In partnership with

M&A
Flexera to Acquire FinOps Business of NetApp

Flexera is buying a part of NetApp's business Spot.

This is a huge move. I don’t have the numbers about cloud dollars managed by both organizations. But I dare to say this is the biggest movement I’ve seen in FinOps.

Here’s what Flexera mentioned in their press release regarding the deal:

1. Flexera will get new tools to manage costs for cloud services and container technology.

2. The purchase will add artificial intelligence and machine learning features to Flexera's offerings.

3. It will help Flexera work with more partners who offer cloud cost management services.

4. The deal is expected to close after getting approval from regulators.

My 2 Cents

They needed AI capabilities to improve their offerings and they got the biggest fish they could catch.

Large acquisition tend to be problematic in the goodwill, debt, etc. But I don’t have information so this doesn’t apply to this case. If someone has numbers on this, please send it to me. I love this stuff.

And it show the the consolidation phase we are getting within FinOps. The sector is in the early stage of maturity, with tons of players now established and raising money, and some merges here and there.

This is early stages of any sector. Long way to run!

In partnership with Adaptive6
Waste Detection in Your Cloud Explained: Join Us

We’ve organized a webinar we’d like you to participate! It’s a great opportunity to learn how to identify, and cut those hidden costs in your cloud environment. Detect, Alert and Remediate. And help your engineers take action

ℹ️ Format

• Date: 30th of January, 2025

• Type: Online Webinar

• Starting at: 6:30 PM

⏰ Agenda

• 6:30 – 6:45 PM Community Session with Erik Norman: Introduction into business-value-driven cost optimization strategies

• 6:45 – 7:15 PM Main Session - Shadow Waste Uncovered: Cutting Hidden costs in the cloud with Aviv Revach (CEO, Adaptive6)

• 7:15 - 7:30 PM Q&A

☁️ Let's find the hidden cost drivers in your cloud environment!

FOCUS
Learning FOCUS: Date Columns

FOCUS, which stands for FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification, uses a specific date format for tracking cloud costs over time.

The date format in FOCUS is: yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ. FOCUS uses two main date ranges:

1. Billing period: The dates on your invoice

2. Charge period: The dates of usage or purchase

These date ranges help you filter and group data for analysis. Microsoft adds two extra date columns:

1. Service period: For purchases (may be removed in the future)

2. Exchange rate date: When the currency exchange rate was set

The article shows examples of using these dates in Power BI reports and Data Explorer queries. These date columns are crucial for understanding cost trends, budgeting, and forecasting in cloud financial management.

M&A
DoiT acquires LiveDiagram to improve the Cloud & FinOps Area

DoiT has acquired LiveDiagrams, a cloud visualization and software analysis startup. This acquisition aims to improve DoiT's capabilities in FinOps and cloud optimization.

DoiT plans to integrate LiveDiagrams' technology into its Cloud Intelligence platform. This integration will provide customers with better visibility and control over their cloud environments across AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

DoiT manages $2 billion in customer cloud spending and aims to drive $5 billion in business with AWS over the next five years.

Together with Archera
Secure Your AWS PPA Deal with Insurance

I’ve made a video explaining how you can improve your AWS PPA using Archera’s tools. As you can see, our production is increasing.

Click below to learn more about how Archera can help you make the most out of your long term commitment deal with AWS

ITAM
Oracle Java Licensing: Question #1 for CIOs

Oracle's recent changes to Java licensing are causing headaches for company leaders.

The tech giant switched its pricing model in January 2023. Instead of charging per user, they now charge per employee. This led to big price increases for customers. Some companies saw their costs go up 2 to 5 times higher than before.

Now, tech leaders are looking for ways to avoid these high costs. One option is to switch to open source alternatives to Oracle's Java. Martin Thompson, an expert in software management, says companies could save about 50% by making this switch.

But it's not a simple decision. Changing Java platforms can affect many important company systems. That's why top tech executives need to be involved in the choice.

A survey found that only 14% of Oracle Java customers plan to keep using it. The rest are thinking about moving some or all of their systems away from Oracle. This issue is pushing many companies to rethink how they use and pay for Java.

AWS
Optimizing AWS S3 Requests Costs

The main challenge is balancing storage costs (which don't change much) with request costs (which can vary a lot).

When many services use S3 buckets, request costs can quickly add up. To handle this, the article suggests:

1. Compress data to save space

2. Tag requests to track which services are using S3

3. Use efficient ways to process data

4. Look at how files are organized to understand usage patterns

5. Use information about who's making requests to assign costs correctly

The article also mentions moving to real-time processing in the future. This could help catch cost increases as they happen. By using these strategies, companies can better manage their AWS S3 costs and understand how their services use data storage.

🎖️ Mention of Honour
How AI Impacts FinOps

AI is changing how companies handle their money in the cloud. AI helps FinOps by:

1. Making tasks happen automatically

2. Giving better information from data

3. Saving money on cloud costs

4. Helping companies stay competitive

More companies are asking for help to use AI in their money management. They want to work more efficiently to grow their business. Also, they use data in smarter ways to stay ahead of other companies.

While AI offers many benefits, there are also some worries like keeping data safe and private and following rules and laws. Moreover there’s a concern about people, finding employees who know how to use AI and making sure people trust AI.

As AI becomes more common in finance, companies need to be careful about these issues. AI is changing how companies manage their money, but it needs to be used wisely to avoid problems.

👷‍♂️ FinOps Job Offer

Build the next FinOps product with The Duckbill Group

The Duckbill Group is throwing our hat into the ring by building a new FinOps product and we're looking for another engineer for the team. The role is on-site in San Francisco (we'll help with relocation!).

Come help us build something amazing.

🏆 Quick Wins

Announcements

AWS Resilience Hub integrates CloudWatch alarms. (AWS)

Azure Files provisioned v2 billing model for flexibility, cost savings, and predictability (Microsoft)

Introducing new larger sizes on Amazon EC2 Flex instances - AWS

Top CIO trends: AI, FinOps, digital literacy, governance. (CIODIVE)

Articles & Podcasts

Analyzing AWS Transit Gateway Data Processing charges with cost allocation tags → Link

Mind the Gap: Cloud Spending is Perplexing CFOs → Link

Professional Spotlight
Carlos Galán

Delivering FinOps right on time

Proud to have such a FinOps Practitioner in the Spanish community. Carlos has been one of the references with his FinOps X talks and they way he transmits how FinOps is done in a company such as Just Eat Takeaway. Someone you should listen to!

Check the Professional of this Week

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