CloudBolt & StormForge partner to optimise Kubernetes cost visibility

CloudBolt Software and StormForge have launched a strategic partnership aimed at delivering a comprehensive Kubernetes solution and enhancing the FinOps ecosystem. The collaborative effort strives to offer organisations superior Kubernetes cost visibility and the tools for optimal cloud resource allocation.

CloudBolt, a leader in cloud financial management, has allied with StormForge, an expert in Kubernetes resource optimisation, to integrate smart machine learning (ML) capabilities. The integration will provide full Kubernetes cost visibility, alongside automatic Kubernetes optimisation, all in real-time. This will beautifully align the role of engineering and FinOps in achieving maximum returns on companies' cloud investments.

'Cloud Native Computing Foundation' has revealed that 96% of global businesses utilise Kubernetes, affirming the widespread adoption of public cloud. However, it is alarming that 69% of these organisations are oblivious to their Kubernetes spending or depend on monthly estimates. This highlights a gap where FinOps practitioners don't have cost visibility nor optimisation recommendations within Kubernetes ecosystems, often leading to large cost spirals.

Precise manual methods for calculating Kubernetes costs can be laborious and inaccurate. They provide little insight into why cost increases have occurred. Hence, platform and FinOps teams struggle to understand cloud consumption costs and the subsequent over-allocated resources. They lack the insights required for meaningful action.

The CloudBolt-StormForge join solution will empower its users in several ways. It will enable CloudOps teams to accurately allocate costs based on actual container-level performance data, fostering better alignment with FinOps teams. The solution also streamlines rightsizing, speeding up the insight-to-action lead time through ongoing Kubernetes optimisation. Moreover, the joint effort intends to improve cloud ROI by incorporating Kubernetes clusters into cost visibility and optimisation workflows.

"With the market shortage of a solid solution for Kubernetes cost reporting, users of Kubernetes can now maximise their cloud ROI. We are excited to integrate our Automated Kubernetes optimisation with CloudBolt's Augmented FinOps platform," said Yasmin Rajabi, StormForges VP of product.

Kyle Campos, CloudBolts chief technology and product officer, said, "As Kubernetes adoption hastens, costs have spiralled. Foundational FinOps capacities such as chargeback and container level visibility are often difficult or non-existent, and rarely result in optimisation. This collaboration will equip Kubernetes users with ML-based FinOps capabilities to not only provide cost visibility, allocation, and rightsising recommendations but also orchestrate the execution of those recommendations against Kubernetes clusters."

The solution will be introduced at FinOps Foundations 'FinOps X' annual conference this year, taking place from 19-22 June in San Diego, CA, before becoming generally available in early Q3 2024.