In partnership with
GCP
Google is Back with FinOps. Finally.
Google Cloud has shared updates about their FinOps tools and how they help companies save money in the cloud.
In 2022, they started by creating detailed cost data for cloud services. By 2025, they track costs across 19 different services.
In 2024, they added new features like:
Real-time cost modeling
Carbon cost tracking
Hourly alerts for unusual spending
The results show their tools are working:
Customer FinOps practices improved by 7%
Saved over 100,000 hours in report creation
Found nearly 1 million cost-saving opportunities
Google announced new features coming in 2025:
Better cost reports using AI assistance
New FinOps Hub 2.0 to find wasted resources
More ways to save money across different cloud services
Together with Stacklet
FinOps Book - Continuous Cloud Usage Optimization
Need better cloud cost control? Download the Continuos Cloud Usage Optimization FinOps book.
It offers real-world advice from people working in the field. Learn practical strategies, policies, and best practices.
Go beyond just tools. FinOps Experts such as Rob Martin or Rick Triana, help made this guide. They share what really works based on real-world experience
Get your copy and start improving your FinOps practice.
Data
How to Optimize Databricks Costs
Databricks is a platform that helps companies work with data and run complex calculations. But can get costly. Benjamin explains the main things to know about its costs:
Databricks uses special units called DBUs (Databricks Units) to measure how much computing power you use. You pay for these by the second, only when your systems are running.
The total bill comes from four main parts:
Running the platform (DBUs)
Using computers to process data
Storing your information
Moving data between different places
Smart ways to save money:
Buy DBUs in advance for better prices
Use special discounted computers when possible
Turn off systems when they're not being used
Store data in cheaper places when you can
The key to keeping costs low is to watch all four parts of your bill carefully and make changes where needed.
FinOps Weekly Events
Million Dollar Lines of Code
Join us for an insightful webinar on "Million Dollar Lines of Code," where we explore the hidden financial impact of engineering decisions in cloud environments.
Date: April 17th, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM [Europe/Madrid Time]
Format: Online (Zoom)
Presented by Erik Peterson, CTO and Founder at CloudZero, this session will shed light on how small coding choices can lead to significant cost implications and how engineers can contribute to financial efficiency.
After that, we’ll have a Panel with Erik, Jez Back (Capgemini) and Victor (FinOps Weekly)
Will I see you in there?
AWS
Automate AWS Billing Views with CLI for Scalability
AWS has added a new way to look at billing information called Custom Billing Views. This feature helps teams better track their AWS costs. Here's what makes it useful:
Teams can make views based on specific accounts or cost tags
You can share these views with different AWS accounts in your organization
You can set it up using simple computer commands (AWS CLI) instead of clicking through screens
How to set it up with code:
Create a view with a team name
Add filters to show specific account costs
Share the view with team members
The best part is you can add this to your team setup process. This means when new teams join, they automatically get their own cost tracking view.
Commitments
The $180K 'We'll Do It Later' Reservation Regret
A tech company lost $180,000 by putting off a simple money-saving decision. Let me tell you what happened.
The company was running more than 100 virtual machines on Azure all day, every day. Their advisor told them they could save 40-60% of their costs by making reservations for these machines.
But the team kept saying "We'll do it later when things settle down."
They waited. And waited. Six months went by.
When they finally checked their spending, they found they could have saved $180,000 if they had made those reservations just for one year.
Here's what we can learn from their costly delay:
Don't wait for the perfect moment - it rarely comes
Start small - even booking half your regular usage saves lots of money
Reservations aren't scary - paying full price forever is scarier
Use the built-in tools - Azure and AWS will show you where to save
The main point? Taking five minutes to make reservations today can save your company thousands tomorrow.
📺️ Podcast
Master FinOps & DevOps in 2025!
Another expert sharing his insights on FinOps Weekly Podcast!
Learn how modernization, FinOps, and open-source tools are transforming DevOps and cost optimization. Gain insights into customer demands, Kubernetes challenges, and the future of cloud efficiency.
🎖️ Mention of Honour
AI-Driven Cloud Resource Arbitration (CRA) Solution for FinOps
The article explains a new way to manage cloud resources on Microsoft Azure using artificial intelligence (AI). This system is called Cloud Resource Arbitration (CRA).
One of the most advanced articles I read on Cloud & AI. You should take a look.
The system watches how cloud resources are being used in real-time. It collects data about performance and costs.
The AI part of the system makes smart decisions about where to put workloads and how to use resources better. It can choose between different types of computing options like virtual machines or containers.
The system works automatically to:
Monitor everything happening in the cloud
Make decisions using AI
Fix problems by itself
Keep everything secure
Save money by using resources wisely
The solution includes several important parts:
Tools to collect and analyze data
AI models that learn and improve over time
Security features to protect everything
Automated systems to make changes when needed
This helps companies manage their cloud resources without needing constant human attention. The system can handle complex tasks on its own while following security rules and keeping costs down.
Would this be the trend for FinOps in 2025-2026?
Join the FinOps Weekly Community
We just launched a community and we are looking forward to have you with us!
An open space for making FinOps for Everyone a reality
🏆 Quick Wins Resources
Evergreen FinOps Resources to apply Today!
🆕 Announcements
Providers
Cost Optimization Hub supports DynamoDB and MemoryDB reservation recommendations
Vendors
Professional Spotlight
Ricardo Triana
AWS Costs Slayer
Ric has been a reference since I joined the FinOps ecosystem. One of the most active members of the community. FinOps Professional and Instructors, he’s an expert in Cost Optimization, with special skill in AWS. Plus a great guy!
That’s all for this week. See you next Sunday!
Before You Go …
Whenever You Are Ready, Here’s How We Can Collaborate
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