Fujitsu FinOps Services: Optimizing Your Cloud Journey

Fujitsu / December 2, 2024

Hybrid IT Digital Transformation Cloud Platform

I had the pleasure of presenting Fujitsu's FinOps Services at the NetApp Insight event, that took place in September 2024 in MGM conference center at Las Vegas. NetApp's annual conference, highlighting new product announcements, carried the slogan "Meet the era of data and AI”. This blog post highlights the key takeaways from my presentation.

Rising costs and limited expertise

Gartner reports a 20.4% increase in cloud spending year-over-year, yet only 51% of organizations have dedicated FinOps teams. This gap represents a significant opportunity for organizations to optimize their cloud investments. Fujitsu's FinOps services address this gap, helping organizations manage costs, optimize resources, and achieve value realization. We recognize that FinOps is everyone's responsibility and requires a holistic approach.

Fujitsu's four-phase approach to FinOps

Fujitsu's FinOps services are designed to help organizations navigate the continuous cycle of cloud adoption in order to build trust and drive sustainable transformation. We've structured our approach around four key phases, split over two separate releases:

For release 1

1. Advise: Begin with a thorough FinOps assessment, creating a clear roadmap for change.
2. Mobilize: Implement FinOps best practices and tools, tailoring solutions to your specific needs to optimize your cloud investment.
3. Realize: Achieve tangible cost savings and operational efficiencies.

For release 2

4. Optimize: Continuously monitor, analyze, and refine your cloud spending to maximize value and minimize waste.

Addressing the evolving landscape of FinOps

FinOps use cases are rapidly evolving. Initially focused on cost-aware product decisions in the public cloud, organizations are now expanding FinOps principles to SaaS and private cloud environments. We're also seeing growing interest in:

• Sustainable FinOps: Integrating carbon footprint considerations into cost optimization strategies.
• FinOps for AI: Developing tailored strategies to manage the resource-intensive nature of AI workloads.

This evolution reflects a shift from pure cost management to value realization, especially crucial for AI-driven initiatives.

Fujitsu's FinOps solution: a comprehensive framework

Our Cloud Financial Management (FinOps) practice combines dedicated cloud management teams, a robust data analytics platform, and a user-friendly reporting portal. We're partnering with leading FinOps solution providers like Spot by NetApp and CloudCheckr to accelerate adoption and help customers tackle cloud wastage, which is aligned to Fujitsu’s commitment to a regenerative society. Our FinOps service framework encompasses seven core areas, including data collection, analysis, benchmarking, and customized recommendations for individual business units.

We emphasize three key pillars:

• Visibility: Continuous monitoring for clear insights into cloud spending.
• Optimize: Implementation of recommendations to drive cost optimization.
• Protect: Proactive alerts and guardrails to prevent budget overruns.

Our FinOps team collaborates with tools like NetApp Cloud Insights to generate tailored recommendations for diverse stakeholders—engineering, finance, and procurement—recognizing FinOps as a crucial bridge between engineering and financial management.

Tailoring FinOps to your needs

We adopt a "crawl, walk, run" approach, customizing FinOps implementation based on your organization’s maturity. This involves leveraging cloud-native tools for forecasting, budgeting, and rate optimization, alongside dedicated FinOps solutions such as CloudCheckr. As organizations mature, our focus expands from public cloud cost management to anomaly management, budgeting, and forecasting for SaaS, ultimately driving value realization across the entire IT landscape, including emerging Hardware-as-a-Service offerings.

Key takeaways:

• FinOps is a continuous practice, not just a tool.
• Cost-aware decision-making is crucial for sustainable cloud management.
• A strong FinOps partner is essential for successful implementation.
• Expanding FinOps beyond public cloud to encompass SaaS and private cloud is key to maximizing value.
• Consider the environmental impact with carbon-aware FinOps.

Conclusion

Fujitsu's FinOps services provide a comprehensive and adaptable solution for organizations seeking to optimize their cloud investments and drive sustainable transformation.

Visit https://global.fujitsu/en-global/capabilities/cloud-transformation to learn more about how to navigate the complexities of cloud cost management and unlock the full potential of your cloud environments.

Alain Geens

Senior Consultant Uvance Hybrid IT at Fujitsu

Alain Geens | LinkedIn
Alain is a collaborative and supportive consultant with 20 years of experience in designing and delivering Infrastructure Managed Services.