Using Unit Economics to Optimize Cloud Spend & Improve Margins ft. Kevin Mueller, Presidio | Ep #67

Engineering Meets FinOps ft. Matan Ben-Ishay, Credit Karma | Ep #70 ft. Matan Ben-Ishay, Credit Karma | Ep #70

What if your biggest cloud inefficiency isn’t how much you’re using, but how long your workloads are running? In this special episode of FinOps in Action, PointFive’s Co-Founder and CPO, Gal Ben David sits down with Matan Ben-Ishay, leading FP&A, Engineering, and Cloud Infrastructure at Credit Karma, to unpack a real world cloud efficiency discovery that led to tens of millions of dollars in savings without reducing usage or cutting performance. Matan shares how a simple assumption about “cheaper” CPUs quietly inflated costs, why billing data alone didn’t reveal the problem, and how true FinOps impact only happens when finance and engineering work side by side. We also covered how FinOps wins happen at the intersection of finance, engineering, and product and how understanding accounting concepts is a career advantage in FinOps.   Here’s what we talked about: * How a hidden GCP dataflow inefficiency cost tens of millions until Matan sat with engineers and discovered faster CPUs actually cost less per hour * Why rigid governance policies backfire and how flexible guidelines that encourage engineers to evaluate their actual workload needs prevent waste * Why FinOps professionals need to understand accounting concepts (depreciation, amortization, commitments) * The emerging need for cloud efficiency engineers embedded in teams who can bridge the gap between FinOps strategy and hands on optimization work * How running parallel tests of old vs. new approaches proves value to skeptical engineers and turns short-term testing costs into long-term savings * The structural friction between engineering OKRs (focused on launches and reliability) and cost efficiency, and why engineers should treat cloud spend like any other company resource Chapters: 00:00 FinOps Is Everyone’s Job 00:16 Special Episode Setup 01:27 Meet Matan Ben-Ishay 02:14 The Incentives Mistake 05:12 Speed vs Cost in AI 07:30 How to Motivate Engineers 10:19 Scaling Best Practices Org-Wide 13:27 Where FinOps Should Sit 18:02 Guardrails and Shared Ownership 20:55 Fleet Guardrails Matter 21:38 Hidden Waste Over Time 22:47 Can We Prevent Waste 25:56 Tactical vs Strategic Waste 27:00 FinOps on GCP Reality 29:14 Commitment Forecasting Playbook 32:30 FinOps Parenting Hacks 35:31 Personal Picks and Growth 37:53 Closing and Where to Connect 🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ [https://www.finopsinaction.com/]  Quote of the Show: * “We need those cloud efficiency engineers in order to understand.” - Matan Ben-Ishay Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matan-ben-ishay/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matan-ben-ishay/]  * Website: https://www.creditkarma.com/ [https://www.creditkarma.com/]  Ways to Tune In: * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808]  * iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t [https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t]  * Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ [https://finopsinaction.substack.com/]  * Transistor: finopsinaction.com [http://finopsinaction.com]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency [https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency]

How to Make Shared Data Costs Transparent at Scale ft. Oliver Milke, TD | Ep #69

How do you make cloud data costs transparent and actionable when thousands of users share the same platform? In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Oliver Milke from TD, who shares how he built a Data FinOps practice from the ground up inside a large financial institution, starting as a team of one and scaling into a dedicated function. Coming from a background in economics and finance, Oliver offers a unique perspective on cloud cost optimization. Rather than focusing solely on infrastructure, his team goes one level deeper: tracking and allocating costs at the data layer, down to individual tables, workloads, and user groups. The conversation explores why traditional FinOps models fall short for shared data platforms, how transparency drives accountability, and what it takes to operationalize cost awareness across thousands of users. Oliver also breaks down the role of education, chargeback, and engineering collaboration in building a sustainable FinOps practice.   Here’s what we talked about: * What “Data FinOps” is and how it differs from traditional FinOps * Why shared data platforms require a fundamentally different cost model * Building cost visibility down to the table and workload level * Moving from showback to chargeback and how it shifts user behavior * Platform vs. workload-level optimization strategies * The role of education and change management in FinOps success Chapters: 00:00 - Data FinOps Origins 00:20 - Show Intro Guest Setup 01:40 - What Is Data FinOps 03:37 - Cloud Migration Spark 05:03 - Finance Mindset Meets Engineering 06:22 - FinOps Hub Cost Transparency 07:59 - Monthly Reviews And Chargeback 10:09 - Optimization Strategy Overview 12:17 - Databricks Efficiency Playbook 17:31 - Spot Instances Adoption 19:45 - Education As A Pillar 23:24 - Building The FinOps Team 25:59 - Advice For New Practitioners 28:06 - AI In FinOps Next Wave 30:55 - Running For Campfire Circle 33:03 - Closing And Where To Connect  🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ [https://www.finopsinaction.com/]  Quote of the Show: “We recognized that this cannot be a one-off, but it needs to be a permanent ongoing thing.” - Oliver Milke Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-milke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-milke/]  * Website: https://www.td.com/us/en/personal-banking [https://www.td.com/us/en/personal-banking]  Ways to Tune In: * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808]  * iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t [https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t]  * Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ [https://finopsinaction.substack.com/]  * Transistor: finopsinaction.com [http://finopsinaction.com]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFive_Inc [https://www.youtube.com/@PointFive_Inc]

Why Cloud Costs Are an Architecture Problem ft. Shailaja Beeram | Ep #68

Are “idle resources” really the problem, or just the easiest one to fix? In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with cloud architect and engineer Shailaja Beeram to explore a fundamentally different perspective: cost inefficiencies don’t start in the billing file, but in architectural decisions made long before deployment. Drawing on over 15 years of experience across AWS, Azure, and GCP, Shailaja explains how the way systems are designed, scaled, and evolved over time has a far greater impact on cloud spend than most teams realize. From “zombie” networking resources to overlooked outbound traffic patterns, this conversation unpacks the hidden layers of cloud cost and why FinOps and architecture must converge to solve them.   Here’s what we talked about: * Why cloud inefficiencies often stem from architecture and not just unused resources * How NAT Gateways and private endpoints quietly drive unnecessary spend * What “zombie resources” are and how they accumulate over time * Why background traffic can mask true resource idleness * The importance of revisiting architectural decisions as systems evolve * The growing convergence of FinOps and cloud architecture Chapters: 00:00 - Architecture Drives Cost 00:34 - Meet the Guest Architect 01:46 - When Cost Became the Job 03:04 - Networking Zombie Resources 05:32 - NAT Gateway Design Traps 07:11 - Spotting Hidden Traffic 10:34 - Azure Functions NAT Story 12:30 - Private Endpoints and Drift 16:53 - Shift Left Cost Awareness 19:20 - Balancing Risk and Cost 22:46 - Advice for Both Sides 26:41 - AI Impact on FinOps 27:53 - Volunteering and Closing 30:37 - Outro and Sponsor  🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ [https://www.finopsinaction.com/]  Quote of the Show: * “FinOps… it doesn’t need to be separated. It should be a part of how you think about the architecture.” - Shailaja Beeram Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shailaja-beeram-82324310a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shailaja-beeram-82324310a/]  Ways to Tune In: * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808]  * iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t [https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t]  * Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ [https://finopsinaction.substack.com/]  * Transistor: finopsinaction.com [http://finopsinaction.com]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency [https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency]

Using Unit Economics to Optimize Cloud Spend & Improve Margins ft. Kevin Mueller, Presidio | Ep #67

Are you actually measuring the value of your cloud spend or just tracking the cost? In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Kevin Mueller, Principal Architect of Cloud FinOps at Presidio, to unpack one of the most talked-about and most misunderstood concepts in FinOps: unit economics. With over 20 years of experience spanning software engineering, AWS SaaS architecture, and cloud financial management, Kevin shares a grounded, practical perspective on why most organizations struggle to implement unit economics and how to actually get started. The conversation explores the gap between visibility and action, why traditional cost allocation models fall short, and how engineering, product, finance, and sales all benefit when cloud spend is tied directly to business value. Kevin also dives into real-world examples, from optimizing SQL queries and Kubernetes workloads to navigating the growing complexity of AI-driven infrastructure. If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond dashboards and into meaningful optimization, or how to prove that your cloud investment is truly productive, this episode is for you. Here’s what we talked about: * Why most companies still aren’t doing unit economics (and what separates those who do it well) * The difference between unit metrics and unit economics * How to move from high-level allocation to actionable, engineering-driven insights * How to approach tagging without overcomplicating your system * Why AI is the next major FinOps challenge (and opportunity) * The biggest challenges with shared resources like Kubernetes and what actually drives optimization Chapters: 00:00 - Cloud Cost Tradeoffs 01:31 - Kevin’s FinOps Journey 03:13 - Unit Economics Reality Check 04:18 - Defining Unit Economics 05:46 - How to Implement It 09:26 - Metrics That Drive Action 14:10 - Allocation Products vs Teams 20:26 - Tagging Without Pain 23:02 - Kubernetes Cost Challenges 24:51 - K8s Optimization Basics 26:18 - Architecture Choices with Units 28:04 - AI as Shared Spend 30:13 - Measuring AI Value 32:28 - AI for FinOps Teams 35:41 - Life on the Farm 37:54 - Wrap Up and Where to Connect  🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ [https://www.finopsinaction.com/]  Quote of the Show: * “It's so easy in FinOps to measure all of this stuff, put it in a dashboard and look at it and feel happy that it's there, but you need to drive towards action.” - Kevin Mueller Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmueller/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmueller/]  * Website: https://www.presidio.com/ [https://www.presidio.com/]  Ways to Tune In: * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808]  * iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t [https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t]  * Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ [https://finopsinaction.substack.com/]  * Transistor: finopsinaction.com [http://finopsinaction.com]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency [https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency]

Dashboards Don't Save Money, Action Does ft. Cristian Magherusan-Stanciu, Leaner Cloud | Ep # 66

Why do cloud costs stay high even after you build all the right dashboards? In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Cristian Magherusan-Stanciu, Founder and Cloud Optimization Specialist at Leaner Cloud. With over 20 years in systems engineering and a background at Nokia, HERE Technologies, and AWS, Cristian built AutoSpotting, an open source tool that has helped more than 10,000 customers save money on EC2. Cristian shared his hard-won framework for turning cloud cost insights into real savings, why automation alone will never be enough, and how AI has multiplied his output as a solo operator by an order of magnitude. We also covered the hidden business context that can turn a routine optimization into a $30K/month win, and why cost avoidance is just as important as cost reduction when your cloud bill keeps growing.   Here’s what we talked about: * Dashboards are only half the story and prioritize action over visibility. The biggest gains come to teams that actually implement recommendations, not just track them. * Right size incrementally, not aggressively. Cutting a resource by 8x in one step is risky instead halve it, observe, and iterate to avoid introducing performance problems. * Match your optimization approach to the application’s needs. Latency sensitive workloads, HA setups, and DR resources may appear wasteful but serve critical purposes and always bring engineering context into the conversation. * Look beyond the metric to find the real opportunity. A $30K/month Aurora IO bill pointed to a forgotten database no one needed anymore and the fix wasn’t optimization, it was deletion. * Track cost avoidance, not just savings. In high-growth environments, a flat or rising bill can still represent millions saved and measure what you would have paid without the work. * AI has changed the game for solo practitioners. Cristian built in weeks what previously took a year or two, enabling him to ship a SaaS product and 30+ optimization tools as a one-person shop. Chapters: 00:00 - Dashboards Don't Save Money 00:19 - Show And Guest Intro 01:47 - Take Action First 04:00 - From Level Zero To Savings 06:08 - Prioritize Engineer Time 07:35 - Automation Without Breaking Things 10:07 - Working With DevOps And Devs 12:05 - When Engineers Push Back 14:17 - Cost Vs Risk And Context 16:09 - Big Wins That Repeat 20:00 - Common Waste Patterns 21:17 - The 30K Database Shutdown 24:19 - Proving Value Amid Growth 31:44 - AI Boosting FinOps Output  🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/ [https://www.finopsinaction.com/]  Quote of the Show: * "In just a few weeks with AI, I built what previously would have taken me a year or two. It's at least an order of magnitude more output per unit of time." - Cristian Magherusan-Stanciu Links: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristimagherusan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristimagherusan/]  * Website: https://leanercloud.com/ [https://leanercloud.com/]  * Website: https://autospotting.io/ [https://autospotting.io/]  Ways to Tune In: * Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f25a9d18-c12f-4ee4-93f5-2aa96e509b55]  * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finops-in-action/id1790497808]  * iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/268443483/]  * Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/finops-in-action-5958339]  * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t [https://open.spotify.com/show/3IpjMc3qxDXZAjic5Zq21t]  * Substack: https://finopsinaction.substack.com/ [https://finopsinaction.substack.com/]  * Transistor: finopsinaction.com [http://finopsinaction.com]  * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency [https://www.youtube.com/@PointFiveCloudCostEfficiency]