Cloud Cost Optimization FinOps
Reduce cloud run-rate
Reduce cloud run-rate without breaking production.
Cloud savings that stick come from three things: a trusted baseline, the right levers (rightsizing, commitments, storage/egress, licensing), and an operating cadence so the environment doesn’t drift back.
Reducing run-rate
Where savings typically come from
We have a proven methodology
Quick Wins
Rightsizing & scheduling
Overprovisioned compute, idle resources, dev/test schedules, and cleanup of “zombies.”
Big leverage
Commitments
RIs/Savings Plans/commitments tuned to the baseline so you don’t lock in the wrong spend.
Silent spend
Storage & data lifecycle
Lifecycle policies, tiering, snapshots, orphaned volumes, and backup/retention tradeoffs.
Surprises
Egress & network paths
Egress spikes and inefficient routing fixed via architecture and connectivity decisions.
Often missed
Licensing & marketplace
License models, BYOL vs bundled, marketplace add-ons, and enterprise agreement alignment.
Governance
Tagging & allocation
Clean tagging, showback/chargeback, and ownership so teams feel cost responsibility.
How the engagement runs
Structured to produce a savings roadmap and a FinOps cadence, not just a one-time report.
01
Baseline
Build a trusted cost baseline and drivers by service/team.
02
Find levers
Identify material levers and validate feasibility/risk.
03
Prioritize
Rank by impact, effort, risk, and time-to-value.
04
Commit strategy
If needed: commitments strategy aligned to the baseline.
05
Cadence
Set governance: owners, dashboards, and monthly routines.
What We Manage
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Cost baseline + variance drivers
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Rightsizing and waste identification
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Commitments strategy (when appropriate)
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Allocation model and tagging guardrails
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Roadmap with owners and timelines
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FinOps cadence design (meetings + metrics)
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What You Provide
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Billing exports (or read-only access via your process)
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Stakeholder access (Fin/IT/Eng)
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Current tagging/chargeback expectations
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Known constraints (prod risk, change windows)
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Approval path for commitments (if relevant)
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Deliverables
Decision-ready data: where to focus, how much you can save, and how to keep it from drifting back.
Baseline snapshot
Cost by service, environment, and team with variance drivers.
Savings backlog
Ranked opportunities with impact/effort/risk and owners.
Commitments plan
Commitment sizing and guardrails aligned to the baseline.
Allocation model
Tagging and allocation approach for accountability and forecasting.
Executive summary
What’s happening, what to do next, expected impact, and governance.
FinOps cadence
Monthly rhythm, metrics, owners, and renewal/commitment calendar.
Common Use Cases
Where cloud cost optimization tends to unlock fast, measurable impact.
Run-rate jump
Spend grew faster than expected and Finance needs an explanation and plan.
Commitments decision
RIs/Savings Plans/commitments expiring or a new commit is under consideration.
Chargeback/showback
Need allocation and accountability across product teams or business units.
Frequently Asked Questions
The project produces a savings roadmap, but the goal is lasting control: baseline + unit costs + governance cadence. Otherwise spend drifts back within quarters.
Commitments can be high leverage, but only when aligned to a trusted baseline and workload stability. We apply guardrails so you don’t lock in the wrong spend.
No. We can start with what exists, establish an allocation baseline, and then add tagging guardrails as part of the cadence.
Cloud cost optimization/FinOps is a paid consulting engagement. It ends with a roadmap and a governance model, not an ongoing brokerage relationship.
We respond with a proposed scope, timeline, and the data we’ll need (exports or access per your process). Then we schedule a kickoff and produce a baseline snapshot as the first deliverable.
Testimonial
What Clients Are Saying
515 Engine saved me hours of conference calls, follow ups, face to face meetings and email responses in the course of our engagement.
Ed Fox – Mettel
I was impressed with your knowledge, recommendations, and that you were able to aid us both our current environment & planned expansion.
Dave Horowitz
Start a FinOps assessment
Submit a short brief. We’ll return a proposed plan and the first steps to establish baseline control and durable savings.