Cloud Cost Compass: Duckbill’s FinOps Maturity Assessment
Duckbill’s FinOps maturity assessment framework evaluates organizations on a 1-5 scale across compute, data, cloudiness, commitments, cost visibility, and team collaboration.
Overhauling AWS account access with Terraform, Granted, and GitOps
Duckbill’s technical deep-dive on overhauling AWS multi-account access: Using Terraform modules, Granted profiles, AWS SSO, and custom IAM policies for secure client access.
A Simple, Yet Effective Cost Optimization Framework
A simple AWS cost optimization framework used by Duckbill: eliminate waste, optimize data storage and transfer, embrace serverless, lock in discounts last, and iterate regularly.
Should I Purchase AWS Through a Reseller?
There are multiple good reasons to purchase AWS through a reseller — and a couple big reasons why you shouldn’t.
Why Benchmarks Miss The Mark for AWS Spend
AWS spending benchmarks ignore product design and competitive strategy. They show what average companies do, not what leaders achieve. Compete against yourself, not external metrics.
What’s the Difference Between an EDP and a PPA?
There’s no real difference between an EDP and PPA in AWS contracts anymore. Both offer the same discounts—AWS just changed the name, creating unnecessary customer confusion.
Why Cloud Finance Is Broken and Ineffective
Most cloud finance efforts are ineffective because they misunderstand the core issue: architectural choices drive costs. Stop managing RIs and hire engineers, not finance people.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering: What It Takes To Actually Break Even
Calculate when S3 Intelligent-Tiering saves money versus Standard storage. Analysis shows break-even occurs near 128 KiB objects, making S3-IT a good default for most workloads.
How Storytelling Can Shape Your Cloud Cost Management Strategy
Storytelling improves cloud cost management by sharing business context across teams. Learn four elements: understanding your audience, aligning goals, fostering autonomy, and engaging communication.
AWS Cost Allocation Guide: Aggregating and Assigning Cloud Costs
Cloud cost allocation begins with identifying spend. Learn three methods: user-defined cost allocation tags, hierarchical account separation, and third-party tooling solutions.
Spending Money to Save Money with Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
Confused by AWS Savings Plans versus Reserved Instances? Savings Plans work for steady traffic with up to 66% off. RIs offer deeper discounts but require planning. Use both strategically.
AWS Cost Allocation Guide: Identifying Your Costs
Gaining better visibility into your cloud spend is one of the biggest pain points you will encounter with AWS.