Karind Ori, Cloud and Digital Executive, iqbusiness

Cloud optimisation has been a pain point and a buzzword for a long time, says Karind Ori, Cloud and Digital Executive at iqbusiness. “The technology surrounding cloud is new and exciting, but the business model is not new. Pay-as-you-go is a consumption-based business model that has been around in different forms for a long time. One of the barriers to effective cloud optimisation is that organisations run cloud as a project and not as a business model. Cloud services should be viewed as a business model, and not a technology model.”

Engineers and developers sometimes don’t fully understand how public cloud services are costed. “The pricing models are really complex, with a massive range of services. You need deep insight to fully understand how you can save money and derive value,” Ori says.

Cloud cost is usually not a performance marker that developers are measured on. However, correct planning for cloud pricing is critical from the time your business transitions to the cloud. If applications are not architected for the way cloud services are built, you risk landing up with bill shock. Infrastructure and cloud reviews are as important as code reviews.

“Architecting for the cloud should ideally be planned well in advance. A full re-architecture is costly and time-consuming. The alternative is to do a phased re-architecture where you improve it in components,” Ori says.

Orphan resources can be a major source of waste in the cloud, especially in multi-tenanted cloud environments. These costs can add up over months and years. Multicloud is niche and specific, and it is a complex task to control so many different aspects of the running.

Ori advises that while cloud cost optimisation tools are helpful, and there are plenty of them, they also come at a cost. “Tools have a specific fit into the circle of optimisation, but they are just one component. The reality is that cloud optimisation needs to become a company culture. If you want to save on cloud costs, then develop, instil and adopt a culture. From developers and testers, to project managers, everyone needs to be responsible and accountable for building in the most cost-efficient solutions without any waste.”

There’s a lot of hype around generative AI, but Ori believes that cloud and finops practitioners need to manage generative AI workloads. “AI is a useful tool, but using it across your business may not be the right strategy. Start with asking what your business challenges are, and how you can improve your client experience. Technology will undoubtedly be a part of these solutions, but it needs to be used appropriately,” he advises.

iqbusiness is Africa’s future-focused management and digital growth enabler, with over 26 years of experience. Led by some of the continent’s best thinkers and doers, our purpose is simple: to grow people, businesses and Africa.

Established in South Africa in 1998, iqbusiness integrated into Reunert ICT in 2023 and merged with +OneX in 2024. Together, we offer a full-service suite of digital, cloud and security services, managed services, digital and management consulting, digital media, end-user computing, unified communications and software development across the continent.

Our scale and unique capabilities mean we unlock exponential value and global growth for our clients. Renowned for our tenacious GESHIDO ® energy, and determination to deliver projects of excellence and meaning, we are a proud level 1 B-BEE contributor and hold B-Corp, Conscious Companies and Top Employer status.

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