{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"FinOps in Action","title":"Using Unit Economics to Optimize Cloud Spend & Improve Margins ft. Kevin Mueller, Presidio | Ep #67","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/ade65c01\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2347,"description":"Are you actually measuring the value of your cloud spend or just tracking the cost?In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Kevin Mueller, Principal Architect of Cloud FinOps at Presidio, to unpack one of the most talked-about and most misunderstood concepts in FinOps: unit economics.With over 20 years of experience spanning software engineering, AWS SaaS architecture, and cloud financial management, Kevin shares a grounded, practical perspective on why most organizations struggle to implement unit economics and how to actually get started.The conversation explores the gap between visibility and action, why traditional cost allocation models fall short, and how engineering, product, finance, and sales all benefit when cloud spend is tied directly to business value. Kevin also dives into real-world examples, from optimizing SQL queries and Kubernetes workloads to navigating the growing complexity of AI-driven infrastructure.If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond dashboards and into meaningful optimization, or how to prove that your cloud investment is truly productive, this episode is for you.Here’s what we talked about:Why most companies still aren’t doing unit economics (and what separates those who do it well)The difference between unit metrics and unit economicsHow to move from high-level allocation to actionable, engineering-driven insightsHow to approach tagging without overcomplicating your systemWhy AI is the next major FinOps challenge (and opportunity)The biggest challenges with shared resources like Kubernetes and what actually drives optimizationChapters:00:00 - Cloud Cost Tradeoffs01:31 - Kevin’s FinOps Journey03:13 - Unit Economics Reality Check04:18 - Defining Unit Economics05:46 - How to Implement It09:26 - Metrics That Drive Action14:10 - Allocation Products vs Teams20:26 - Tagging Without Pain23:02 - Kubernetes Cost Challenges24:51 - K8s Optimization Basics26:18 - Architecture Choices with Units28:04 - AI as Shared Spend30:13 -...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/19z3-eWZl6c0TEQCJZvYXIgN4CxYIhl9_e56I_mkpWs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wYTdj/YWRhNmM4YzM4NzQ0/NDVlNzFhYmE2NmVi/Y2ZiZC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}