Build an Automated FinOps Managed Service

When Managed Service Providers (MSPs) embark on their FinOps journey, they often begin by manually gathering usage data, generating monthly reports, and conducting review meetings. While this approach may work for a small number of clients, it quickly proves unmanageable when scaled to dozens or even hundreds of tenants.

To effectively scale FinOps, automation becomes essential. This transformation shifts cost governance from a sporadic activity to a systematic, repeatable process. Automation not only enhances consistency but also reduces the likelihood of human error, allowing your team to devote more time to strategic discussions rather than data hunting.

With Turbo360 Cost Analyzer, automation is at the heart of your FinOps strategy. The platform integrates insight, alerting, optimisation, and reporting into a seamless process that requires minimal manual intervention.

The FinOps Cycle That MSPs Should Automate

A robust FinOps process adheres to a structured cycle, which includes:

• Monitor – Gather and visualise data on costs, usage, and resource utilisation.
• Analyse – Identify unusual spending patterns, inefficiencies, and potential areas for cost reduction.
• Optimise – Implement necessary actions, such as right-sizing resources, scheduling tasks, or making commitment purchases.
• Report – Share insights on savings and return on investment (ROI) with stakeholders.
• Forecast – Develop budget plans and commitments for the upcoming periods.

For many MSPs, the stages of monitoring, analysing, optimising, and reporting are still handled manually, involving separate spreadsheets, bespoke Power BI reports, and ticket-based updates. Turbo360 integrates these processes into a single automated workflow.

How Turbo360 Enhances FinOps Operations Through Automation

Automated Data Collection and Normalisation

Turbo360 automatically collects cost and usage data from various Azure tenants and subscriptions on a daily basis. This data is then standardised across customers, eliminating the need for custom scripts or CSV workflows. The result is a single, reliable dataset that’s ready for analysis.

Continuous Anomaly Detection

With Turbo360’s inbuilt anomaly detection, spend fluctuations across your client base are tracked over time. Should any cost spikes or unusual usage patterns arise, automated alerts are generated. These notifications are typically directed to your FinOps team, the service desk, or even directly to the customer.

• Your response time improves.
• Customers appreciate your proactive approach.
• Surprises on invoices are eliminated.

Scheduled Reporting and Insights

Turbo360’s reporting features allow for automatic emailing of cost reports, trend analyses, and optimisation summaries at set intervals. Each report can be customised to reflect your MSP’s branding and tailored to meet the specific views of individual customers (e.g., by department, environment, or cost center). This approach offers transparency to your customers while providing valuable time savings to your team.

Budgeting and Forecasting Alerts

You can define budgets for specific customers, projects, or environments, allowing Turbo360 to monitor these effectively. Whenever actual or projected costs exceed defined thresholds, the platform automatically generates notifications or creates tickets. This enables ongoing budget oversight without the need for constant manual checks.

Integration with ITSM and Workflow Tools

Turbo360 seamlessly integrates with ITSM systems (such as ServiceNow) and low-code platforms (like Logic Apps and Power Automate). When an anomaly or optimisation suggestion arises, it can trigger automated actions, including:

• Creating an investigation ticket.
• Running a script to release unused resources.
• Notifying account managers for necessary follow-up.

This automation ensures that FinOps activities are consistently executed and fully traceable, aligned with your overall managed service processes.

Case Study: The “Always-On” FinOps Service

Consider an MSP managing 40 customers. Each week, Turbo360 automatically:

• Collects and normalises Azure cost data.
• Identifies idle or oversized resources.
• Emails a summary to customers.
• Generates tickets for anomalies exceeding a 10% threshold.

With no need for analyst intervention, your customers enjoy the benefits of an MSP that remains consistently attentive to their cloud expenditures, while your team can concentrate on strategy, governance, and delivering enhanced services.

The Business Impact for MSPs

By automating FinOps, your offerings shift from being reactive to becoming proactive and preventative, resulting in noticeable efficiency gains across your entire client base.

Key Takeaways

• Automation is crucial for scaling FinOps while maintaining profitability.
• Turbo360 automates the processes of data collection, anomaly detection, and reporting.
• Integration with ITSM tools ensures FinOps aligns with your routine service processes.
• Automation fosters customer confidence through consistent governance.
• You can provide enhanced value to more clients without increasing team size.

Turbo360: The Engine Behind Automated FinOps for MSPs

Turbo360 Cost Analyzer equips MSPs with everything necessary to deliver FinOps-as-a-Service on a larger scale:

• Comprehensive visibility across multiple tenants.
• Intelligent automation for effective cost management.
• Smooth integration into operational workflows.
• Clear ROI reporting tailored for each customer.

With Turbo360, FinOps transforms from a manual undertaking into a seamlessly managed, automated service running reliably in the background.

Conclusion of the Series

This article concludes our six-part series on “Building a FinOps-as-a-Service Practice with Turbo360.” You’ve learned how MSPs can:

• Transform cost management into a competitive advantage.
• Achieve comprehensive visibility across diverse multi-tenant environments.
• Minimise waste and reduce technical debt.
• Secure long-term savings through strategic commitments.
• Enhance customer trust by promoting transparency.
• Automate and scale the entire FinOps lifecycle.

Next steps: Develop your own Turbo360-powered FinOps service offering and establish your MSP as the go-to cloud cost guardian your clients can depend on.