Azure Boards is a work tracking service that forms part of Microsoft’s Azure DevOps platform. It provides teams with specialized tools for planning, tracking, and discussing work across the entire development process. For organizations implementing FinOps practices, Azure Boards serves as a critical component in visualizing, managing, and optimizing cloud expenditure alongside regular project management…
Cloud Usage Analytics refers to the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data related to cloud resource consumption within an organization. It serves as a foundational element in FinOps practices, enabling teams to gain visibility into their cloud spending patterns and make data-driven decisions to optimize costs. In today’s multi-cloud environments, where organizations deploy resources…
Cloud egress costs are fees charged by cloud service providers when data leaves their network. Unlike data ingress (transferring data into the cloud), which is typically free, egress incurs charges based on the volume of data transferred. These costs are structured as per-gigabyte (GB) pricing tiers that vary by provider, region, and destination. In cloud…
Azure Dev/Test pricing is a specialized pricing model offered by Microsoft Azure that provides discounted rates for non-production workloads such as development, testing, and staging environments. This pricing structure enables organizations to maintain separate development and testing infrastructures at reduced costs compared to production environments, while still accessing the full capabilities of Azure services. The…
Azure Reservations represent a purchasing option provided by Microsoft that enables organizations to receive significant discounts on various Azure services compared to standard pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing. By committing to use specific Azure resources for either one or three years, businesses can reduce their cloud costs by up to 72% while maintaining the flexibility and scalability…
Azure Advisor is Microsoft’s personalized cloud consultant service that provides recommendations to help optimize Azure deployments across cost, security, reliability, performance, and operational excellence dimensions. Primarily focused on identifying opportunities for improvement within your Azure environment, Azure Advisor analyzes resource configuration and usage telemetry to deliver actionable guidance tailored to your specific implementation. Definition and…
Azure Repos is a version control service that provides Git repositories for source code management within the Azure DevOps ecosystem. From a FinOps perspective, Azure Repos serves as more than just a code storage solution—it represents a critical component of cloud cost management where development practices intersect with financial operations. Technical Foundations Core Architectural Components…
Azure Availability Zones are distinct, physically separated data center locations within an Azure region designed to provide high availability and fault tolerance for cloud infrastructure. These zones offer independent power, cooling, and networking, ensuring that if one zone experiences a disruption, other zones remain operational, minimizing potential service interruptions and protecting critical business workloads. The…
FinOps as Code (FaC) is a strategic approach that applies software engineering principles to financial operations management in cloud computing environments. It combines financial governance, automation, and infrastructure management into a programmatic framework that enables organizations to optimize cloud spending through code-driven processes. The emergence of FinOps as Code represents a critical evolution in cloud…
Azure Pipelines is a cloud-based continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) service provided by Microsoft Azure that automates software building, testing, and deployment processes. As a critical component of modern cloud infrastructure, Azure Pipelines enables organizations to streamline their software development workflows while providing significant opportunities for cost management and operational efficiency. Core Concepts Technical…
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is a comprehensive cloud-based identity and access management service provided by Microsoft. It serves as a critical infrastructure component for managing digital identities, access controls, and security across cloud and hybrid environments. Microsoft Entra ID enables organizations to control user authentication, authorize access to resources, and implement robust…
Cloud cost allocation is the systematic process of tracking, attributing, and distributing cloud computing expenses across different departments, projects, or business units within an organization. This critical financial management practice enables businesses to understand, control, and optimize their cloud spending by precisely identifying where and how cloud resources are being utilized. In cloud computing, organizations…