FinOps on Autopilot or FinOps with a Copilot?

Flight Plans for Savings

AWS offers many mechanisms to drive optimization, including financial constructs like Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, private pricing agreements, and enterprise commitments. 

Each of these is a delicate balance of risk vs. reward, as the savings potential is tied directly to size and duration of commitment. 

Many AWS customers elect to take a conservative approach, opting for "convertible" RIs, no-up-front, and/or partial-up-front RIs, and shying away from spot instances due to their complexity. 

When approached by enterprise software vendors with claims of optimization through automation, AWS customers are often hopeful that they can put their cost optimization initiatives on auto-pilot.

Turbulent Cost Cutting

While automation and smart software can certainly improve cost optimization, there is no substitute for a strong FinOps practice that makes data-driven decisions that fully incorporate critical business context. 

Because they lack that context, many cost optimization automation platforms take shortcuts to try and achieve the best savings, often by engaging in what I will simply call "funny business" that plays fast and loose with the AWS T&Cs.

Are Your Vendors Cleared to Land?

How can you avoid leaving money on the table without creating unnecessary risk for your business? 

Here are some quick tips that you can use while evaluating potential vendors/partners:

(1) Find out what types of RIs and Savings Plans they use. If they're leaning mostly on convertible, partial up-front, or no-up-front RIs, ask them why. How do they create the most savings when using less effective RIs?

(2) Ask them about their relationship with AWS. Are they in a partner program? Which ones? Are their operations within the T&Cs of AWS? Are AWS account managers recommending them to their customers?

(3) Do they claim to be "fully automated through software?" If so, probe them on their approach. Do they regularly meet with their customers to deeply understand their goals? If it sounds like magic, it probably isn't going to be a magical experience.

Effective cost optimization is thoughtful and strategic, using a combination of financial instruments and architectural changes informed by deep business context. 

While it’s tempting to put FinOps on "autopilot" with a software-only approach, you'll be better served by finding a copilot who will work with you hand-in-hand to plan and execute your optimization flight path.

First-Class Service

Mission spends a lot of time working with our customers to optimize their AWS environments, saving them millions of dollars each year. 

At Mission, we have a team of analysts that meet with our customers, discuss their IT and product roadmaps, and tailor optimization plans to their business using powerful tools like Vega Cloud.

Recognizing these sorts of savings isn't easy. It requires the right combination of people, processes, and tools to maximize impact.