Preface
Hi there! Financial Operations (FinOps) is an emerging discipline that blends financial management, cloud expertise, and data analytics to optimize cloud spending while still ensuring that organizations have the resources they need to support their business objectives.
Practicing FinOps for Microsoft Azure helps with the following:
- Providing visibility of cloud utilization
- Presenting an opportunity to optimize cloud utilization
- Providing a framework to practice with small changes over time
- Reinvesting money saved to fuel innovation
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing cloud environment, mastering FinOps for Microsoft Azure is becoming a necessity for organizations of all sizes to stay competitive and agile.
There are many resources that cover the FinOps practice; the most popular one is the FinOps Foundation (https://finops.org). This book aims to cover all the best practices for applying FinOps for the Microsoft Azure cloud using native capabilities, except for container cost allocation.
With my extensive experience in conducting assessments for large customers with significant cloud spending, and utilizing the cloud service providers’ assessment questionnaire, I can provide relevant information and guidance on FinOps for Azure’s cost savings and business value realization activities.
According to a report by Flexera, 63% of enterprises are now using a dedicated FinOps team to manage their cloud spending, up from 45% in 2020. As FinOps adoption continues, the demand for expert resources also grows.
Possessing an understanding of both the financial and technical aspects of cloud services can be a highly valuable skill in bridging the gap between finance, procurement, engineering, and product management teams.
I wish you all the best to start the journey, and before you know it, you will be an expert.
