Cloud Policy and Governance

Policy and Governance in Cloud FinOps can be considered a set of statements and processes that help direct and control cloud-related activities to promote the desired behavior and outcomes. Good Policy and Governance are essential for successfully orchestrating and directing Cloud FinOps activity, and establishing a FinOps culture. Without them, organizations cannot sustainably deliver business value from the cloud.

Cloud Policy is a clear statement of intent that outlines how specific cloud-related activities should be executed to deliver improvements in business value. Cloud Governance, on the other hand, consists of processes, tooling, or other guardrails designed to control cloud-related activity as described by the Cloud Policy. By combining Policy and Governance, we can align Cloud activities with overall business goals and strategies and maximize return on investment.

Establishing a FinOps culture is a key challenge in transitioning from a data center culture. Policy and Governance provide a way to sustain a FinOps culture by establishing and maintaining the necessary attitudes and behaviors. This is the case for all organizations with a recognizable culture, and an effective Policy and Governance framework.

With Cloud Policy and Governance, organizations can ensure predictable and manageable cloud costs while supporting the consistent adoption of best practices across the organization. They can also support defense-in-depth against known threats and risks, ensuring that cloud-related activities are in line with business goals and strategies.

Cloud Policy & Governance by FinOps Foundation