with industry experts and network with other professionals.

So don't miss out on this opportunity to improve your cloud cost management skills. Join us next week and take the first step towards optimizing your cloud costs with FinOps.

PS: When we received the unexpected invoice of 30,000 euros due to the script running on Azure, we immediately reached out to Microsoft to explain what had happened. We were pleasantly surprised by the level of support and understanding we received from their team.