I’ve been focusing a lot of my time on two key cloud management conversations: Cost optimization and operationalizing cloud.
Over the past three years, I’ve been tracking the cloud cost optimization space closely. I published my latest Wave on this topic last fall, along with a bunch of tactics on how to get started. Cloud cost optimization isn’t a novel idea but it has newly reemerged as a top technology priority in 2023. As we approach the tech economic slow down, managing cloud costs is getting a front row seat with tech executives. FinOps, as a whole, is getting more formal recognition as the FinOps Foundation, which is a part of the Linux Foundation, builds out formal guidance and governance framework gains a larger, global following.
For cloud operations… It’s been nearly 15 years since the inception of cloud. For many companies, cloud has long passed its label as “emerging technology trend” to the standard technology platform that enterprises use to build new apps and modernize existing ones. As companies reach a new level of scale, they seek to operationalize cloud. To support this reality, cloud centers of excellences (CCOEs) have transitioned into the latest operational model trend — platform teams. We’ve written about it. Many of our clients are already organized this way. Our latest cloud survey confirms this trend, but there is so much more to cover. An even larger part of our client base want to know how to modernize traditional operations to meet the needs of cloud.
This year I’m dedicated to following these two topics. In the first half of the years, I’m building out a complete portfolio to help you get your cloud costs under control for today and the future. I’ll be collaborating with our new ITAM and ITFM analyst, Steven Russman, on the future of cost management for enterprise that are managing spend across on-premises and cloud. I’ll be collaborating with Alvin Nguyen on solution architecture. Alvin is already building out some of this research with detailed cost scenario planners.
The second half of the year is dedicated to how companies will be operationalizing cloud, especially as they roll out new best practices in modern operations. I’ll be working closely with my operations peers Julie Mohr, Carlos Casanova, and Will McKeon-White. Julie leads our operations research focusing on knowledge management, DevOps, and continuous delivery and release automation (CDRA). Carlos and Will both look at the intersection of AI and operations and how it powers proactive enterprise operations decision making. For platform teams, I’ll be continuing my work with Charlie Betz.
Stay tuned as I will be blogging throughout the year on these topics!
If you’re a Forrester client and you want to talk more, I’d love to connect via inquiry (inquiry@forrester.com)
