Cloud Cost Optimization and FinOps for MSPs with Dan Belkie

Cloud Cost Optimization and FinOps for MSPs with Dan Belkie

Cloud cost optimization and FinOps have become urgent priorities for MSPs and CSPs trying to control runaway cloud spend, especially now that AI workloads are adding a whole new layer of token costs on top of existing infrastructure bills. Keith Daser, founder of Deliver Digital, sits down with Dan Belkie, founder and owner of Everything Cloud Technologies, a Calgary based cloud cost optimization and FinOps SaaS company. Dan walks through why most cloud monitoring tools only solve half the problem, showing MSPs what is wrong without ever getting anyone to fix it. He explains how Everything Cloud built a Managed FinOps model for MSPs and CSPs, why AI spend is really just cloud spend in disguise, and what two decades of internet, cloud, and AI booms have taught him about separating hype from a real business model. Topics covered: Cloud cost optimization for MSPs and CSPs Building a FinOps SaaS platform in Canada Turning cloud waste into actionable tickets Managing AI spend as cloud infrastructure cost Lessons from launching an ISP in Calgary in the 1990s How Canadian business culture shapes technology decisions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships, connect with Deliver Digital: https://www.deliverdigital.ca/?utm_source=videodescription&utm_id=youtube Sell Me This Podcast features honest conversations with the founders, operators,  and executives navigating enterprise technology, managed services, AI adoption,  cybersecurity, digital transformation, and startup growth. Hosted by Keith Daser  of Deliver Digital, a technology consulting firm based out of Calgary, Alberta.  New episodes every two weeks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Produced and edited by Zach Payne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-payne-/ #SellMeThisPodcast #DeliverDigital #CalgaryTech #AlbertaTech #CanadaTech #MSP #ManagedServices #EnterpriseIT #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #TechPodcast #ITLeadership #TechConsulting #B2BTech #EnterpriseSoftware #Calgarybusiness #YYC #yycbusiness Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411770/support] Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress.  If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: www.deliverdigital.ca This episode of Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires.  Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com

Trade and Export Diversification for Canadian Businesses with Samir Musayev

Canadian companies send roughly 74 to 75 percent of their exports to the United States, and that concentration turns into real risk the moment tariffs, currency shifts, or a regional recession hit. Export diversification gives businesses a way to spread that risk across new markets and currencies while uncovering the operational cracks that domestic growth tends to hide. Keith Daser sits down with Samir Musayev, a trade specialist at Export Development Canada and a former head of commercial banking who built his career across HSBC and the international banking world before settling in Calgary. Listeners will learn how to tell when a company is actually ready to sell abroad, how to handle the cultural and regulatory homework that comes with entering a new country, and how to use organizations like the Trade Commissioner Service and Alberta's trade team to find a first customer overseas. Samir explains why exporting acts like a mirror that exposes missing licenses, weak logistics, and cash flow gaps, and how a single unpaid invoice can put a small exporter under. Topics covered: Export diversification strategy for Canadian businesses How to know when a company is ready to export internationally Cultural differences in closing deals across countries Using the Trade Commissioner Service and EDC to enter new markets Why Target Canada failed at international market entry How AI and blockchain are changing documentary credits and trade paperwork Geographic reach matters here, with much of the conversation grounded in Calgary, Alberta, and Canada's broader position in global trade. Find Samir Musayev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/musayevs/ Watch Samir Musayev's podcast, The Global Nomads, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theglobalnomadspodcast ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships, connect with Deliver Digital: https://www.deliverdigital.ca/?utm_source=videodescription&utm_id=youtube Sell Me This Podcast features honest conversations with the founders, operators,  and executives navigating enterprise technology, managed services, AI adoption,  cybersecurity, digital transformation, and startup growth. Hosted by Keith Daser  of Deliver Digital, a technology consulting firm based out of Calgary, Alberta.  New episodes every two weeks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Produced and edited by Zach Payne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-payne-/ #SellMeThisPodcast #DeliverDigital #CalgaryTech #AlbertaTech #CanadaTech #MSP #ManagedServices #EnterpriseIT #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #TechPodcast #ITLeadership #TechConsulting #B2BTech #EnterpriseSoftware #Calgarybusiness #YYC #yycbusiness Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411770/support] Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress.  If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: www.deliverdigital.ca This episode of Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires.  Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com

Personal Branding, Networking, and AI in Recruitment with Melissa Lyall

Building a personal brand and a real professional network often decides whether a career move or a new business takes off, especially in a relationship-driven market like Calgary, where who you know still drives how business gets done. Recruitment is changing fast as AI sourcing tools cut candidate research time, yet the human judgment behind every hire still determines who actually gets placed. Keith Daser, founder of Deliver Digital, sits down with Melissa Lyall, founder of Higher Talent Recruitment, a Calgary-based recruitment firm she launched after a 15-year corporate recruiting career. Listeners learn how to build a personal brand rooted in an authentic self rather than a manufactured persona, why passive candidates often close better than active applicants, and how a headhunter sources talent that never shows up through an applicant tracking system. Melissa explains where AI tools genuinely help with sourcing and job-spec summaries, and where gut feel and human connection still carry the hiring decision. She also shares practical advice for anyone new to networking in Calgary, including why being of value to the other person beats leading with your own ask. Topics covered: How to build a personal brand on LinkedIn as a recruiter or job seeker Networking in Calgary for entrepreneurs and career changers The difference between passive candidates and active applicants Using AI tools for candidate sourcing and LinkedIn searches Why applicant tracking systems screen people out How headhunters find passive candidates who are not job hunting Making a career transition from corporate recruiting to founding a firm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships, connect with Deliver Digital: https://www.deliverdigital.ca/?utm_source=videodescription&utm_id=youtube Sell Me This Podcast features honest conversations with the founders, operators,  and executives navigating enterprise technology, managed services, AI adoption,  cybersecurity, digital transformation, and startup growth. Hosted by Keith Daser  of Deliver Digital, a technology consulting firm based out of Calgary, Alberta.  New episodes every two weeks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Produced and edited by Zach Payne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-payne-/ #SellMeThisPodcast #DeliverDigital #CalgaryTech #AlbertaTech #CanadaTech #MSP #ManagedServices #EnterpriseIT #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #TechPodcast #ITLeadership #TechConsulting #B2BTech #EnterpriseSoftware #Calgarybusiness #YYC #yycbusiness Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411770/support] Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress.  If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: www.deliverdigital.ca This episode of Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires.  Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com

Doom Spending, Debt, and Delayed Gratification with Luticia Miller

Consumer debt is at record levels, financial literacy is rarely taught in schools, and algorithms are engineered to make people spend faster. Waylay Financial is trying to change that by bringing structured, employer-sponsored savings back to the workplace. Keith Daser sits down with Luticia Miller, founder of Waylay Financial and Chief Strategy Officer of Atmosphere Renewable Recycling, to talk about how employers can support employee financial wellness, what it takes to run multiple startups at once, and what it looks like to build a business in Calgary's growing entrepreneurship ecosystem. Listeners will learn how Waylay approaches financial literacy through payroll-based savings, gamification, and social goal-setting. The conversation also covers what it means to bet on yourself later in your career, why learning on someone else's dime early on pays dividends, and how concepts like delayed gratification and doom spending are shaping how younger generations think about money. Topics covered: Employer-sponsored savings programs and employee financial wellness Overcoming consumer debt and buy now pay later culture Teaching delayed gratification through structured savings tools Running multiple startups while balancing a full-time career Building a business in Calgary's startup ecosystem Indigenous economic empowerment and equity participation in major projects ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships, connect with Deliver Digital: https://www.deliverdigital.ca/?utm_source=videodescription&utm_id=youtube Sell Me This Podcast features honest conversations with the founders, operators,  and executives navigating enterprise technology, managed services, AI adoption,  cybersecurity, digital transformation, and startup growth. Hosted by Keith Daser  of Deliver Digital, a technology consulting firm based out of Calgary, Alberta.  New episodes every two weeks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Produced and edited by Zach Payne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-payne-/ #SellMeThisPodcast #DeliverDigital #CalgaryTech #AlbertaTech #CanadaTech #MSP #ManagedServices #EnterpriseIT #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #TechPodcast #ITLeadership #TechConsulting #B2BTech #EnterpriseSoftware #Calgarybusiness #YYC #yycbusiness Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411770/support] Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress.  If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: www.deliverdigital.ca This episode of Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires.  Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com

ServiceNow Governance, AI Integration, and Enterprise Platform ROI with Cheyenne Fernley

How do you build real, lasting value from a major ServiceNow investment — and keep it from turning into expensive technical debt? This episode answers that question with one of the most experienced ServiceNow practitioners in Canada. Keith Daser talks with Cheyenne Fernley, Partner at SkyMark Advisory Group, about ServiceNow governance, AI integration in enterprise IT, and what meaningful digital transformation looks like from the inside. Cheyenne traces a career path from the mailroom to IT consulting partner — and shares what that journey teaches that no certification program can replicate. Topics covered: * What ServiceNow actually is — beyond its reputation as a ticketing system * How to build a governance framework that creates speed, not bureaucracy * How to measure ROI and set meaningful KPIs on enterprise platform investments * Managing AI adoption securely using ServiceNow's AI Control Tower * The most common customization mistakes that create long-term technical debt * When ServiceNow makes sense for your organization — and when it doesn't * How to structure a ServiceNow governance board Find Cheyenne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyenne-fernley-57965a46/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: https://www.deliverdigital.ca/?utm_source=videodescription&utm_id=youtube Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress. This episode of the Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires. Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411770/support] Sell Me This Podcast is brought to you by the team at Deliver Digital, a Calgary-based consulting organization that guides progressive companies through the selection, implementation, and governance of key technology partnerships. Their work is transforming the technology solution and software provider landscape by helping organizations reduce costs and duplication, enhance vendor alignment, and establish sustainable operating models that empower digital progress.  If you believe you deserve more from your technology partnerships – connect with the team at: www.deliverdigital.ca This episode of Sell Me This Podcast was expertly edited, filmed, and produced by Laila Hobbs and Bretten Roissl of Social Launch Labs, who deliver top-tier storytelling and technical excellence. A special thanks to the entire team for their dedication to crafting compelling content that engages, connects, and inspires.  Find the team at Social Launch Labs at: www.sociallaunchlabs.com