September 2023 Summaries

Emily Dunenfeld's article explores the comparative advantages of NVMe SSDs over Elastic Block Store (EBS) as storage solutions for cloud-native services on Amazon EC2 instances, emphasizing the cost and performance benefits of NVMe despite its ephemeral nature. NVMe SSDs offer high-speed, low-latency access, making them suitable for performance-critical tasks like databases and caching, but they lack the persistent storage capability of EBS, which retains data even when instances are stopped. The key challenge with NVMe's temporary storage can be mitigated through data replication strategies, ensuring data durability and availability. While NVMe can significantly reduce costs compared to EBS, it requires specialized engineering efforts to implement replication for persistent storage. The article highlights use cases for both storage solutions, suggesting that cloud-native services can utilize NVMe's speed and cost-effectiveness, while traditional applications may still benefit from EBS's durability.

Vantage has introduced new resources in its Terraform provider, enabling the automation of cost reporting setup and management within cloud environments. This update allows users to automate the creation of cost reports, folders, saved filters, and dashboards, which previously required manual setup in the Vantage console. By using the Vantage Write API and Vantage Query Language, users can maintain up-to-date reports as their cloud infrastructure evolves, syncing changes through Terraform. This feature is accessible to all users, including those on the free tier, and requires appropriate permissions and an API token for authentication. The new resources offer a streamlined approach to managing cloud costs, reflecting changes in infrastructure and ensuring that cost reporting remains consistent with the current state of users' cloud environments.

Vantage has introduced a new feature called Report Annotations, enabling users to add contextual annotations to cost reports by marking specific days with comments about infrastructure or cost events. This addition aims to bridge the gap between reports and issues, allowing annotations to be directly assigned to a specific report on a specific date. Users can create annotations by clicking the "Annotations" button or directly on the cost report graph, with a sidebar displaying all annotations and new entries. Annotations are represented as vertical lines on the report graph, and users can resolve or reopen them as needed. This feature is available to all Vantage users, including those on the free tier, and there is no limit on the number of annotations that can be added. While annotations cannot yet cover date ranges or be accessed via API, these functionalities are on the roadmap for future updates.

Vantage has introduced a beta version of its Write API, aimed at automating the management of cost reports, folders, dashboards, and saved filters, which allows users to efficiently adapt to changes in their infrastructure and quickly set up complex reporting structures. Previously, these configurations were time-consuming to manage through the Vantage Console UI, particularly for customers with extensive infrastructure accounts. The new V2 API enables users to programmatically create, update, and delete Vantage resources such as folder structures and reports, with the added functionality of updating saved filters as infrastructure changes occur. The API is accessible to all users, including those on the free tier, and requires an editor or higher role to modify resources. Authentication is managed via API tokens, which are subject to rate limits of 1,000 calls per hour, and comprehensive documentation is available to support users in leveraging these new capabilities.

Being the first FinOps hire at a company can lead to a challenging situation known as Lone FinOps Purgatory, where a solo practitioner remains the only team member despite the need for growth. This stagnation occurs when companies perceive the current FinOps level as sufficient, while the practitioner recognizes potential for greater value but struggles to justify further investment. Growth can be facilitated by identifying new functions for the team or delegating recurring tasks that consume time and hinder additional value creation. Practitioners should document their processes and create a compelling business case to advocate for new hires, considering factors like economic conditions and company budgets. By taking the initiative to propose team expansion, practitioners can break free from stagnation and foster both personal and organizational growth.