What's new in Cloud FinOps?: Recent Episodes
Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois
Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois get together to discuss what's new in the world of cloud when it comes to finance.We'll discuss the top stories we've found from this month and then discuss a wider topic that interests us.
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Title: What's New in Cloud FinOps - June 2026
Hosts: Frank Contrepois and SteveO
Summary
In this episode, Frank and SteveO navigate through the latest cloud offerings and AI advancements, revealing how these updates impact performance, costs, and operational strategies across Azure, AWS, and AI applications. Stay tuned for insights into new VM generations, cost management tools, and cutting-edge AI features.
Key Topics:
- Azure's new Cobalt 200V and 100V VMs deliver up to 50% better CPU performance
- Introduction of AWS's Metal 48XL/96XL and enhanced EC2 instances with sixth-generation Intel Xeon
- Latest AWS Graviton 5 processors offering up to 25% better compute performance
- Enhanced Amazon EC2 G7 instances powered by Nvidia RTX Pro 4500
- AWS Cost Management updates, including automatic cost anomaly investigations and new billing tools
- AWS's support for region-agnostic throughput reservations in Azure
- The rise of AI and automation in cost optimization: new tools, models, and use cases
- Cloud vendors' announcements on energy-efficient storage, reserved pricing, and billing analysis tools
Timestamps:
00:00 - Cloud news roundup: performance boosts in Azure VM series
00:20 - Azure's new Cobalt 200V VMs: performance and AI workload optimization
01:32 - AWS launches Metal 48XL/96XL: CPU advancements and network enhancements
02:50 - Introduction of AWS M9G/M9GD instances with AWS Graviton 5 processors
04:36 - AWS's latest EC2 G7 instances with Nvidia RTX GPUs for AI and visual workloads
05:43 - Cost efficiency improvements with new pricing models and snapshot billing
09:28 - Redshift advances with manual snapshot cost reductions
10:12 - AI models on Bedrock: GPT 5.5, Codex, and OpenAI integrations
12:24 - Innovations in cloud billing: cost explorer, cost anomaly detection, and billing account tools
13:00 - Cost & Usage Report 2.0 enhances S3, Athena, and Redshift integration
14:23 - Google Cloud billing updates: report export improvements and new filtering options
15:19 - AWS's right-sizing and resource optimization enhancements
16:12 - Cost explorer AI integrations and automated cost investigations
17:10 - New AI-powered tools for cost anomaly root-cause analysis
18:16 - Multi-project billing views and resource management in AWS
19:04 - Advanced export configurations to streamline billing data handling
20:06 - Google Cloud's spot VM real-time availability features
21:36 - Enhanced tagging, resource management, and API capabilities in AWS and Google Cloud
24:11 - Azure's VM retirements, storage, and reservation updates
26:15 - Redshift's new upfront pricing options for reserved instances
27:35 - Global provisioned throughput reservations now regional in Azure for flexibility
28:44 - Storage charges optimizations and vector query cost reductions on S3
30:10 - Using finops.frankcontrepois.com for AI-driven FinOps
34:08 - The importance of separating AI from automation in cloud efficiency strategies
36:17 - Resources like the Phoenix Project and The Goal for understanding process optimization and AI impact
37:34 - Support for new resource types and idle recommendation expansion in AWS Compute Optimizer
38:50 - Cost and performance insights into specific resource wastage
39:16 - AWS's State of Cost Efficiency Report: benchmarking and industry insights
40:52 - AWS FinOps agents preview: automated cost and anomaly management workflows
42:23 - Programmatic savings plan management and AWS workload optimization
43:47 - Cost attribution and telemetry for large language models (LLMs) on Bedrock
44:10 - AWS WAF's new AI traffic monetization capabilities for API access control
45:45 - Azure Cosmos DB's new cost estimator tool for pre-provisioning modeling
46:52 - Top three news picks: upcoming cloud innovations and AI advances
47:35 - The growing role of FinOps and AI operational tools in cloud cost management
Resources:
FinOps tool
The Phoenix Project
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Connect with the Hosts:
Frank - LinkedIn
SteveO - LinkedIn
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Summary: In this episode, Frank and SteveO discuss the latest updates in cloud technology for May 2026. They cover AWS's new multi-cloud connectivity with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, the general availability of Amazon EC2 M3 Ultra Mac instances, and Microsoft's release of V7 VMs powered by Intel Xeon processors. The hosts also delve into Amazon Bedrock's expanded support for request-level usage attribution and service quotas, as well as AWS Marketplace's new programmatic procurement capabilities. The episode wraps up with insights from the FinOps X conference and a discussion on cost management strategies in cloud services.
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What's New in Cloud FinOps: May 2026 Monthly Recap
In this combined monthly recap for May 2026, Frank Contrepois and Stephen Old dive into a vast array of updates across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, with a special focus on the evolving landscape of AI FinOps, hybrid cloud challenges, and a barrage of storage news.
The Expanding Scope of FinOps: From Data Centre to AI
The discussion opens by exploring the expansion of FinOps beyond the public cloud to encompass on-premise data centres, software, AI, and sustainability. A central theme is the application of the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) to on-premise environments. Stephen shares firsthand experience transposing software data into FOCUS to create a converged platform, highlighting the fundamental data challenges, from ingesting contract data to managing the high velocity of cloud data.
The conversation then shifts to the burgeoning role of AI, noting its inclusion alongside SaaS and professional services in the modern FinOps scope. This introduces new forecasting challenges, as traditional 18-month budget cycles clash with the rapid pace of weekly AI model releases.
A critical point is also raised regarding sustainability. The hosts discuss Amazon's board rejecting a shareholder proposal for detailed climate disclosures, which poses a significant challenge for companies needing granular data for CSRD and SEC compliance.
Major Cloud Updates: April 2026
AI & FinOps Visibility:
A major theme is the improvement in attributing AI spend. A game-changing update from AWS means Bedrock API calls now automatically record the IAM identity (user or role) of the caller directly into CUR 2.0 and Cost Explorer. This eliminates the complex need to reconcile CloudTrail logs to determine who is driving Bedrock costs.
Similarly, Amazon Q is now embedded in the AWS Cost Explorer, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their spending (e.g., "Why did my RDS costs spike last month?"). This conversational analysis approach comes with a free tier of 50 queries per month.
On the Google Cloud side, a new billing overview widget for Gemini and Vertex AI spend is now in preview. Google is also introducing a "FinOps Explainability Agent," an autonomous AI agent to investigate AI cost drivers, and "Spend Caps" (Private Preview) for services like AI Studio and Vertex AI, which provide crucial cost control by pausing API traffic when a budget is hit.
For those managing GPU workloads, Amazon ECS managed instances now support NVIDIA GPU metrics in CloudWatch Container Insights, enabling real-time visibility into GPU utilisation and health to optimise expensive accelerated computing.
Cost & Usage Reporting (CUR) Enhancements:
There are hints of a potential enhancement to AWS CUR 2.0, which could see new columns added to directly link API calls with costs, revolutionising cost allocation. AWS has also introduced:
- Scheduled Email Delivery for Billing Dashboards: Securely send reports to stakeholders without console access.
- Billing Conductor Pass-Through Plan: Simplifies centralised billing for billing transfer users.
- Cost Optimization Hub CSV Downloads: Easily export savings recommendations.
- Find out how to leverage CUR for security: "Identifying security risks using AWS cost and usage report data"
Compute & Database Innovations:
- AWS: Released a wave of 8th Generation Intel Instances (C8i, M8i, R8i and network-optimised versions) powered by custom 6th Gen Xeon processors. EC2 Capacity Manager also now supports tag-based dimensions, allowing for more granular capacity optimisation. Amazon Aurora Serverless now boasts up to 30% better performance and, crucially, scales down to zero, a cost-effective option for unpredictable agentic AI workloads.
- Google Cloud: At Google Cloud Next, they announced both ends of the performance spectrum. The 8th Generation TPUs (v8t for training, v8i for inference) offer massive scale and performance-per-dollar improvements. In a move to democratise access, Google also made fractional GPUs (1/2, 1/4, or 1/8) on the G4 series generally available, a game-changer for cost-effectively running smaller workloads. The GKE workload recommender is also now integrated into the FinOps Hub.
- Azure: Now supports NVIDIA's powerful H100 and H200 GPUs on Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) for large-scale AI/HPC workloads. For database users, the GA of Premium SSD v2 for Azure Database for PostgreSQL promises significantly higher IOPS and better price-performance.
A Deep Dive into Azure Storage:
The episode covers an "overload" of Azure storage updates with significant FinOps implications:
- Minimum Billable Object Size: From 1st July 2026 for new accounts (and 2027 for all), objects smaller than 128KB in cool, cold, and archive tiers will be billed as if they are 128KB.
- Smart Tier for Azure Blob & ADLS (GA): To mitigate the above, this feature automatically tiers data based on access patterns but introduces a monitoring fee for objects over 128KB, creating a new optimisation puzzle.
- Azure NetApp Files (ANF) Ransomware Protection: Now GA and included as part of the service at no extra charge.
Finally, the hosts tackle "The Big Silence on Memory Prices," noting that despite DDR memory prices soaring 300-400% from mid-2025 lows, the hyperscalers have remained silent, absorbing the cost and making it difficult for smaller providers to compete.
Explore the official announcements:
- AI Bill of Materials Whitepaper: www.wiz.io/go/ai-security/ai-bill-of-materials
- AWS Article on Amazon Q: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws-cloud-financial-management/transforming-finops-with-the-latest-amazon-q-cost-capabilities/
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This month, Frank Contrepois and Steven Old interview Yasmin Rajabi.
A few weeks ago, we picked a topic. Then, just five minutes before recording, we all changed our minds. In the end, we didn’t discuss any of the planned subjects and went with the flow. And what an amazing flow it was!
This is one of the best interviews we've ever done. It was engaging, sparked memories, and created new content for all FinOps practitioners listening.
Yasmin will need to return soon so we can try to discuss a set topic... or not.
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Frank and Stephen discuss the latest updates in cloud technology, focusing on AWS and Azure. They cover topics like EC2 Fleet's new interruptible capacity reservation, Azure pricing challenges, and the retirement of certain virtual machine sizes. They also explore the benefits of Google's TPU 7x for AI training and the introduction of AWS's Sustainability Console for carbon emission tracking. The conversation touches on the importance of risk management in business decisions and the evolving landscape of cloud billing and sustainability.
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In this episode of What’s New in Cloud FinOps?, Frank and Stephen break down the latest shifts in cloud usage, pricing, and governance so you don’t have to read the release notes from vendor blog posts.
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This episode covers the latest updates in cloud computing, including AWS Spot Interruption metrics, new EC2 instances, Azure and GCP enhancements, and cost management innovations. Perfect for cloud professionals seeking actionable insights and industry trends.
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Key topics:
- AWS Spot Interruption Metrics
- New EC2 Memory-Optimized Instances
- Azure and GCP Cloud Enhancements
- Cost Management and Optimization Strategies
- Capacity Constraints and AI Impact
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In this episode, Frank and Stephen share the latest in cloud computing. They focus on AWS innovations, like new EC2 instances, generative AI advancements, and cost management strategies. They explore how AI integrates into cloud services and introduce Amazon Nova 2 for advanced reasoning tasks. They also discuss improvements in billing and support services. The conversation includes updates from Azure and Google Cloud, showcasing the changing cloud technology landscape and its impact on businesses.
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and then went in all sorts of interesting rabbit holes.
Link on the CUR data pipeline open source tool: https://ecos-labs.io/
Merry Christmas everyone and see you in 2026
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In this episode, SteveO and Frank discuss the latest updates in cloud computing, focusing on AWS and Azure innovations. They cover new features in EC2, Lambda, and Workspaces, as well as advancements in data management and AI. The conversation also highlights cost management tools and strategies, flexible cost allocation, and storage solutions. The hosts emphasize the importance of FinOps in managing cloud costs and conclude with insights into future developments in cloud technology.
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In this interview with Nic Guerra, the unortodox accountant, Stephen an Frank learn about a new type of accounting...cost accounting. Frank never heard the term before. The biggest learning: cost is proactive.
The conversation delves into the critical distinction between cost and spend, emphasizing the need for a deeper analysis of variances in financial management. It highlights the importance of recognizing inefficiencies as opportunities for improvement, particularly in the context of cloud computing and resource allocation.
Takeaways
- Cost is not the same as a spend.
- There shouldn't be a taboo about inefficiencies.
- Understanding variances can lead to better financial decisions.
- Financial management requires a nuanced understanding of costs.
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In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, hosts SteveO and Frank discuss the latest updates from the TBM conference, then moving on to their usual FinOps news, with many AWS news: new EC2 instances, cost management innovations, and sustainability initiatives in cloud services. They explore the implications of Lambda billing changes, real-time bidding technology, and the evolving landscape of cloud financial management training.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Conference Insights
02:07 AWS News Highlights
06:45 New EC2 Instances and Performance Improvements
10:41 Data Management and Optimization Tools
14:07 Storage Innovations and Cost Efficiency
18:34 Capacity Management and Kubernetes Integration
21:57 Pricing Changes and Licensing Optimization
27:39 Emerging Technologies and Cost Savings
28:46 AWS RTB Fabric for Real-Time Advertising
30:50 AWS Service Availability Updates
33:19 Sunsetting AWS Services
34:41 Amazon Q Developer: Cost Management Tool
38:27 Kronos 2: Advanced Forecasting Model
39:20 Upcoming FinOps Sessions at reInvent 2025
41:30 GCP Anomaly Detection Features
43:19 Azure's Environmental Sustainability Features
44:54 AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool Update
46:21 New FinOps Training Courses
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In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, Stephen Old and Frank discuss the latest updates in cloud computing, including AWS Outposts' integration with third-party storage, new Amazon EC2 Mac instances, Azure's managed services, and Google Cloud VM Engine updates.
They also explore pricing changes in Azure, the deprecation of Azure Machine Learning data labeling, and the introduction of new metrics in software development. The conversation highlights the importance of sustainability in cloud services and concludes with reflections on the podcast's five-year anniversary.
Takeaways
- AWS Outposts now supports third-party storage integration with Dell and HPE.
- Amazon EC2 introduces new Mac instances for developers.
- Azure managed services now include Grafana dashboards at no extra cost.
- Google Cloud VM Engine V1 SKUs are now end of sale.
- Azure UltraDisk pricing has been reduced significantly in specific regions.
- Azure Machine Learning data labeling will be deprecated by 2026.
- AWS Transform Assessment helps visualize storage migration benefits.
- New cost to serve software metric introduced by AWS.
- Cortex Framework now deploys sustainability modules for SAP.
- AWS Lambda cold start billing changes will take effect in 2025.
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Short episode packed with so many ideas and thoughts.
In this episode, Frank Contrepois and Stephen Old engage in a thought-provoking discussion with Erik Norman about the principles of FinOps, particularly focusing on the Iron Triangle of project management.
They explore the limitations of the Iron Triangle, emphasizing the importance of quality and speed in achieving project goals. The conversation also highlights the necessity of education in cloud engineering, the challenges of serverless architectures, and the misconceptions surrounding vendor lock-in in cloud solutions. The episode is rich with insights and practical advice for professionals in the FinOps and cloud engineering space.
Takeaways
- The Iron Triangle is useful but has limited applicability.
- Quality and speed can coexist without sacrificing cost efficiency.
- Education is crucial for optimizing cloud costs.
- Serverless architectures may not always be the most efficient choice.
- Vendor lock-in is often misunderstood; it exists in many forms.
- Effective communication between teams is essential for project success.
- Prioritization in FinOps should consider urgency and importance.
- Hackathons can foster innovation and efficiency in engineering teams.
- Cloud-native tools can simplify legacy migration processes.
- Continuous learning and adaptation are key in cloud environments.
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In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, hosts SteveO and Frank discuss the latest advancements in cloud FinOps, including Amazon's new EC2 P6EGB200 Ultra Servers, cloud migration strategies, and innovations in data management and storage. They also explore cost management techniques, pricing changes, and the impact of AI on troubleshooting and monitoring. The conversation wraps up with a call for engaging discussions with listeners.
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In this episode, Frank and SteveO cover the latest cloud updates that matter for FinOps practitioners:
- Compute & AI: AWS launches the P6e GB200 Ultra Servers, delivering record-breaking GPU performance for training and inference at trillion-parameter scale. Google announces FlexStart VMs to lower inference costs, while Azure rolls out free AWS-to-Azure Blob migration.
- Storage & Data: Google introduces editable backup plans, and AWS adds tagging support for S3 Express One Zone—a step toward using tags as operational levers, not just reporting tools.
- Visibility & Optimization: AWS Transform enhances EBS cost analysis and .NET modernization insights. GCP improves billing exports with spend-based CUD metadata in BigQuery and previews a Cost Explorer for better spend tracking.
- Pricing & Commitments: AWS Connect introduces per-day pricing for external voice connectors. Google expands flexible CUDs to cover Cloud Run services, with full migration to the new model coming in January 2026.
- Savings & Compliance: Azure Firewall adds ingestion-time log transformations to cut monitoring costs. AWS Audit Manager improves evidence collection, reducing compliance overhead and spend.
- AI-assisted Operations: AWS debuts MCP servers for S3 Tables, CloudWatch, and Application Signals—enabling AI-driven data access, troubleshooting, and observability. Plus, QuickSight doubles SPICE datasets to 2B rows.
As always, we cut through the noise to focus on the FinOps impact—cost, commitments, compliance, and the growing role of AI in managing the cloud.
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Join us, Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois as we valiantly record the June 2025 news episode of “What’s New in Cloud FinOps"; this time, indoors and largely free of wildlife interruptions. In this news-packed update, we tackle the latest cloud cost and optimisation news from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Expect witty repartee as we dissect everything from Azure’s flexible memory to Google’s enhanced forecasting models, and even the curious case of the disappearing Microsoft Focus 1.2 schema. Along the way, you’ll learn about Athena’s improved query result management, Dataproc’s zero-scale clusters, and the existential dread of forgotten EBS snapshots.
Whether you’re a FinOps expert, a cloud enthusiast, or simply enjoy hearing two experts try to outdo each other (and occasionally their own tech), this episode is your monthly dose of cloud cost clarity; with a side of British sarcasm. Tune in for news, numbers, and the occasional existential crisis.
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In this conversation, Frank Contrepois, Stephen Old, and Rich Gibbons explore the complexities of Software as a Service (SaaS) along with Financial Operations (FinOps) and IT Asset Management (ITAM). They talk about how software licensing has evolved and the challenges of managing SaaS consumption. Security and data management in a SaaS setting are also discussed. The conversation highlights the different views of ITAM and FinOps on SaaS. They consider how SaaS affects procurement models and the future of collaboration between these areas.
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In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois talk about the latest in cloud computing in May 2025.
They focus on Azure, AWS, and GCP. They share their experiences at FinOps X (FOX) and discuss new features and public previews. They also explore topics like database innovations, cost management, AI integration, and sustainability in cloud services. Their conversation shows how cloud technology is evolving and why it's important to stay updated on new developments.
Link to some videos from Microsoft
- Microsoft Cost Management—Overview in the Azure portal
- Microsoft Cost Management—Cost Analysis in the Azure portal (part 1)
- Microsoft Cost Management—Cost Analysis in the Azure portal (part 2)
- Microsoft Cost Management—Creating Budgets and Alerts
- Microsoft Cost Management—Exporting your Cost Data with Scheduled Exports
- Manage Azure OpenAI Service Provisioned Reservations
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April 2025 news. A lot of news for you, dear listener, from Google, AWS and Azure
Takeaway by the ai
- The FinOps News podcast targets hardcore FinOps enthusiasts.
- Conflict can lead to better team dynamics and outcomes.
- Azure's VM hibernation feature offers cost-efficient workload management.
- Amazon EC2 introduces high-performance storage optimized instances.
- Bare metal instances provide significant performance improvements.
- Prompt optimization in Amazon Bedrock enhances AI model performance.
- AWS Database Migration Service now supports automatic storage scaling.
- Cloud gaming may benefit from new GPU instance offerings.
- The importance of feedback in improving cloud services is emphasized.
- The podcast aims to provide in-depth insights into cloud technology. Amazon S3 has significantly reduced its storage and request prices.
- Google Cloud's FinOps Hub 2.0 offers new tools for cost management.
- GKE now provides insights to optimize resource requests and limits.
- Azure AKS cost recommendations help identify savings opportunities.
- Google Cloud's backup services now support DB2 databases.
- Amazon Redshift introduces serverless reservations for cost predictability.
- AWS CodeBuild enhancements allow for better resource configuration.
- Microsoft Cost Management has improved export functionalities.
- Microsoft Copilot in Azure offers tailored prompts for cost analysis.
- Azure Static Web Apps will discontinue dedicated pricing plans.
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In this episode, Frank and Stephen talk with Udam about the changing world of FinOps. They focus on the challenges organizations face in managing cloud costs and data accuracy. Udam shares insights from his vast experience in the field. He highlights the need for data standardization, the role of data engineering, and ongoing investment in FinOps practices.
The conversation also explores innovative solutions like Stitcher AI, which aim to simplify data management and improve decision-making in financial operations. The speakers dive into the complexities of FinOps, stressing the need to understand fully loaded costs. They discuss engaging teams in cost allocation and the importance of contextualized data for informed decisions.
They address issues in traditional cost management and how new tools can democratize access to financial insights. These tools help organizations of all sizes optimize cloud spending and boost operational efficiency.
Sound Bites
- "We don't keep any of the data."
- "We have to be really accurate with our costs."
- "You cost double your salary to the company"
- "Cost allocation is hugely important for FinOps"
- "FinOps has to be a bi-directional interaction"
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In this episode of What's New in Cloud Phenops, Stephen Old and Frank discuss the latest updates in cloud computing, focusing on Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. They cover the retirement of certain Azure virtual machines, the introduction of serverless GPUs, and the benefits of Amazon Bedrock for cost transparency. The conversation also touches on new features for Azure databases, insights from a Forrester study on Spanner, and the importance of calculating AI costs. Additionally, they discuss licensing changes for Amazon FSX, tiered storage for Spanner, and the deprecation of the AWS connector to Azure. The episode concludes with a look at sustainability efforts and upcoming events in the cloud computing space.
takeaways
- Serverless GPUs enable on-demand AI workloads with automatic scaling.
- Amazon Bedrock introduces real-time cost transparency for custom models.
- Physical snapshots for Azure databases enhance backup flexibility.
- Forrester study shows significant ROI with Spanner.
- Understanding AI costs on Google Cloud is crucial for budgeting.
- Amazon FSX for NetApp removes SnapLock licensing fees.
- Tiered storage for Spanner optimizes cost and performance.
- AWS connector to Azure is deprecated, focusing on native solutions.
- Azure OpenAI service offers discounts for provisioned reservations.
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In this conversation, Amit Saar shares his journey from software engineering at Microsoft to founding OpenOps. He focuses on the challenges and solutions in FinOps. He highlights the need for automation, accountability, and balancing innovation with governance in managing cloud costs.
Amit points out the fatigue that engineering managers face due to overwhelming demands. He stresses the need for better tools and practices to streamline FinOps processes. The discussion also covers the challenges of automating FinOps, the role of no-code platforms, and the importance of community engagement through open sourcing.
Topics include the fragmentation of systems in enterprises and the advantages of a no-code approach for automation. Amit discusses monetization strategies for sustaining an open-source model. The conversation wraps up with practical advice on getting started with OpenOps.
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In this episode, Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois discuss the latest updates in cloud FinOps. With news from AWS, Google and Azure, including enhanced computing capabilities, database updates, and pricing changes.
For once there are also some sustainability news. That makes me happy!
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- We discussed the challenges of working with time series data, particularly in the context of machine learning and AI, highlighting the complexity and the need for automation in feature engineering.
- The importance of balancing accuracy and complexity in model creation was emphasized, with a focus on avoiding overfitting and ensuring models remain effective in real-world applications.
- The potential integration of business context data, such as sales data, with cloud consumption data to enhance anomaly detection and forecasting models was proposed.
- The discussion touched on the economic value of anomaly detection, with a focus on proving that early detection can lead to significant cost savings.
- The target audience for the anomaly detection system was identified as FinOps managers, who would use the system to manage cloud-related financial topics and coordinate with engineers to address anomalies.
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January 2025 FinOps news.
Instances/Compute
- https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/compute/announcing-smaller-machine-types-for-a3-high-vms - The A3 Ultra machine type is available in the following region and zone: St. Ghislain, Belgium, Europe - europe-west1-b
- https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/compute/first-google-axion-processor-c4a-now-ga-with-titanium-ssd - Google Axion Processor-based C4A VMs with Titanium SSD are now generally available. Part of our general-purpose machine family, these instances come with up to 6 TiB of Titanium SSD disks. Titanium SSD is our latest generation of Local SSD. It uses Titanium I/O offload processing and offers enhanced SSD security, performance, and management.
- Compute Engine - Generally available: Managed instance groups (MIGs) let you create pools of suspended and stopped virtual machine (VM) instances. You can manually suspend and stop VMs in a MIG to save on costs, or use suspended and stopped pools to speed up scale out operations of your MIG. For more information, see About suspending and stopping VMs in a MIG.
Data/DBs/AI
- Azure OpenAI provisioned reservations (June - but not sure we mentioned it)
With the introduction of 1-month and 1-year Provisioned Reservations, businesses that commit to using Azure OpenAI on a scale can enjoy substantial discounts compared to the standard pay-as-you-go pricing. You can manage these reservations in Cost analysis in the same way as any other reservation.
For further details on how to purchase and manage these reservations, please refer to the article below:
Save costs with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service Provisioned Reservations
Storage
- https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2025/01/amazon-s3-metadata-generally-available
- Generally available: Azure NetApp Files now supports minimum volume size of 50 GiB.
- Generally Available: Azure Files provisioned v2 billing model for HDD (Standard) - (Added to Roadmap 8th Jan 2025 - but released in October 24) The provisioned v2 model for Azure Files HDD (standard) pairs predictability of total cost of ownership with flexibility, allowing you to create a file share that meets your exact storage and performance requirements. Provisioned v2 shares enable independent provisioning of storage, IOPS, and throughput. In addition to predictable pricing and flexible provisioning, provisioned v2 also enables increased scale and performance, up to 256 TiB, 50,000 IOPS, and 5 GiB/sec of throughput; and per share monitoring. Provisioned v2 is generally available in a subset of regions. For the current list of available regions, see provisioned v2 availability.
Visibility (Billing conductor - Tags - cost categories)
- New fields for cost allocation (Enterprise Agreement customers)
You can use different le
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In this chat, Frank, Stephen, and Anthony share their thoughts on how cloud computing and AI have evolved from 2024 to 2025.
They discuss the growth in the GPU market and how views on cloud versus on-premises solutions have changed. They also talk about the quality and performance of AI models and consider the environmental impact of AI. The group highlights the need for specialized AI models and the efficiency of the hardware used in AI applications. They wrap up with some insights into future trends in cloud instances and pricing.
In their chat, the speakers look at how AMD and Intel processors perform. They also discuss the future of ARM and Graviton technologies. Finally, they touch on the shifting world of cloud computing. They examine the competition among major cloud providers, such as AWS and Microsoft. They also highlight how important it is to be transparent in cloud operations, especially when comparing European and American providers. Here are the key takeaways.
- The GPU market saw a significant increase in providers in 2024.
- Many organisations are reconsidering their cloud strategies due to pricing and privacy concerns over AI.
- AI adoption is still in its early stages for many companies.
- Quality of AI models has plateaued, with a few major players dominating the market.
- Training models in the cloud may not be the best solution for everyone.
- Specialised AI models are becoming increasingly important.
- The environmental impact of AI and cloud computing is a growing concern.
- Efficiency in hardware usage is crucial for AI applications.
- Transparency in cloud provider operations varies significantly between vendors.
- The cloud market is stabilizing, with slower growth rates observed.
- Energy consumption and cost are critical factors.
- Benchmarking is essential for understanding cloud performance.
- The competitive landscape among cloud providers is shifting, with pricing diverging.
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A little late, but as they say, better late than never. You can provide feedback, ideas, proposals for interviews at send us an email at podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
Have a fantastic 2025 and January
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In this episode, Frank and SteveO reflect on the year's developments in cloud computing, discussing significant updates from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Thank you to all the listeners!!!
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In this episode, Frank and SteveO discuss the latest updates in cloud computing for October 2024, covering significant announcements from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. They delve into new features, pricing changes, and innovations in cost management, data storage, and AI integration. The conversation also highlights insights from the recent FinOps XE conference, emphasizing the evolving landscape of FinOps and sustainability in cloud operations.
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This month, we talk with Dvir and discuss integrating engineering principles into FinOps to manage cloud costs effectively. We stress proactive cost management, trust in recommendations, and understanding business context. We also cover the challenges of cost observability, utilized waste, and monitoring resources.
Some takeaways
- Proactive involvement in cost management leads to better outcomes.
- Language and communication are crucial in discussing costs with engineers.
- Trust in recommendations is essential for effective FinOps practices.
- Understanding the business context is key to identifying waste.
- Maturity in organizational policies enhances accountability.
- Cost observability is a critical aspect of FinOps.
- Engineers should be made responsible for their resource usage.
- Effective communication can drive better financial decisions in tech
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In this episode, Frank and SteveO celebrate four years of their podcast while discussing the latest advancements in Cloud FinOps, including Amazon's new EC2 Graviton instances, Azure's confidential VMs, and cost management innovations. They explore dynamic scaling in cloud services, AWS Healthomics, and the importance of sustainability in computing. The conversation also touches on SMS innovations, SageMaker customization, application rationalization, and automated complaint rate recommendations in SES, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the current cloud landscape.
- The podcast celebrates its four-year anniversary, highlighting its growth and listener engagement.
- everything else is noise :D
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In this episode, SteveO and Frank chat with James Hall from GreenPixie about sustainability in cloud computing. James talks about his shift to GreenOps and the need for good data and practices for developers and sustainability teams. They also discuss FinOps, the water needs of data centers, energy source differences by region, and AI's effect on energy use. The talk wraps up with energy efficiency solutions for the tech sector.
[Frank] Thanks for the patience, I selected the wrong microphone during the recording.
Takeaways:
- Green Ops focuses on enabling teams with data and best practices.
- Sustainability in cloud computing is about using resources efficiently.
- Water usage effectiveness is a key metric for data centers.
- Regional energy sources significantly impact carbon footprints.
- AI's energy consumption is a growing concern for sustainability.
- Location-based energy accounting provides a clearer picture of impact.
- Renewable energy certificates can mislead sustainability efforts.
- Innovative startups are creating solutions for energy efficiency.
- Understanding FinOps is crucial for sustainability in cloud environments.
- The demand for energy is increasing, necessitating optimization efforts.
- Innovative data center solutions can enhance energy efficiency.
- Timeliness and granularity in data are crucial for sustainability.
- Cloud data centers are generally more efficient than traditional ones.
- Companies must be accountable for their carbon reporting.
- The CSRD will enforce stricter sustainability reporting standards.
- Sustainability teams need accurate data to drive change.
- Continuous methodology updates are essential in the cloud environment.
- Collaboration among stakeholders is key to improving sustainability practices.
- Understanding carbon consumption is vital for effective green ops.
- Companies should focus on optimizing compute and storage for sustainability.
Send us a text
In this episode, SteveO and Frank discuss the FOCUS project with Udam Dewaraja, exploring its origins, development, and future directions. The conversation highlights the importance of a common taxonomy in FinOps, the engagement of cloud providers, vendors and practitioners, and the growth of the Focus community.
Udam shares insights on the current state of the Focus specification, the use case library, and the need for a broader understanding of FinOps beyond just cloud costs. The episode concludes with reflections on the maturity of FinOps and the ongoing challenges in data normalization and accuracy.
Takeaways:
Focus aims to create a common taxonomy for cloud costs.
The project started from a need for data normalization.
Engagement from major cloud providers was crucial for Focus's success.
The use case library is essential for practical applications of Focus.
Focus is not just for cloud costs but can be applied to SaaS and private cloud.
The specification provides a common language for understanding costs.
Community feedback is vital for the evolution of Focus.
FinOps maturity requires systematic approaches to cost management.
Normalization challenges persist as the industry evolves.
Collaboration among practitioners is key to advancing FinOps.
Focus #FinOps #Cloud #Taxonomy #Specification #Community #CloudProviders #UseCases #DataNormalization #Future Directions
Send us a text
In this episode, Frank and Steve discuss the latest news in Cloud FinOps, including AWS G4DN Workspaces, AWS Parallel Computing Service, Google Compute Engine C3 and X4 instances, Azure C4 VMs, Amazon Open Search Service, AlloyDB free trial, Azure NetApp file storage, and more. They also touch on topics like cost optimization, carbon emissions, and the AWS Console mobile app.
takeaways
- AWS announces G4DN Workspaces, Parallel Computing Service, and support for Graviton 3 in Open Search Service
- Google introduces C3 and X4 instances in Compute Engine
- Azure releases C4 VMs and NetApp file storage with cool access
- Amazon S3 no longer charges for certain HTTP error codes
- AWS introduces enhanced rate-based rules for lower rate limits
- Azure offers Carbon Optimization and Spanner Graph
- Delegated administrator for cost optimization hub in AWS
- AlloyDB offers a free trial and Azure updates pricing and calculators
In this episode, Frank and Steve discuss the July 2024 FinOps announcements from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. They cover topics such as committed use discounts, fully licensed commitments, hibernation for VMs, cost management features, and service discontinuations. The conversation is filled with insights and analysis of the latest developments in the cloud industry.
- There are new machine types available on GCP, such as the C3 bare metal machine types and the sixth generation Intel-based VMs.
- Serverless compute options, like Azure Databricks and OpenSearch serverless, provide efficient and cost-effective ways to run workloads without managing infrastructure.
- Storage enhancements, such as the Convert Azure Premium SSD v2 disk and Amazon FSX for Open ZFS, offer improved performance and cost optimization.
- Log management tools, like Azure Monitor Logs and AWS Cost Categories, help users collect, analyze, and act on telemetry data from various resources.
- Cost optimization features, like AWS Focus 1.0 and GCP backup commitment-based use discounts, provide ways to optimize cloud spending. Committed use discounts are available for backup for GKE, allowing users to commit to a consistent amount of usage in exchange for a discounted rate.
- AWS now offers fully licensed commitments and portable license commitments for purchasing VMware engine commitments, providing customers with more options for using VMware in the cloud.
- VM hibernation is now generally available in Azure and AWS, allowing users to save compute costs by persisting the VM state in memory and deallocating the VM.
- Azure has introduced a cost card in the portal, allowing engineers to estimate costs and adjust as needed before deploying VMs.
- Google Cloud's FinOps Hub now allows users to view their carbon footprint and estimated greenhouse gas emissions for their Google Cloud usage.
- AWS has announced the discontinuation of several services, including Cloud9, SimpleDB, Forecast, and CodeCommit, indicating a shift in focus and priorities.
"An isomorphism is the fancy maths word for an analogy." - Dr James Mitchell
Dr. James Mitchell, a commodities trading and renewable energy expert, joins Stephen and Frank to discuss FinOps financial language. He draws parallels between cloud computing and electricity economies, offering insights into future trends. The conversation explores market differences and the need for finance-engineering collaboration.
James decodes cloud vendors' technical jargon, revealing financial roots. "Savings plans" and "reserved instances" are actually forward contracts. The discussion then shifts to unit economics' universal applicability across industries.
Optionality and flexibility emerge as key considerations in cloud pricing. The hosts emphasize managing commitments like a financial portfolio for optimal outcomes. This approach bridges the gap between technical and financial perspectives in cloud operations.
Key takeaways:
- Understanding financial language and communicating with finance professionals is crucial in FinOps.
- One can apply the concept of isomorphic economies to the cloud market to gain insights into its evolution and economics.
- Regulating the global cloud computing industry is challenging due to its global nature and lack of a competent authority.
- Better communication between finance and engineering teams is essential in FinOps. Building bridges between finance and engineering teams is crucial for effective communication and collaboration.
- A common language and understanding of financial terms is beneficial for both teams to work together effectively.
- Unit economics is a fundamental concept in finance and can be applied to various industries.
- Considering optionality and flexibility in pricing strategies is crucial for optimizing cost efficiency.
- Managing commitments as a portfolio can lead to better financial outcomes.
In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, we (Frank and Stephen) discuss the latest news and updates in cloud computing impacting your wallet.
We cover topics such as right-sizing recommendations for Amazon RDS, data exports for cost optimization, and improved billing and cost management. We also highlight talks from FinOps X in San Diego and share their favourite sessions.
Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights into the latest developments in cloud FinOps, including a rant from Stephen on the hardship that is finding good content for Azure.
In this live episode, recorded at FinOps X 2024, we speak with TJ and Deana Solis about the social aspects of FinOps.
It is a real live episode with microphones not working, music being turned on, bar opening and more. I also had to use a 'beep' sound for the first time.
Izhak "I don't believe in tagging" Zimmermann discusses with Stephen and Frank about the importance of focusing on business value in the context of FinOps, emphasising the need to understand cloud costs within the context of business goals. He introduces a new approach to FinOps that leverages new technology and insights to support business goals and drive business value. The conversation covers the challenges of understanding cloud costs, the use of networking data to understand costs, and the transformation of cost data into business value data.
Summary
In this episode of What's New in Cloud FinOps, Frank and Stephen discuss a wide range of cloud-related news and updates. They cover topics such as Azure VM hibernation, Azure Compute Fleet, Google Cloud TPU, Amazon EC2 C7i Flex, DynamoDB, AWS Marketplace, Cloud Run, and more. The conversation also delves into the complexities of cloud pricing, energy progress, and the impact of cloud technology on businesses.
In this episode, Steve, Frank and Mike discuss the benefits of using the free tier in Microsoft Azure. They explore the various free offerings available, such as Azure Cosmos DB, Azure DevOps, and speech-to-text translation. They also discuss the importance of monitoring costs and implementing processes to prevent unexpected expenses. Mike shares insights on cost optimization for Cosmos DB and announces an upcoming video on the topic.
Summary
In this episode, Frank and Steve discuss the latest news from Google, Azure, and AWS.
They cover topics such as new instance types, ARM-based CPUs, storage options, cost optimization, and Kubernetes cost allocation. The conversation also touches on the challenges of reducing storage and the importance of billing cost data in Cloud FinOps.
In this conversation, Steve and Frank discuss various updates and announcements from different cloud providers. They cover topics such as multiple cloud vendors providing a focused view, cost anomaly detection with AI, maximizing committed use discounts, per-second billing for Red Hat Enterprise Linux instances, migration vs modernization for data workloads, license portability in Amazon WorkSpaces, and Google's investment in digital connectivity to Japan.
They also mention the upcoming episode on the free tier game in Azure and their attendance at FinOps X.
This month we talk about the FinOps Framework. The Framework has been vastly improved and updated to match what FinOps practitioners are doing, in the tranches.
Who better than Rob Martin to guide us into the Framework? No-one. And we like him so much that he is the first returning interviewee.
In this episode, we (SteveO and Frank) interview Rob Martin from the FinOps Foundation to discuss the recent updates to the FinOps framework.
We talk about the process of updating the framework, the changes made to the domains and capabilities, and the importance of simplifying the language.
We also discuss the first steps for organizations and individuals new to FinOps, including using the framework sub-site and conducting a maturity assessment.
The conversation also touches on the significance of visibility and transparency in building trust within the organization, the different personas involved in FinOps a new type of persona called 'allies'
The conversation also touches on the upcoming changes to the framework, including updates to the certifications and training. We introduce some of the FinOps upcoming events, including the Members' Summit, FinOps X, and FinOps XE.
In this episode, Steve Trask, VP of Marketing at the FinOps Foundation, discusses the State of FinOps report and the insights gained from four years of research.
They explore topics such as team structure, automation, executive buy-in, and the evolving priorities of FinOps practitioners. They also touch on the challenges of measuring the value of the FinOps team and the growing importance of sustainability in cloud operations.
The conversation highlights the need for focus and prioritization in FinOps practices and the impact of economic factors on cloud optimization.
The conversation explores the challenges of budget allocation and accountability in large organizations, particularly in the context of cloud spending. It highlights the difficulty of breaking down budgets and creating visibility at the team level.
The speakers discuss the gap between accountability and responsibility for spend and the struggle to implement changes as organizations scale. They also touch on the importance of cultural change and the need for champions within the organization to drive FinOps practices. The conversation concludes with a discussion of upcoming events and the global adoption of FinOps.
Keywords
FinOps, State of FinOps, team structure, automation, executive buy-in, priorities, sustainability, focus, economic factors, cloud optimization, budget allocation, accountability, cloud spending, team level breakdowns, cultural change, champions, upcoming events, global adoption
AI generated.
In this episode, Frank and Steve discuss various news and updates in the cloud industry.
They cover topics such as
- New AMD instances in Azure
- Holographic stickers <- most important news :)
- Azure cache for Redis,
- BigQuery cost savings
- Amazon RDS custom for SQL Server
- Azure SQL managed instance improvements
- Changes in AWS cost management
- AWS Cost Category
- Retroactive application of cost allocation tags
- AWS billing and cost management data export with CloudFormation
- Reserved instances for Amazon Aurora Postgres Optimized Read
- Dataflow streaming commits use discounts
- Azure updates for enterprise customers
- Azure AI speech
- Amazon SageMaker Canvas pricing
- AWS Compute Optimizer supporting more EC2 instance types
- Free data transfer out of AWS and Azure
- Tagging with registering or copying AMIs in Amazon EC2
- Updates to the FinOps framework,
- Azure carbon optimization tool for tracking emissions
- Increased default quota for CloudWatch log APIs
- AWS extending the lifespan of servers.
- They also briefly discuss Intel's losses and changes in the chip industry.
In this bonus episode, we talk about FinOps careers and how each of us, the three hosts, have come to FinOps from three very different paths.
- Donal from finance and accounting
- Stephen from hospitality, sales, and more
- Frank from being a geek in a basement
It is a great episode with the appearance of an old Nokia phone, the loss of the main host (Donal) for some time, and some really serious fun.
WNiCF - February 2024 - News
Good amount of news, some sarcastic comments and lot of opinions :)
- Frank's interview with Steph
- FinOps X website
Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Send you feedback, ideas, invitations or any other thing you want to talk about at: podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
First news episode of the year. And this time we have a limited amount of news. Dry January for FinOps news too :)
The FinOps Guys are Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois and we can be contacted at podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
This month Stephen and Frank are interviewing Dimitris Perdikou from the UK Home Office.
The topic is Gamification, but, as often, it grew beyond its original scope. Dimitris made us feel good with the work done making sure taxpayer money is well spent.
In the process, we discussed two new metrics for unit economics specific to the public sector.
You can reach us at: podcast@finopsguys.com
An episode about FinOps in 2023. What are the themes that shaped FinOps and Cloud? What events, big or small, are defining what we will see in 2024?
We talk about client behaviour and why repatriation is a thing. We dive into the strategic decisions made by cloud vendors in 2023 and their impact on the market, including price increases, and changes in products. We cover the incredible progress of FinOps and the FinOps Foundation in 2023. And, as everyone else, We talked about AI (a little). The ending is a hopeful prediction that sustainability will take off in 2024.
We (Frank Contrepois and Stephen Old) needed some help, so we called in the incredibly knowledgeable Lucas Partore to provide some credibility :)
Last episode of the year. And for possibly the first time ever we have a lot of Google news and a group of sustainability articles!
The FinOps Guys are Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois and we can be contacted at podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
PS: we are still thinking (vaguely) about a website.
Loads and loads of AWS news coming from re:Invent for November. And this month we have Frank having to evacuate the building due to a fire alarm; nothing real, fortunately.
Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Send you feedback, ideas, invitations or any other thing you want to talk about at: podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
Another great interview, this time with Assaf Flatto.
This is the three of us showing what being part of a growing community is about: we share, we debate, and in the end, FinOps is a more mature discipline.
Send you feedback, ideas, invitations or any other thing you want to talk about at: podcast@finopsguys.co.uk
!!!! You can now contact us at podcast(at)finopsguys.co.uk !!!!
Frank and Stephen review the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for October 2023. A lot of updates this month.
Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Alee made what Stephen and I think is the best talk at FinOps X 2023. and we recommend you watch it before listening to the episode.
The (kind of) driving topic is "What would have changed from the talk", but as usual, the episode is full of stories, comments, ideas and fun.
!!!! You can now contact us at podcast(at)finopsguys.co.uk !!!!
Frank and Stephen review the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for September 2023. A lot of updates this month.
Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Azure virtual machine sizes naming conventions
Cloud vendor announces new instance types every month, and the content of the announcement is always the same: "The new instance is faster, shinier and cheaper than the previous one."
But is it true? And what about other instances in the same generation but with different CPU vendors? Anthony tests it all. He checks every new instance appearing in one of the 200 (yes, that is two hundred) cloud vendors he follows and shares the data on Cloud Mercato.
In this episode, Stephen and I have discovered many new things, smashed some assumptions and enjoyed the power of data.
Some links connected with the episode:
- AMD versus Intel in the latest AWS generation: AWS M7i & M7a
- Is the new AWS R7zi so much better than the non-z version?
- What is the difference between the M7i vs M7i-flex
Frank and Stephen remember some fun facts from the last three years of podcasting about FinOps.
Frank and Stephen go through the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for August 2023. A lot of updates this month.
Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Frank and Stephen go through the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for July 2023. A lot of updates this month. Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Based on the audio, it might sound as if Frank is in a small wooden box; you would be almost correct, as the small meeting room I was in is horrible from a sound perspective.
Frank and Stephen go through the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for June 2023. A lot of updates this month. Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Curious about when doing FinOps starts? Join hosts Frank and Stephen as they tap into the expertise of FinOps gurus Stephanie Gooch and Marit Hughes.
Get ready for an exploration filled with unexpected detours, captivating insights, and bursting with infectious energy,
"We had a lot of fun recording. The positive vibe can be felt when listening to the episode" - Frank.
This incredible recording was done in San Diego during FinOps X 2023
Frank and Stephen go through the plethora of news from AWS, Azure and GCP for May 2023. The most updates we've seen from the vendors in a while, Frank and Stephen have gone through everything that has a financial impact and quickly try to tell you why it may matter to you and your organisation.
Going to FinOps X? Come speak to us there and if you fancy doing an episode or a short story/interview we'd love to get you on the podcast!
Is FinOps the same in every organisation? Absolutely not! It varies massively by organisation but also by sector. This month Frank and Steve catch up with long time friend of Frank's (and new time friend of Steve) Marit Hughes.
Marit brings her expansive knowledge and experience to help bring some colour to the differing challenges of FinOps in private sector and public sector as well as discussing that Enterprises in terms of how they act, often live somewhere in between!
Join Frank and Stephen talking through the latest news from FinOps in April 2023.
A nice mix of AWS, Azure and even a bit of GCP.
Covering topics like new instances, some "free tier" stuff and even ABC (you can find out what that is by listening!).
Also watch out for our next interview with Marit Hughes!
Frank and Steve dive into what's new in March 2023, with some cool stuff in AWS and Azure and even digging deep into the release notes of google to find some more cool things.
The episode is topped off by learning about some of Frank's really cool research, and for our native French listeners, look out for Frank's new French version of the news!
A fantastic episode with our friend Deana Solis, a senior FinOps Engineer who is heavily involved in the FinOps Foundation and Women in FinOps. She tells the story of "Woman" in FinOps and also her career in general.
A really down to earth individual, Deana lets us in to the realities of her journey and why the linear career isn't the most interesting!
This month we're joined by our friend Bartosz Kupiecki, the Head of FinOps at IncreDevo.
Their team saw the issue, and attacked it with an engineering mindset, building a tool to manage the process. In this podcast we learn about their journey and how they attacked the problem.
We've all been there, we all know the pains, it's great to hear from someone who really attacked the problem and has felt the pains.
Stephen and Frank dive into the latest news from FinOps in February, as well as a bit of a discussion on Azures FX changes that have increased customers pricing.
We also look at the changes to Azure RIs.
Actually as a whole there's a lot less AWS on this episode and quite a lot more Azure and GCP! Well worth a listen.
Hello everyone,
This month we talk about everything that was new in January from the cloud vendors (which sadly wasn't loads) and go through the potential benefits or ramifications.
We also discuss our addition of a new sustainability section and will work to find interesting articles on this topic too (beyond the cloud vendors).
Apologies it's a bit late, between holidays and sick kids, we've been a bit delayed.
We're joined by our good friend Tom Cross at Air Lingus, who talks to us about the challenges of FinOps in reality.
Tom helps us talk through the challenges of trying to keep FinOps in mind during the migration and why it so easily can drop down the agenda.
This is a slightly different episode where we very informally talk about the realities of the job!
We hope you enjoy!
This month Erik Carlin of ProsperOps joins Steve and Frank in discussing metrics for FinOps, specifically focussing on Effective Savings Rate (ESR).
With a history of how it came about as well as where to find more information their to support the community, Erik shows his wealth of knowledge in the FinOps world.
A quick run through of the new FinOps updates from December, completing the updates for 2022.
Stephen and Frank go through the key topics as usual:
Data/DBs
Visibility (Billing conductor - Tags - cost categories)
Commitment
Savings
Storage
Instances
Misc/Silly
Frank and Steve lament on trips to Vegas over the years, with Frank going to this year's Re:invent again in person.
We discuss our favourite bits of news (which was quite a lot) and you may notice that while in the Keynotes Sustainability was discussed a lot, not much comes across in the latest releases.
We even have updates from Steve's favourite AWS service he'll never use and a lot more instance types than we can shake a stick at!
Thanks for listening and please have a wonderful end of 2022!
In our latest news episode, we round up everything that's happened outside of Re:invent in November (Special Re:invent Episode to follow). We also discuss some changes to the format, our new website (yet to launch) and our ongoing aim to share our learning and research.
Please see Transcript for list of all of the articles used this month.
Our friend Mark Butcher joins Frank and Steve on a very fun episode discussing the incredibly important topic of sustainability.
We cover topics such as:
What do the terms mean?
How do you get started?
How good are the tools?
Frank and Stephen delve into all the FinOps related news and releases of October, covering a wide variety of topics and blogs.
They then dig into their favourite releases from Microsoft Ignite in and out of the FinOps world.
Frank and Stephen are joined by their friend Rob Martin, Director of Learning from the FinOps foundation.
We talk about how to get into FinOps, what paths might be suitable based on your background and all of the wonderful resources available from the FinOp Foundation.
We talk about our own education journeys with FinOps and how it's still such an exciting time to get involved!
Frank and Steve take time between interviews to go through the latest news from September.
This includes Azure's new Savings Plans where we cover:
What they are.
How they work.
What are the gotchya's?
as well as a bit about why they exist.
Next episode will be a chat with Rob Martin about FinOps education, released in the next week.
Today Frank and Steve are joined by TJ (Anthony Johnson), Cloud Business Manager at Box. TJ talks to us about the new working group he's launched as part of the FinOps Foundation, Social Aspects of FinOps, as well as walking us through his journey and experiences to date. We also briefly touch on Unit Economics which TJ has promised to come and do another episode on.
As part of the relaunch of the Podcast under "The FinOps Guys", we'll now do two types of episodes, ones covering the news that listeners are used to, and by popular demand, special guest episodes. Stay tuned for more of both types of episodes coming up!
Steve and Frank discuss the Cloud FinOps updates that were released in July/August 2022. In this episode, they highlight some recent Cloud FinOps trends, with a focus on recent AWS news. To find out more about Cloud FinOps, visit our website here.
Steve and Frank discuss the Cloud FinOps updates that were released in June 2022. In this episode they highlight some recent Cloud FinOps news and trends, with a focus on recent AWS announcements. To find out more about Cloud FinOps, visit out website here.
Steve and Frank discuss the Cloud FinOps updates that were released in May 2022. In this episode they highlight some recent Cloud FinOps news and trends, with a focus on recent AWS security announcements. To find out more about Cloud FinOps, visit out website here.
We discuss the Cloud FinOps updates that were released in March 2022. We also highlight some recent Cloud FinOps trends.
Click here to learn more about Cloud FinOps
We discuss the Cloud FinOps updates that were released in February 2022. We also highlight some recent Cloud FinOps articles and pull out some key industry trends.
Click here to learn more about Cloud FinOps
Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois are back to discuss the latest Cloud FinOps news in their first podcast of 2022! They highlight the newest releases from the major cloud providers, share tips and tricks on how to save more money on cloud and discuss how the definition of FinOps has changed over time.
Click here to learn more about cloud FinOps.
Steve and Frank have even more announcements to share with you from AWS re:Invent 2021 so decided to record a second episode. There are many exciting updates that will help you to maximise your AWS budget including:
- Enhanced Amazon S3 Integration for Amazon FSx for Lustre
- Amazon S3 Glacier is the Best Place to Archive Your Data – Introducing the S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval Storage Class
- Recycle Bin for EBS Snapshots
- Amazon EBS Snapshots Archive
- Introducing Amazon MSK Serverless in public preview
- Introducing Amazon EMR Serverless in preview
- Introducing Amazon Redshift Serverless – Run Analytics At Any Scale Without Having to Manage Data Warehouse Infrastructure
- Announcing Amazon SageMaker Ground Truth Plus
- Announcing preview of Amazon EC2 Trn1 instances
- Now in Preview – Amazon SageMaker Studio Lab, a Free Service to Learn and Experiment with ML
- New DynamoDB Table Class – Save Up To 60% in Your DynamoDB Costs
Visit our website to find out more about cloud FinOps.
We share the latest cloud FinOps announcements from AWS re:Invent! There were many announcements to choose from, but the topics we've chosen to focus on will help you to save the most money on AWS:
- Amazon Kinesis Data Streams On-Demand – Stream Data at Scale Without Managing Capacity
- AWS Marketplace for Containers Anywhere to Deploy Your Kubernetes Cluster in Any Environment
- Storage-Optimized Amazon EC2 Instances (Im4gn and Is4gen) Powered by AWS Graviton2 Processors
- AWS Outposts Servers in Two Form Factors
- Join the Preview – Amazon EC2 C7g Instances Powered by New AWS Graviton3 Processors
- Amazon EC2 M6a Instances Powered By 3rd Gen AMD EPYC Processors
- Amazon EC2 G5g Instances Powered by AWS Graviton2 Processors and NVIDIA T4G Tensor Core GPUs
- AWS Compute Optimizer – Resource Efficiency Metrics to Estimate Savings Opportunities and Performance Risks
- AWS Compute Optimizer – Enhanced Infrastructure Metrics to Extend the Look-Back Period to Three Months
- Amazon DevOps Guru for RDS to Detect, Diagnose, and Resolve Amazon Aurora-Related Issues using ML
- AWS Migration Hub Refactor Spaces Helps to Incrementally Refactor Your Applications
Visit our website to find out more about cloud FinOps.
Steve and Frank are back with the latest cloud FinOps news for November! This episode covers the following topics:
- Achieve up to 30% better performance with Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) using new Graviton2 instances
- Sheet Change Performance Optimizations is now generally available for Amazon QuickSight
- Announcing general availability of Amazon EC2 G5 instances
- AWS Batch introduces fair-share scheduling
- Amazon EC2 Fleet and Spot Fleet now support automatic instance termination with Capacity Rebalancing
- Amazon Athena adds cost details to query execution plans
- Modernizing compliance: Introducing Risk and Compliance as Code
- Announcing Spot Pods for GKE Autopilot—save on fault tolerant workloads
- Forrester: The Total Economic Impact™ Of Migrating Expensive Operating Systems and Traditional Software to Google Cloud
- Automatically clean up unneeded data with TTL for Cloud Spanner
- Live resize of Azure Disk Storage in public preview
- General availability: Provisioned throughput increase for Azure Ultra Disk Storage
To find out more about cloud FinOps, click here to visit our website.
About this podcast
Steve and Frank are back with the latest cloud FinOps news for October! This episode covers the following topics:
- AWS Fault Injection Simulator now injects Spot Instance Interruptions
- AWS Pricing Calculator now supports Amazon CloudFront
- Introducing Amazon EC2 C6i instances
- AWS Marketplace announces Purchase Order Management for SaaS contracts
- Amazon EC2 announces attribute-based instance type selection for Auto Scaling groups, EC2 Fleet, and Spot Fleet
- Introducing GKE image streaming for fast application startup and autoscaling
- Run your fault-tolerant workloads cost-effectively with Google Cloud Spot VMs
- N2D VMs with latest AMD EPYC CPUs enable on average over 30% better price-performance
- Find your GKE cost optimization opportunities right in the console
- Google Cloud billing tutorials: Because surprises are for home makeover shows, not your wallet
Find out more about Cloud FinOps by visiting our website.
Steve and Frank are back with the latest cloud FinOps news for September! This episode covers the following topics:
- Amazon Redshift extends Automatic Table Optimization to support Column Compression Encoding
- AWS Cost Categories introduces Split Charge rules for allocation of shared costs
- Amazon MSK adds metrics for increased visibility of capacity
- Amazon Textract Updates: Up to 32% Price Reduction in 8 AWS Regions and Up to 50% Reduction in Asynchronous Job Processing Times
- Amazon Elastic File System introduces Intelligent-Tiering to automatically optimize storage costs
- Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering – Improved Cost Optimizations for Short-Lived and Small Objects
- General availability: Azure Files supports storage capacity reservations for premium, hot, and cool tiers
- Public preview: Scale-down mode in AKS
- General availability: Lower capacity reservation tier for Azure Monitor dedicated clusters
- AWS CodeBuild now supports a small ARM machine type
- Amazon RDS now supports T4g instances for MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL databases
- Now auto-terminate idle EMR clusters to lower cost
Visit our website to find out more about cloud FinOps.
After a bit of a delay caused by holidays, covering holidays, surgeries and the day job, Frank and Stephen are back to talk you through the summer's news on Cloud FinOps.
This month there's no main topic as there was so much interesting news and Frank and Stephen chatted far too much!
Here's the topics they covered:
- azon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/07/aws-lowers-data-processing-charges-aws-privatelink/
- https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/developers-practitioners/optimizing-your-google-cloud-spend-bigquery-and-looker
- https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/sustainability/pick-the-google-cloud-region-with-the-lowest-co2
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/blog/deliver-scalable-costeffective-disk-storage-for-azure-vmware-solution/
- https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/07/aws-allows-customers-pay-their-usage-in-advance/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/public-preview-of-azure-database-for-mysql-flexible-server-now-offers-reserved-instance-pricing/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/general-availability-azure-backup-now-supports-archive-tier-for-backups-of-sql-server-in-azure-vms/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/dcsv2-vms-pricing-reduction?WT.mc_id=acm-micflan
- https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-amazon-ec2-m6i-instances-powered-by-the-latest-generation-intel-xeon-scalable-processors
- AWS Announces General Availability of Amazon EBS io2 Block Express Volumes
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/general-availability-azure-spring-cloud-pricing-model-change/
- https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/06/amazon-ec2-inf1-instances-new-features-improved-performance-and-lower-prices/
Today, Frank and Stephen talk through the news (largely from late May - early June) and then discuss what could be built using Free Tiers granted by AWS. The next two episodes will look at Free Tiers in Azure and then GCP (we're going alphabetically).
In the news:
- [AWS] - https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/06/identify-and-copy-existing-objects-to-use-s3-bucket-keys-reducing-the-costs-of-server-side-encryption-with-aws-key-management-service-sse-kms/
- [AWS] - https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/06/announcing-per-second-billing-for-ec2-windows-server-and-sql-server-instances/
- [AWS] - Announcing Amazon Kendra Smaller Units and Price Drop
- [AWS] - https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/05/new-self-paced-courses-for-cloud-procurement-NET-and-amazon-codeguru-available/
- [AWS] - https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/05/ec2-high-memory-instances-to-12tb-memory-available-additional-regions-with-on-demand-savings-plan-purchase-options/
- [AWS] - edited out due to low FinOps relevance (also Steve didn't really understand it) https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/05/amazon-emr-now-supports-amazon-ec2-on-demand-capacity-reservations/
- [AWS] - https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2021/05/aws-compute-optimizer-enhances-ec2-instance-type-recommendations/
- [GCP] - THIS IS REALLY BIG! https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/compute/google-cloud-introduces-tau-vms
- [Azure] - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/dcsv2-vms-pricing-reduction/
- [Azure] - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/updates/five-more-free-services-available-with-an-azure-free-account/
In terms of the Free Tiers we look at what's possible in the "Always Free" services and then in the "Free for 12 months", it's a lot easier with one of them, but I'll let you see which!
Hello everyone!
This month we have lots of exciting things to tell you about! Frank and Stephen have gone through the top FinOps stories from the major vendors and tell you what you need to know.
We also dig into the new AWS Application Cost Profiler which begins to help on the journey to cost per user from shared resources.
If there's anything else you'd like us to talk about for next time let us know!
What's new in Cloud FinOps Episode 7 hosted by Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois.
This month we go through what's new in Cloud FinOps from the last month and are joined by Strategic Blue's Financial Solution Architect, Jon Bryant, who explains our FinOps Framework.
What's new in Cloud FinOps Episode 6 hosted by Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois.
This month we go through what's new in Cloud FinOps from the last month, before delving in to different ways to forecast and the pros and cons of them.
With Cloud FinOps accelerating and more people asking us about how best to embed it into their organisations we've started with some basic topics (like forecasting this month) and looking at how Cloud may change them compared to traditional IT procurement.
This month we run through the rather limited news in FinOps this month, before Stephen and Frank dive in to their favourite things from Re:invent.
Frank focusses on deep dive technical services such as:
AWS CloudShell – Command-Line Access to AWS Resources (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/aws-cloudshell-command-line-access-to-aws-resources/)
New for AWS Lambda – Container Image Support (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-for-aws-lambda-container-image-support/)
New for AWS Lambda – 1ms Billing Granularity Adds Cost Savings (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-for-aws-lambda-1ms-billing-granularity-adds-cost-savings/)
Introducing new Amazon EBS general purpose volumes, gp3
(https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/introducing-new-amazon-ebs-general-purpose-volumes-gp3/)
New – Amazon S3 Replication Adds Support for Multiple Destination Buckets (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-amazon-s3-replication-adds-support-for-multiple-destination-buckets/)[Amazon
S3 Update – Strong Read-After-Write Consistency (https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-s3-update-strong-read-after-write-consistency/)
While Steve runs through some of his favouritely named services and things he's been speaking to people about:
Introducing AWS SaaS Boost
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/introducing-aws-saas-boost/
Introducing AWS Audit Manager
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/aws-announces-aws-audit-manager/
Introducing AWS Panorama
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/introducing-aws-panorama-for-computer-vision-at-the-edge/
Introducing AWS Proton
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/amazon-web-services-announces-aws-proton/
Introducing AWS IOT Edukit
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/introducing-aws-iot-edukit/
CURs at the Member Account level
https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2020/12/cost-and-usage-report-now-available-to-member-linked-accounts/
If you have any suggested topics please let us know what you'd like to hear about next!
Today we have a quick look through what's new in the past month in Cloud FinOps followed by a special guest segment.
Our special guest is Jon Bryant, Strategic Blue lead Financial Solutions Architect (FinSA).
Jon runs us through the most interesting things we saw in 2020, any trends they may suggest and how things have impacted cloud in the past 12 months.
Then we look forward into 2021 and how the new chip releases may impact the cloud market.
In this Episode we welcome our friend and Strategic Blue Teaming Partner Dario Ferrer, founder of DFTek. After Steve and Frank go through the news from the last month Dario tells us about how he managed to reduce cost and increase efficiency of a set of cloud functions to create an impressive saving for one of his projects.
In this episode we go through the news from the last month as well as our special monthly topic - Our top 10 FinOps Tricks.
News covered:
- Updates to AWS Budgets
- AWS release P4 instances
- Graviton chips for RDS and Elasticache
- AWS PO Management and updates to Cost Categories
- GCP CloudCDN price changes
- GCP - Free Coursera for a month
- AWS SageMaker price changes
- AWS updates to instances that can be Hibernated
- Azure Openshift pricing
- Azure - Files Premium Tier price changes
- Azure Spot Updates (AKS and insights)
- Azure SQL Database Hyperscale reservations
In the monthly topic, Frank and Stephen are dropped into a company and talk through what they'd do first to try to reduce cloud costs!
In our first episode, we discuss October's FinOps news and give an in-depth understanding of why the cloud providers price in the way they do.
To skip to the bits you want:
1:28 - AWS new Graviton Chips
3:32 - GCP n2 chips
5:08 - AWS Savings Plan Queueing
7:26 - Azure Cost Allocator Preview
8:33 - Azure Cost Management
9:51 - AWS Monthly Granularity on Cost and Usage Report (CUR)
11:19 - AWS Cost Anomaly Detector
13:48 - AWS Reserved Bandwidth for Elemental MediaConnect
15:25 - BIG TOPIC - Cloud provider pricing models - The how and why.
Thanks for listening,
Stephen Old and Frank Contrepois