Build vs. buy is a popular discussion topic among FinOps practitioners. Do-it-yourself (DIY)/homegrown solutions are often showcased as enabling successful FinOps journeys within the practitioner community. But DIY isn’t for everyone. Before proceeding down that path, it’s important to understand its key considerations and potential tradeoffs.
As more organizations begin their FinOps journey, they wrestle with whether to build their own solution or buy a third-party FinOps solution. Sometimes, the best answer is both.
FinOps X breakout session breaks down build vs. buy
At this year’s FinOps X in San Diego, attendees learned more about this topic at the breakout session: “Build vs. buy? Why not both? The Linux Foundation story.” Rudy Grigar, Director of Cloud Services at The Linux Foundation, and Shah Ahmadzai, Cloud FinOps Manager at The Linux Foundation, presented along with Marie Burke, Ternary’s Director of Product Marketing.
Burke kicked off the session by covering the types of FinOps tools available in the market. She also discussed key considerations for a homegrown solution. These include the cost to build and maintain the solution, as well as staffing, time, complexity, scalability, etc. Grigar and Ahmadzai then shared the FinOps journey of The Linux Foundation.
The Linux Foundation’s story
The Linux Foundation provides a neutral, trusted hub for developers and organizations to code, manage, and scale open technology projects and ecosystems. With 900+ Projects leveraging 12+ clouds, the foundation has experienced firsthand the challenges of managing multi-cloud costs across multiple stakeholders. The joint breakout session with Ternary at FinOps X highlighted:
- Why The Linux Foundation hired a full-time resource to mature their FinOps practice.
- How they reduced the need to access multiple consoles and manage spreadsheets by investing in Ternary.
- What internal tools they built and how they plan to incorporate Ternary in their tooling ecosystem.
A hybrid approach
Shortly after FinOps X, the FinOps Foundation published “FinOps Tools and Services,” a detailed guide to navigating this complex landscape. Within this guide, the section “Build, Buy, Adopt, Integrate” explores building a custom solution versus buying an existing platform. The FinOps Foundation advocates for a hybrid approach: purchasing a platform that meets most of your needs and then building custom solutions on top to address your organization’s unique needs. This strategy allows you to leverage the strengths of both approaches, ensuring you get a robust, scalable solution while tailoring it to your specific requirements.
Ready to learn more?
Purpose-built for FinOps, Ternary empowers organizations to establish cloud cost transparency, improve cost and usage efficiency, and foster communication between teams. Request a demo today to see Ternary in action.
