Discover the future of cloud cost optimization in this interview with Julia Berger. We explore how to transform the financial management of your cloud infrastructure and the revolution that AI brings to automation in the industry.

Guest: Julia Melanie Becker

00:00 - Intro
03:39 - What drives teams to change cloud spending behavior?
05:11 - How to get teams engaged with FinOps
07:22 - Biggest FinOps implementation challenges
10:55 - Building FinOps champions inside your teams
14:13 - Hidden FinOps insights most teams overlook
15:39 - Key FinOps questions teams should be asking

Check Ternary at https://ternary.app/platform/overview/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=finops-weekly-2026-03&utm_id=youtube_finopsweekly

Sasha, Co-Founder and CEO of Ternary, breaks down why the FinOps Foundation has expanded its scope beyond cloud spending to encompass all technology spend (IOA, SaaS licenses, and data centers).

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.

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.

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

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 Intro00:29 The Importance of FinOps for Companies02:13 Unexpected Business Value from FinOps04:21 Key Metrics for Measuring FinOps Success09:07 Engaging Executives in FinOps18:53 Career Paths and Skills in FinOps29:03 Advice for Starting a Career in FinOps

​ ​ Newsletter FinOps Weekly: https://newsletter.finopsweekly.com/subscribe​ FinOps Weekly Community on Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/finopsweekly/shared_invite/zt-3671i60tj-XCb5BTADAYDaTBV0VazYrw

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/

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

Welcome to a special episode of the FinOps Weekly Podcast! This week, Victor Garcia sits down with Alexa Abbruscatto, FinOps thought leader and creator of the FinOps Cashflow Newsletter—to explore the evolving world of FinOps, the power of community, and actionable strategies for cloud cost management.

Whether you’re a FinOps pro, a finance leader, or just cloud-curious, you’ll find practical insights, career inspiration, and a look at what’s next for the FinOps movement.

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

Timestamps:00:00 - Meet Alexa: From English Teacher to FinOps Leader03:12 - The Evolution of FinOps: Beyond Cloud Infrastructure06:28 - Procurement’s Role in FinOps Success09:45 - Building Community & The Power of Collaboration13:20 - Alexa’s Journey: Soft Skills in a Technical World17:00 - Making FinOps Accessible: Teaching Complex Concepts21:15 - Real-World Challenges: Enterprise Commitments & Cloud Discounts25:40 - AI, Automation, and the Future of Procurement30:05 - How to Break Into FinOps (No Tech Background Needed)34:30 - Community Growth, Events, and Global Networking39:10 - Incentivizing Contribution & Keeping the Community Engaged43:00 - Alexa’s Wish List for FinOps in 2026

Key Takeaways:

How FinOps is expanding beyond traditional cloud cost managementThe importance of procurement and finance collaborationAlexa’s unique path into FinOps and why soft skills matterActionable advice for building a thriving FinOps communityTrends to watch: AI, automation, and data-driven governance#FinOps #CloudCostManagement #CloudFinance #Procurement #TechCareers #FinOpsCommunity #CloudOptimization #CashflowNewsletter—Enjoyed the episode? Like, comment, and share your biggest FinOps challenge below!

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

​ ​ Newsletter FinOps Weekly: https://newsletter.finopsweekly.com/s...​ FinOps Weekly Community on Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/finopsweekly...

00:00 Introduction00:46 Understanding FinOps Misconceptions02:42 Adapting FinOps Communication04:41 Effective FinOps Education Strategies07:49 Formats for FinOps Training11:44 Integrating FinOps into Company Processes15:01 Motivating Teams for FinOps18:35 First Steps in FinOps Implementation22:32 Common Mistakes in FinOps26:03 Overcoming FinOps Challenges35:54 Measuring FinOps Culture Growth40:38 Final Thoughts

✅ The biggest cost pitfalls in hybrid cloud FinOps✅ How to align FinOps, ITAM, and SaaS management teams✅ Why AI and data clouds (like Snowflake & Databricks) change everything✅ Real negotiation tips with mega-vendors like Microsoft & AWS✅ The key to turning visibility into actionable insights

If your enterprise is struggling to control hybrid cloud costs or integrate FinOps across multiple domains, this episode is a must-watch.

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We explore how AI is revolutionizing financial operations (FinOps) with guest Ben Schechter, CEO of Vantage. Ben explains the intricacies of cloud cost management, the importance of Model Context Protocol (MCP), and how leveraging AI can optimize FinOps practices.

Learn how to align technology investments with strategic outcomes, explore the synergies between FinOps and TBM, and understand their role in the era of cloud and AI. A must-listen episode packed with practical insights for FinOps and TBM leaders and professionals.

Whether you're struggling to get engineering teams on board with cost optimization or wrestling with multi-cloud cost visibility, this deep dive into FinOps collaboration strategies offers practical solutions you can implement immediately.

The Critical Role of Collaboration in FinOps

"Collaboration is of utmost importance and a key element as part of being a successful FinOps practitioner," Advey explains. The reality is that FinOps professionals work with an incredibly diverse ecosystem of stakeholders, even in small companies. You're constantly engaging with engineering, product, finance, procurement, and leadership teams—each with vastly different priorities and communication styles.

The challenge isn't just technical; it's deeply human. Engineers focus on shipping code, developing features, and fixing bugs. Finance teams concentrate on cutting costs, improving profitability, and managing budgets. These priorities often seem at odds, making effective communication crucial for FinOps success.

Understanding this dynamic is the first step toward building the collaborative relationships that make FinOps initiatives successful rather than just another corporate mandate that gets ignored.

Mastering FinOps Personas: Who to Approach and How

Engineering Teams: From Adversary to Ally

Here's where Advey's approach becomes truly counterintuitive. While most FinOps practitioners report that engineering teams are their biggest challenge, Advey finds them the easiest to work with. His secret? A fundamental shift in approach from telling to asking.

"If you propose it to them and ask them, or here's the data, what do you think about this? Do you notice anything with this? Rather than telling them, 'Hey, you've got a problem here, go fix this,' instead ask them, 'Do you see anything that could... can you explain this to me?'"

This approach works because it taps into what engineers naturally love: explaining their systems and showing off the cool stuff they've built. Instead of making them defensive, you're making them the expert in the conversation.

The key principles for engineering collaboration include:

• Lead with curiosity, not criticism: Ask questions about their architecture and systems rather than pointing out problems

• Make their lives easier: Provide specific tools, scripts, and clear guidance rather than vague mandates

• Connect cost optimization to performance: Engineers care about efficiency and performance, which naturally aligns with cost optimization

• Provide context and data: Show them the numbers and let them draw conclusions

As Victor Garcia, one of the podcast hosts, emphasized from his engineering background: "If you teach an engineer or show him or her how to do stuff, they will do it. And if it's innovative... they will discover and know the tool and how to actually do it."

The Finance Team Dynamic

While engineering teams respond well to technical curiosity and data-driven conversations, finance teams require a different approach. They're typically more comfortable with traditional business metrics and may need help understanding the technical nuances of cloud cost structures.

The key is building relationships at both the individual contributor level and the leadership level, creating what Advey calls "top-down approaches" where executives can drive initiatives while you maintain the technical relationships that make implementation successful.

Multi-Cloud FinOps: Challenges and Solutions

Managing costs across multiple cloud providers introduces layers of complexity that can overwhelm even experienced FinOps practitioners. Advey's approach starts with fundamentals but scales to sophisticated solutions.

Essential Multi-Cloud Strategies:

• Master the basics of each cloud platform: Get cloud practitioner certifications for AWS, Azure fundamentals, and GCP basics to understand the terminology differences

• Establish single pane of glass visibility: "Having one tool to look at all that from top down is of extreme importance," Advey notes

• Set up comprehensive monitoring: Implement anomaly detection, budget alerts, and reporting across all platforms

• Understand the business context: Learn why different clouds were chosen and how engineering capabilities differ between them

The reality is that multi-cloud environments are rarely balanced. One cloud typically dominates spending, but having unified visibility prevents blind spots that can lead to surprise costs or missed optimization opportunities.

Technical Skills for Multi-Cloud Success

Success in multi-cloud FinOps requires both breadth and depth. You need enough technical knowledge to communicate effectively with engineering teams while maintaining the business acumen to drive organizational change. As Damian Munafo, another podcast host, observed: "The more technical that you are, it's easier."

FOCUS Specification: The Future of FinOps Standardization

One of the most significant developments in FinOps is the FOCUS (FinOps Open Cost and Transparency Specification), and Advey offers unique insights as one of its maintainers. FOCUS addresses a fundamental challenge in multi-cloud cost management: the lack of standardized terminology and data formats across cloud providers.

"When you go between the different clouds, things are different terms for roughly the same thing. FOCUS is one dictionary by which to call that thing," Advey explains.

FOCUS Adoption and Future Developments:

• Version 1.2 expansion: The latest release extends beyond cloud service providers to support thousands of SaaS companies and technology vendors

• Standardized terminology: Creates consistent language for cost data across all platforms

• Ecosystem growth: Enables development of tools, dashboards, and solutions that work across all cost data sources

• Hybrid cloud support: Future developments will better support data center and private cloud cost allocation

The specification is already enabling innovative solutions, from AWS QuickSight dashboards to Azure's FinOps Hub, with more vendor adoption expected as the standard matures.

Actionable FinOps Collaboration Strategies

Based on the podcast discussion, here are the most impactful strategies you can implement immediately:

For New FinOps Practitioners:

• Invest in foundational training: Master FinOps fundamentals through books, certifications, and hands-on experience

• Start with experiments: Find where value lies in your organization through small pilots and iterations

• Build technical credibility: Learn enough about your cloud platforms to speak intelligently with engineering teams

• Focus on relationships first: Establish trust before trying to drive change

For Engaging Engineering Teams:

• Ask diagnostic questions: "Can you explain this pattern to me?" instead of "Fix this cost spike"

• Provide ready-to-use solutions: Scripts, policies, and tools that make optimization easy

• Connect to innovation: Frame cost optimization as technical challenges and performance improvements

• Show, don't tell: Demonstrate tools and approaches rather than just describing them

For Multi-Cloud Management:

• Establish unified reporting: Implement tools that aggregate costs across all platforms

• Standardize on FOCUS: Begin adopting FOCUS-compliant reporting where possible

• Build cloud-specific expertise: Develop knowledge in each platform's unique cost structures

• Plan for hybrid scenarios: Prepare for data center and private cloud integration needs

Conclusion

Successful FinOps isn't just about implementing the right tools or finding the biggest cost optimizations—it's about building the collaborative relationships that make sustainable change possible. Larry Advey's insights challenge us to move beyond traditional approaches and embrace strategies that work with human nature rather than against it.

The key takeaway is simple but powerful: lead with curiosity, make people's jobs easier, and build genuine relationships across the organization. Whether you're working with resistant engineering teams or wrestling with multi-cloud complexity, these principles provide a foundation for success.

As the FinOps field continues to evolve with standards like FOCUS and expanding multi-cloud adoption, the practitioners who master collaboration will be the ones who drive real organizational change. Start with these strategies, experiment with what works in your environment, and remember that every great FinOps program is built on great relationships.

Ready to dive deeper into FinOps collaboration strategies? Subscribe to the FinOps Weekly Podcast for more expert insights and practical advice from leading practitioners in the field.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:02 The Importance of Collaboration in FinOps

03:50 Challenges and Strategies in Engaging Engineering Teams

16:11 Insights on Multi-Cloud Management

23:48 The Future of FinOps and Focus

35:45 Advice for New FinOps Practitioners

Learn how to integrate cost awareness into your DevOps pipeline, optimize Azure costs without complexity, and shift financial accountability left — directly into the hands of engineering teams.

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Today we kick off the FinOps Weekly Podcast with a very interesting discussion with Viktor Farcic, developer advocate at , and well known Youtube Creator with this channel

We dive deep into the absurds of cost reduction against value, the benefits of ephemeral dev environments for reducing costs and how to survive Black Friday without getting a huge bill by the end of the month.

Index of Contents

00:00 Intro

02:42 Discussion on DevOps and FinOps

04:29 Resource Management and Auto Scaling

13:37 Challenges in Dev Environments

24:30 Importance of Testing in Production

25:53 Observability and Automation

26:56 Scaling Strategies for High Traffic Events

28:41 Balancing Performance and Cost

33:30 Leveraging Alternative Cloud Providers

37:44 Adopting GitOps for Security and Efficiency

42:45 Future of AI and FinOps

Follow Our Guest

DevOps Toolkit (Viktor Youtube Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz8x0lVzJpb_dgWm9kPVrw 

Viktor's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viktorfarcic/ 

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