What’s your opinion on the inherent conflict of paying for another cloud-based service to monitor your organization's existing cloud spend?

Most cloud providers are self-centric, so using a third-party tool makes sense, especially in multi-cloud environments. The real issue is not just cost, but governance. Many organizations move to the cloud but still try to run infrastructure in a traditional way, which can be more expensive. Tools help provide visibility, which is essential, especially in multi-cloud scenarios.

I do not see an inherent conflict in using an external service to monitor cloud spend. There may be concerns about using a tool that is not from the provider you are monitoring, but in practice, especially in a multi-cloud environment, there is value in having a third party monitor all clouds. Speed to market is a benefit, and as more providers adopt FinOps standards, it further de-risks using a third-party platform.

I would consider using a third-party tool, perhaps on a periodic basis or for an audit, to help evaluate spend and value. For us, cloud service consumption is still emerging and does not yet represent more than 50% of our spend, so it is somewhat theoretical at this point. I am interested in learning how others are experiencing these expenditures.