Cloud FinOps: Managing Cloud Cost and Business Value on AWS
Author
Luqman Sayed, Ziyad Ahmed Ansari, Abu Aasim, Priyanka Gurav
Abstract
Cloud computing has made it easier for organizations to use computing resources whenever they are needed, but it has also made managing technology costs more difficult. Cloud FinOps provides a way to manage these costs by bringing together engineering, finance, business, and operations teams to understand cloud usage and the value it provides. This paper discusses how Cloud FinOps can be used for managing costs and improving business value on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It covers important practices such as cost visibility, ownership, budgeting, forecasting, anomaly detection, resource rightsizing, storage management, and commitment pricing. The paper also looks at the differences between single-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments, where combining cost data from different systems becomes a major challenge. Along with these practices, the use of AI in FinOps is discussed, including cost analysis, forecasting, anomaly detection, and optimization recommendations. AI agents can further automate some FinOps activities, but human review is still important when financial or infrastructure changes are involved. Overall, FinOps is not only about reducing the cloud bill, but about making better technology decisions and getting more value from cloud resources.
Keywords
Cloud FinOps, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cloud Cost Management, Cost Optimization, Cloud Computing, Hybrid Cloud, AI in FinOps, AI Agents, Business Value, Cost Forecasting.
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References
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