Cloud Cost Challenges in Large Organizations: A FinOps Practitioner’s Perspective

In this episode of the FinOps on Azure Podcast, host Michael Stephenson is joined by Benjamin Linares for a practical conversation on the cloud cost challenges large organizations face as they scale.

Drawing from Ben’s background in finance and his hands-on experience working within enterprise environments, the discussion explores how cloud cost management becomes more complex as organizations grow. Rather than focusing on tooling or quick optimization wins, the episode looks at the structural, cultural, and organizational factors that often make FinOps difficult to implement in large companies.

The conversation covers how reporting structures, ownership models, leadership support, and organizational alignment directly influence FinOps outcomes. Ben also shares how learning from the FinOps community and real-world experience shapes more effective approaches to managing cloud spend at scale.

You can listen to the other episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Episode Highlights

00:00:08 – Welcome to the FinOps on Azure Podcast

00:00:13 – Introducing the episode focus

00:00:18 – Introducing Ben Linares

00:00:28 – Background and early career in finance

00:03:55 – Career growth and moving across roles

00:05:46 – Entering cloud cost challenges in large organizations

00:07:39 – Learning from the FinOps community

00:09:36 – Organizational alignment and reporting structures

00:14:09 – Frameworks versus real-world constraints

00:17:48 – Leadership support and FinOps ownership

Enjoyed This Conversation?

Don’t miss other episodes of the FinOps on Azure Podcast, where we speak with practitioners, consultants, and cloud leaders about real-world cost management challenges, lessons learned, and what actually works in practice.

Subscribe for upcoming episodes and if this conversation resonated with you, feel free to share it with your team.

Explore More FinOps Resources

Watch Webinars

Learn directly from FinOps practitioners and Azure experts in our Webinar Library.

Explore Case Studies

See how organizations and MSPs manage Azure costs at scale: Customer Stories.

Browse Resources

Access our full Resource Library – blogs, guides, videos, and best practices.