Cloud Cost: Shifting Left, Right & Center
Handling MinistryofDevOps(Pun intended)
Cloud is not cheap and with the exponential adoption of cloud in the last half-decade, that myth of "cloud is cheap" has already been broken.
In the last 5 years, especially around the pandemic time, we have seen that big enterprises are running a race for cloud adoption, and what was promised to look like a sprint has now become a never-ending marathon.
The top two concerns for the cloud adoption journey are the lack of talent and skyrocketing cloud cost, and though they both are related in some way or the other, in this blog, we will only focus on cloud cost.
The next obvious question becomes how we optimize cloud cost and whether/how we do it, who does it and how to maintain it for the long run. During the very initial stage of our development or let's say in the dev environment, integrate all possible steps in CI as a shift left approach, or only after we have gone live with some limited features or as per the gradual maturity/progress of our environment which means taking cautious steps as we understand our workloads & requirements. (centre/towards-right).
Role of CSPs
Cloud Service Providers have not done enough to help control costs for consumers. When I say not enough has been done I mean they have not socialized and provided enough education to consumers so that they can take proactive measures to control costs rather it is all reactive despite some processes being in place.
This has opened the door for third-party vendors and start-ups that are claiming to be expert in cloud cost optimization and, clearly, headroom and space has been provided to these startups by CSPs.
With IaaC, why not CSPs provide out-of-the-box inbuilt solutions and APIs to let cost not only go over the budget but also tell about the curated infra within that pipeline? Even if some APIs have been made available, why do customers need to write code for them to manage costs?
Why not cost has been considered as Quality gates or even as a gate to have it as a shift left approach in a straightforward manner without any ifs and buts?
FinOps
Similarly, I also see recommendations to set Big FinOps Team as cost consumption rather than cost reduction. And, again, it is reactive. Are the FinOps able to proactively suggest, drive, and industrialize any effective cost-saving measure among engineering teams? And isn't it a Shift Right approach?
The Human Nature
Do we ever forget to switch off electrical equipment in our house when not in use? For most of us answer is NO, because we are paying from our pocket. If we have the same thought process towards our cloud resources usage, utilization and cost optimization, we will not only save on cost but also contribute towards a greener environment and reduced carbon emission.
Thanks for your time and hope it helps!
As usual, do provide your feedback.
