Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Optimize your AWS cost and usage with Cloud Intelligence Dashboards (BSI304)

Summary

AWS QuickSight is a serverless business intelligence service launched in 2016, used by companies like Dolby, Siemens, and NFL to analyze data and make informed decisions.
Cloud financial management (CFM) is crucial for organizations to make data-driven decisions and manage cloud spend effectively.
The session introduced Cloud Intelligence Dashboards, which help organizations visualize and manage AWS costs and usage.
Amy, a fictional FinOps practitioner, was used as a case study to demonstrate how Cloud Intelligence Dashboards can help in cost optimization and financial awareness.
The dashboards collect data from various AWS services, including the AWS cost and usage report, AWS organizations, AWS budgets, AWS Trusted Advisor, and AWS Compute Optimizer.
A demo showcased how the dashboards can be used for right-sizing recommendations, tracking cost optimization KPIs, and detailed cost analysis.
Mike Graff from Dolby shared his real-world experience with Cloud Intelligence Dashboards, highlighting significant cost savings and improved financial insights.
The dashboards are customizable, cost-effective, and can be shared across the organization to promote a cost-efficient culture.
Cloud Intelligence Dashboards can be launched from well-architected labs, offering pre-baked visuals and the ability to customize and share insights.

Cloud Intelligence Dashboards are designed to address the needs of different personas within an organization, from executives to engineers, by providing tailored insights and recommendations.
The dashboards enable organizations to differentiate between good spend (which drives business outcomes) and wasteful spend (such as idle resources or underutilized capacity).
The use of AWS QuickSight and Cloud Intelligence Dashboards can lead to significant cost savings compared to traditional BI solutions and third-party cost management tools.
Implementing AWS SSO access for QuickSight and row-level security can enhance the usability and security of the dashboards, ensuring users only see the data relevant to them.
The dashboards support the FinOps principle of bringing together teams from finance, procurement, engineering, and operations to enable principled, data-driven decision-making.
Real-world examples from Dolby Laboratories demonstrate the practical benefits of using Cloud Intelligence Dashboards, including identifying misconfigurations and optimizing data transfer costs.
The session emphasized the importance of scaling financial awareness within an organization to create a culture of cost efficiency and responsible spending.