FINOPS – OPTIMISING CLOUD COMPUTING AND TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS

FinOps is our way of building

We do not measure success in terms of hours worked, but rather in terms of the benefits our clients derive. We treat every technology project as an investment, the costs, capacity and lifecycle of which must stand up to scrutiny even in the long term.

FinOps is not a separate service for us

The FinOps approach guides all our work, from Microsoft Fabric environments and SQL Server solutions to migrations, data platforms, analytics and AI projects.
Before making any major technology decisions, we ask which solution will deliver the greatest long-term benefit to the client. If the quickest or most technically impressive option is not the best one for the client, we recommend a different solution and explain why.

We build things properly, not just quickly

Fast delivery is not an end in itself. The right solution is.

When migrating an environment to the cloud, we do not automatically replicate the current capacity and cost structure to the new location.

First, we identify the actual need and assess what should be retained, changed or simplified.

Capacity is analysed before any architectural decisions are made. Platforms and technologies are selected according to the customer’s needs, not on the basis of pre-selected recommended solutions.

We make the cost implications clear

IT costs often arise from decisions whose financial implications have not been, or could not be, assessed early enough. That is why we incorporate the cost perspective into major technology and architecture decisions even before implementation. The aim is not always to produce a precise forecast in euros, but rather to provide a sufficiently reliable overall picture to support decision-making.

In the Fabric and Synapse projects, we compare alternative cost structures. In SQL Server environments, we use measured workload data to determine actual capacity requirements. For migrations, we examine the total costs of the current and proposed environments over the entire planned lifecycle. Decisions are made based on data, not assumptions.

Responsibility stems from the way a building is constructed

A properly scaled environment consumes less capacity and energy. A consolidated architecture is generally more efficient, both economically and environmentally, than an unnecessarily decentralised system. That is why, for us, sustainability is not simply an additional layer of reporting to be added after the project is complete. It is an integral part of decisions regarding capacity, technology and architecture right from the start.

Capacity and consumption data can also be used as source data for an organisation’s climate and sustainability reporting. The same measurement can thus serve both to optimise costs and to monitor environmental impacts.

The biggest savings are identified before an investment decision is made

Our approach delivers the greatest value when an organisation is making a decision that will affect technology and costs for several years to come.

Renewal or true-up of the Microsoft agreement

Your own measured usage data provides a better basis for contract and licensing decisions than capacity calculations based on assumptions and recommendations.

Changes to the SQL Server lifecycle or support

A version upgrade or the end of support is a good time to assess the environment’s capacity, costs and future architecture.

Hardware upgrade

Sizing based on actual usage requirements prior to procurement is more cost-effective than initially oversizing and then optimising at a later stage. The years 2025 and 2026 have seen significant price increases for equipment and components, and these further highlight the need for comprehensive optimisation.

Cloud or Fabric migration

It is advisable to assess the capacity and cost structure of the target environment before making any final architectural decisions. A ‘lift and shift’ migration is likely to be costly. All inefficiencies from the on-premises environment will be subject to ongoing billing, and waste will multiply.

AI investment

It is advisable to assess the infrastructure and cost implications of an AI solution on the basis of a real-world use case before rolling it out on a large scale.

Developing sustainability reporting

Data on capacity, consumption and costs can also provide useful input for emissions monitoring and sustainability reporting.

A single approach across all our services

The same approach is evident in Microsoft Fabric and Synapse solutions, SQL Server environments, DBA services, migrations, data platforms, AI projects, as well as Power BI solutions and analytics. In every project, we consider not only the technical implementation but also capacity, costs, the lifecycle and the solution’s actual business value. We do not build technology for technology’s sake. We build solutions that are designed to serve the business.