FinOpsCost OptimizationAzureAWSMulti-CloudGovernanceTaggingROI

TL;DR

A multi-cloud enterprise was experiencing escalating cloud costs, low visibility, and significant waste due to lack of governance and inconsistent cost ownership.

I led a full FinOps transformation—introducing tagging standards, cost dashboards, automated policies, and optimization strategies across Azure, AWS, and private cloud.

The result: significant cost reductions, clear accountability, and a sustainable model for long-term optimization.

FinOps Cost Optimization Growth

FinOps Optimization for a Multi-Cloud Enterprise: Reducing Costs, Increasing Visibility & Improving ROI

A practical FinOps transformation delivered end-to-end

30%
Cost Reduction
65%
Visibility Improvement
Showback
Model Established
Automated
Governance

Impact Summary

  • Cloud spend reduced by ~30% within the first 4 months through rightsizing and policy enforcement
  • ~65% improvement in cost visibility using tagging, dashboards, and real-time monitoring
  • Showback & chargeback model established, enabling full cost accountability
  • Avoided projected overspend for the next fiscal year through proactive capacity planning
  • Governance automated using Azure Policy, Cost Alerts, and budget rules

Client Context

The client operated a multi-cloud environment (Azure + AWS + on-prem private cloud). Cloud usage had grown rapidly, but without proper governance, leading to:

  • • Large numbers of underutilized VMs
  • • Idle services running 24/7
  • • Untracked storage growth
  • • Shadow IT deployments
  • • Missing or inconsistent resource tagging
  • • Engineering teams with no insight into cost impact
  • • Finance having no predictable monthly spend

The business urgently needed cost control, visibility, and a repeatable FinOps operating model.

The Challenge

Technical Problems

  • Thousands of resources with no cost tagging
  • Overprovisioned VMs (often 2× to 4× bigger than required)
  • Obsolete resources consuming compute & storage
  • No lifecycle automation for unused assets
  • No reserved instances or savings plan strategy
  • Limited integration between cloud platforms and Finance tools

Organizational Problems

  • No cost ownership model
  • No showback/chargeback
  • Engineering teams unaware of the cost impact of design decisions
  • Finance unable to forecast or explain monthly variations

The client needed both technical optimization and a FinOps operating structure tied to business goals.

Cloud Infrastructure Cost Management

My Role & Approach

As FinOps Architect, I led the cost optimization transformation from strategy to implementation.

1. Financial Baseline & Cost Visibility

Using Azure Cost Management, AWS Cost Explorer, and Power BI dashboards, I:

  • Created a unified cost baseline across subscriptions/accounts
  • Built custom dashboards for Business Units, Product Owners, and Finance
  • Established KPIs (unit cost per workload, cost per tenant, cost by environment)
  • Identified immediate savings opportunities (idle VMs, unattached disks, zombie IPs)

Output: A clear, data-driven understanding of where money was spent—and wasted.

2. Tagging Standards & Governance Model

Designed and enforced a global tagging taxonomy:

ApplicationEnvironmentOwnerCostCenterComplianceSLA

Implemented governance via:

  • Azure Policy to enforce mandatory tags
  • Automatic remediation for missing or incorrect tags
  • Cost alerts per environment
  • Budgets tied to business units

This alone unlocked major improvements in cost visibility and accountability.

3. Cloud Optimization & Rightsizing

Using telemetry from Azure Monitor, Elastic, and VM metrics, I delivered:

  • Rightsizing across compute workloads
  • Moving persistent dev/test environments to auto-shutdown
  • Migrating tiered storage for cold data (Blob Cool / Archive, S3 Glacier)
  • Identifying and deleting obsolete snapshots, NICs, disks, and load balancers
  • Evaluating potential reserved instance / savings plan commitments

Tools:

Azure AdvisorAzure MonitorPower BITerraformBicepAWS Trusted AdvisorAWS Cost Explorer

4. FinOps Operating Model & Cost Ownership

I introduced a sustainable model to ensure optimization continued long after the project ended:

  • Monthly FinOps review ceremonies (Engineering + Finance + Ops)
  • Created a Cost Owner role per team
  • Implemented a showback model with cost distribution per BU
  • Built a reporting cadence for executives
  • Added cost KPIs and budget thresholds into CI/CD workflows

This aligned technical decisions with financial responsibility.

5. Automation & Long-Term Sustainability

To avoid regressions, we automated as much as possible:

  • Auto-shutdown policies for non-prod environments
  • Autoscaling rules for production tiers
  • IaC templates pre-configured with cost tags and optimized SKUs
  • Alerts for unusual spikes or unused resources
  • Automatic cleanup of orphaned resources

This guaranteed continuous cost efficiency.

The Outcome

After the FinOps transformation:

Monthly cloud cost variability reduced drastically
Total cloud spend decreased by ~30%
Teams became cost-aware and began designing with efficiency in mind
Business gained predictable budgets and fewer surprise charges
Cloud governance matured significantly
Executive visibility and financial forecasting improved
The organization established a long-term FinOps function, not just a one-time optimization

The result was a sustainable, business-aligned cloud cost model that supported growth without runaway spending.

Why This Matters for Future Clients

I help organizations:

  • Reduce unnecessary cloud spend
  • Build transparent cost structures
  • Implement FinOps governance and accountability
  • Improve engineering productivity through cost-aware design
  • Align cloud usage with real business value and ROI
  • Create long-term financial stability for cloud operations

Whether you're already experiencing cloud overspend or proactively preparing for scale—I can guide your teams toward a sustainable, predictable cloud cost model.

This engagement demonstrates how structured FinOps practices can turn cloud spending into a strategic advantage—driving accountability, cost efficiency, and predictable financial governance.

Client Feedback

"Iulian transformed our approach to cloud costs. We went from reactive firefighting to proactive management. The tagging framework and showback model he implemented gave us visibility we never had before. More importantly, he helped shift our culture—engineers now think about cost as part of their design process. The 30% reduction in spend was impressive, but the sustainable FinOps practice he built is what will keep delivering value for years."
Chief Financial Officer
Multi-Cloud Enterprise Client

Ready to Optimize Your Cloud Costs?

Let's discuss how I can help you reduce cloud spend, improve visibility, and build a sustainable FinOps practice that delivers long-term value.

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