FinOps: Insights on Incentives, AI, and Policy.

Featuring a conversation with the senior product manager from Kion Tatum Tummins, we explore the common pitfalls and effective strategies for establishing a cloud cost governance using FinOps.

Discover how to prioritize business value, the role of AI in FinOps, and real-life examples of successful cloud cost governance policies. Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance your FinOps practice, this episode offers invaluable insights.

• (00:00:00) - Incentives for Finops: The Bad
• (00:02:39) - What to Do About FinOps Incentives?
• (00:08:47) - KION Innovation: AI for Finops
• (00:12:43) - Agile and Automation in Financing
• (00:15:32) - Good governance for AI & FinOps
• (00:18:05) - Are AI Uses Necessary in FinOps?
• (00:20:04) - Cost Management: The Failure
• (00:26:13) - The unit economics of business
• (00:32:23) - How to Establish a Finops Policy Framework
• (00:36:30) - How Did I Get Involved in Kion?
• (00:38:56) - Getting it out there: FinOps

We talk about cloud billing & finance management, accounting with a FinOps specialist from British Airways. Magda & I cover cloud billing, invoicing reconciliation, understanding cost allocation, handling cost anomalies, and best practices for creating actionable financial reports.

• (00:00:00) - Coming soon: The Finance of Cloud Invoicing
• (00:00:56) - What's The Confusing Cloud Invoices?
• (00:04:12) - Top 3 Cloud Bill Surprises
• (00:06:33) - How to reconcile multiple invoices in a multi-cloud environment
• (00:09:52) - What is the most expensive mistake you have made?
• (00:12:41) - On Showback vs. Chargeback in FinOps
• (00:16:10) - How to Have a Hard Talk about Cost Accountability in Finops
• (00:19:58) - How to escalate a cloud-related issue? (
• (00:23:57) - What does a good report have for you?
• (00:29:34) - Ask for Cloud Provider Discounts
• (00:33:13) - How to improve your invoicing process?
• (00:41:24) - Teaching English to Phenoms

Bridging the gap between cloud cost data and engineering action is the most significant hurdle for modern digital enterprises. This deep dive into data finops explains how to move beyond simple dashboards to create a culture of accountability and measurable business value.

Most organizations struggle with analysis paralysis where visibility exists but action remains stagnant. We explore how to reconnect metrics to business outcomes that engineers actually care about and how to shift the conversation from technology costs to product margins. By treating cloud cost management as a strategic planning session rather than an accounting report, teams can free up budget for innovation and faster feature delivery.

This episode provides a tactical framework brought by Zach Johnson, Head of FinOps at Splunk for building a FinOps Center of Excellence, mastering monthly reviews, and implementing unit economics to quantify the value of every dollar spent in the cloud. Whether you are a finance lead or an engineering manager, these insights will help you transition from reactive cost-cutting to proactive business enablement.

• (00:00:00) - FinOps Quickly
• (00:00:44) - Why Data and Dashboards Don't Spark Action in Finops
• (00:03:30) - What is the best way to get rid of on-demand spend
• (00:07:00) - PayPal's monthly FinOps Review
• (00:09:29) - How to Structure a Monthly Review
• (00:11:35) - How to Keep the Stakeholders Engaged
• (00:13:14) - How to Have a Successful Finops Meeting
• (00:20:12) - FinOps: The Business of IT
• (00:27:49) - Building a FinOps Center of Excellence
• (00:29:44) - What are the critical roles in a more advanced company?
• (00:32:27) - What do you think are one of the most critical factors that create
• (00:34:09) - How to Build the CoE: Year 3
• (00:37:34) - FREENOS: How to Build a FinOps Practice

In this episode of the FinOps Weekly podcast, Victor is joined by Frank from Coblan to discuss a major shift in how companies manage cloud costs. They dive into why traditional "bottom-up" FinOps often fails and how a "top-down" strategy can lead to better results.

Frank explains that asking engineers to fix things without a clear strategy is a common mistake. Instead, leadership should set the vision and constraints, allowing technical teams to work effectively within a defined "sandbox."

Key topics covered in this episode:

• Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: Why FinOps teams should look to leadership for priorities rather than relying solely on automated tool recommendations [03:55].

• Context is Everything: Why raw numbers like "46%" or "$300,000" are useless without understanding the business goals and profit margins behind them [19:54].

• The Power of Constraints: How setting clear technical limits can actually free developers to be more creative and productive [15:59].

• Speaking the Language of Finance: A real-world example of how translating cloud terms (like Reserved Instances) into financial concepts can win over a CFO [11:12].

• Actionable Advice: The importance of reading your company's strategy reports and working with Product Owners to get FinOps tasks into the official backlog [50:01].

If you want to move beyond just "chasing savings" and start driving real business value through your cloud strategy, this conversation provides the roadmap.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNsEYhUvsB0

• (00:00:00) - Top Down Finops
• (00:00:43) - Franc Contrepoix
• (00:02:35) - Top-Down Finops vs Bottom Down Finops
• (00:08:01) - CFO: We're in a Cloud Bubble
• (00:10:31) - Questions about Reserved Installs
• (00:13:15) - WSJDLive: The Process of Cascading Rules
• (00:13:49) - Constraints in the Software Development Process
• (00:18:15) - Context is everything in data visualization
• (00:25:12) - The Context of Decision Making
• (00:29:31) - The cloud and its risks
• (00:32:41) - One of the good things of cloud
• (00:36:18) - Common Mistakes in the Cloud Financial Data
• (00:41:20) - Finance & IT: The Need for Collaboration Tools
• (00:47:58) - Top-down vs bottom-up
• (00:51:30) - Promotion for Managers

• (00:00:00) - Interview
• (00:00:28) - What is Context-driven Finops?
• (00:03:51) - The challenges of building a FinOps platform
• (00:07:54) - What would have been done differently for the FinOps platform?
• (00:10:48) - How does the context of a document differ depending on the company?
• (00:13:40) - Finnops in a Large Organization
• (00:17:47) - How to implement FinOps in your organization?
• (00:21:14) - How to start a Finops Practice?
• (00:26:06) - What separates the 'Stick' in FinOps
• (00:31:28) - The Cost of API
• (00:40:06) - 5 Biggest Myths About FinOps
• (00:42:26) - What Do You See Happening In FinOps?
• (00:45:37) - How long will it take to have a FinOps token specialist?

Our FinOps Weekly Courses: https://learn.finopsweekly.com

In this episode of FinOps Weekly, we talk with Borja Martinez from NTT Data about the importance of FinOps dashboards for executives. Learn about the key roles FinOps play in business value, cost control, and decision-making. We also discuss the unexpected business value FinOps can uncover, the most common and costly mistakes seen in FinOps, and the essential skills needed for a successful career in this field. If you want to engage your executives in FinOps or pursue a career in this field, this episode is a must-watch.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:29 The Importance of FinOps for Companies
02:13 Unexpected Business Value from FinOps
04:21 Key Metrics for Measuring FinOps Success
09:07 Engaging Executives in FinOps
18:53 Career Paths and Skills in FinOps
29:03 Advice for Starting a Career in FinOps

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Bookmark these pages and never lose a Cloud Provider FinOps Update!

AWS FinOps Updates: https://finopsweekly.com/news/aws-cost-optimization-finops-updates/
Azure FinOps Updates: https://finopsweekly.com/news/azure-cost-optimization-finops-updates/
GCP FinOps Updates: https://finopsweekly.com/news/gcp-cost-optimization-finops-updates/
Oracle OCI FinOps Updates: https://finopsweekly.com/news/oracle-oci-finops-updates/

• (00:00:00) - What is Finops and its importance for companies?
• (00:04:21) - What are the metrics that matter most for measuring FinOps success?
• (00:06:39) - Cost and waste detection
• (00:09:11) - What is the role of FinOps in the executive decisions?
• (00:10:31) - How do you translate the cloud cost into business insights?
• (00:12:03) - What does a good FinOps dashboard look like?
• (00:14:44) - Finance & Technology: The Need to Drive Business Value
• (00:18:47) - Phenoms and the role of finos in the
• (00:22:05) - What are the skills that are most valuable in a spinoff?
• (00:24:38) - Phenox FC: Future of Finops Roles
• (00:34:19) - Borja On Working As An Executive

Join us as we talk with Olfa from Azure Cloud Academy about why FinOps implementations often take longer than expected. We explore the gaps between FinOps theory and real-world production, the importance of understanding business value, and the role of cultural practices in achieving cloud cost efficiency.

Discover the common pitfalls, including ownership issues, alert fatigue, and the challenge of balancing automated remediation with contextual actions. Gain valuable insights into building trust within engineering teams, optimizing anomaly detection, and effective monitoring practices.

00:00 Intro

00:26 Understanding the FinOps Framework 00:39 Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice

03:07 Challenges in FinOps Implementation 05:19 Addressing Anomalies in FinOps

07:55 Effective Alert Management

10:28 Automation in FinOps: Best Practices 15:25 Common Pitfalls in FinOps

17:15 Final Thoughts and Advice

18:22 Conclusion and Next Steps

• (00:00:00) - In the Know: FinOps in the Cloud
• (00:00:27) - What is the biggest gap between the FinOps Theory and what actually
• (00:03:20) - What are the aspects of a pin ops implementation that take longer than
• (00:05:30) - Anomaly Detection in Phenops 2
• (00:10:54) - What are the fastest remediation wings that people or the teams can
• (00:15:24) - Freenaux: Data Management, Analytics, Dashboard
• (00:17:28) - Phenops: A Practice of Automation

AWS FinOps Updates: https://finopsweekly.com/news/aws-cost-optimization-finops-updates/

Join Victor Garcia and AWS Technical Account Manager Loïc Fournier for an in-depth breakdown of the most impactful AWS re:Invent announcements for FinOps practitioners. Discover how Database Savings Plans, Compute Optimizer automation, and new cost management features can transform your cloud financial strategy in 2026. In this episode, we cover the top 3 re:Invent announcements, hidden cost implications, real-world savings scenarios, and a complete 30-day action plan to optimize your AWS spending from day one.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro

00:35 - Top 3 AWS re:Invent announcements for FinOps

01:26 - Database Savings Plans: The game-changer everyone's been waiting for

02:03 - Compute Optimizer automation for unattached volumes

03:51 - Savings Plan sharing prioritization and cost allocation

05:26 - Why Database Savings Plans simplify multi-service coverage

06:00 - Jump cut handling and new cost contact features

07:04 - Underestimated feature: 18-month AI-powered forecasting

09:46 - Your first 30 days of 2026: Step-by-step FinOps checklist

10:05 - Day 1: Database Savings Plans implementation strategy

12:06 - Graviton migration and volume optimization priorities

13:27 - Week 2: Visibility, alerts, and dashboard aggregation

14:10 - Week 3: Forecasting, prioritization, and cost efficiency scoring

16:40 - AI for FinOps: Testing Q Developer and MCP server integration

17:04 - The continuous effort mindset: Empowering your team 1

8:40 - Monthly recaps and staying current with AWS updates

19:27 - FinOps Foundation FOCUS 1.2 release

20:06 - Hidden costs and pricing model tricks to watch for

22:36 - Database Savings Plans vs Reservations: The trade-offs

26:01 - Seven-day rollback window: Your safety net for commitments

27:34 - Serverless vs provision: Reevaluating your database strategy

28:29 - Real-world scenario: $1,890/month additional savings example

31:35 - The importance of customer feedback loops

33:55 - Loïc's career journey: From mainframes to cloud FinOps

38:48 - On-premises vs cloud: The mindset shift every team needs

41:22 - One piece of advice for FinOps practitioners

42:11 - Essential resources: Blogs, YouTube sessions, and Compute Optimizer

45:27 - Education and gamification: Building a cost-aware culture

49:11 - Implementing policies and automation to prevent waste

50:20 - Final thoughts and feedback call-to-action

CONNECT WITH US:

Victor Garcia - FinOps Weekly

Loïc Fournier - AWS Technical Account Manager

Have feedback on AWS cost management features?

Share it with your AWS account team or reach out to Loïc on LinkedIn!

Our FinOps Weekly Courses: https://learn.finopsweekly.com ​ ​

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