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1. Introduction
Migrating to the cloud is often seen as a natural step to companies looking to scale efficiently. And it is, as long as costs are kept under control.
The reality, however, is that this doesn't always happen. Many businesses only discover after migrating that a cloud environment demands more than just modern infrastructure: it requires a solide financial strategy. A recent study by Gartner revealed that 69% of organizations experience budget overrruns with cloud computing, directly compromising the performance of their digital investments.
The key isn't to abandon the cloud, it's to master its variables: understanding billing models, antecipating exchange rate variations, identifying waste, and applying effective governance practices.
That's why we've created this guide, to give you the knowlegde of everything you need to know to make smarter decisions, maximize productivity, and avoid financial surprises in the cloud. At Skyone, we believe the cloud should be a lever for growth, and this content is here to show you how to make that a reality.
Enjoy the read!
2. Why understanding cloud costs is a game changer?
Cloud computing is often associated with freedom: scaling, optimizing, integrating, and innovating without the contraits of traditional infrastructure. But with freedom comes responsibility, especially financial.
Many companies only realize after migrating that the cloud, by itself, is not a guarantee of cost savings. Without governance, visibility, management, and basic control structure, costs can scale unpredictably and nagatively impact return on investment.
Migrating to the cloud without a clear strategy is like putting a high-performance car on a racetrack without fine-tuning: you may have the power, but you lack control. True performance comes from precision, something only achievable when every system variable is calibrated. This is exactly the kind of attention that separates a cloud that delivers value from one that simply drains resources.
Understanding cloud costs means seeing beyond monthly bill. It means mastering different pricing models, anticipating currency fluctuations, identifying hidden waste, and applying sound financial governance. More importantly, it means making data-driven decisions, not assumptions. That's where the game truly changes: turning the cloud into a strategic asset, not a mysterious expensive.
But, what exactly makes cloud environments more expensive than expected? Which technical and operational factors directly impact your bill, and where are the biggest opportunities for opmtimization? That's what we will explore next.
3. Main factors that impact cloud costs
When properly managed, the cloud can be one of the most powerful infrastructures for driving efficiency and scalability, But like any flexible technology, it requires expertise. And in this case, expertise means knwoking where costs originate and why.
While in traditional environments (on-premises) costs tend to be fixed and often inflated by unused capacity, in the cloud, everything depends on usage. And this very flexibility, without proper control, becomes a financial risk.
Think of it like a race car: performance is not just about raw power, but how precisely each element is tuned. Fuel, tires, telemetry, real-time decisions - everything matters. The cloud operates the same way: each architectural choice, configuration setting, and pricing model has a direct impact on operational efficiency and final costs.
Let's take a closer look at the main factors that influence how - and how much - your company pays for the cloud.
3.1. Price models: pay-as-you-go , reserve of instances and hybrids
The pricing model defines how you pay for the cloud, and how you can save. The three main models are:
- Pay-as-you-go: you pay only for what you use. It is flexible, but without proper monitoring, it can lead to unexpected cost spikes;
- Reserved instances: offer lower rates in exchange for a commitment to continuous use over a specified period. They require upfront planning;
- Hybrid models: combine predictability with adaptability, but demand a higher level of financial and operational maturity.
A common mistake? Migrate from a Data Center to the cloud without rearchtecting - the well-know Lift-and-Shift. approach. This often brings existing inefficiencies into a consumption-based environment, where unoptimized usage is penalized. The result: rising costs and a poor return on investment.
3.2. Data storage and transfer
Storage itself is tipically competitively priced. However, data transfer (whether between availability zones, geographical regions or different services) can incur recurring charges.
In environments with multiple integrated systems (such as ERPs, CRMS and BI tools), data movement between services is constant. Without a well-designed data architecture, poorly configured automations or excessive integrations can silency drive costs up.
The most critical part? Many of these expenses do not appear clearly in standard provider reports, making it even harder to pinpoint the source of the problem.
3.3. Computing costs (CPU, GPU, TPUs)
Compute power is the engine of the cloud, and like any high-performance engine, it requires close attention.
Companies working with complex workloads (such as Machine Learning, service automation, and real-time analytics) often require significant processing resources, including CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and TPUs (Tensor Processing Units optimized for machine learning).
These resources are expensive by the hour. Then they run longer than necesary or remain underutilized, they generate waste that is hard to track. This is where practices like automated provisioning, scheduled shutdown, and smart scalability come in, helping to reduce costs without compromising performance.
3.4. Cloud computing in Brazil and its challenges
In Brazil, cloud costs depend not only on technical consumption but also on the broader macroeconomic landscape. One of the biggest challenges for companies working tith international providers is currency fluctuation.
Most servicesfrom major providers (such as Oracle, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud) are priced in dollars. This means that even a well-optimized and stable environment can lead to unexpected budget overruns when exchange rates shift.
This volatility directly impacts departments like finance, procurement, and IT, making financial planning and cashflow predictability more difficult. In a market where the exchange rate can swing significantly from one quarter to the next, maintaining cost control becomes even more complex.
In this context, solutions that offer fixed pricing in Brazilian real (R$) become strategic. They shield your budget from exchange rate volatility and bring geater peace of mind to decision-making, something essential for scaling confidently, without end of month surprises.
Understanding these factors is the first step toward mastering cloud costs intelligently. But knowing how much you pay is not enough: you also need to understand where to invest and who to invest with. Next, we'll exploire how the main providers position themselves and what actually changes, in practice, between each approach.
4. Price comparison between major providers
Understanding what drives cloud costs is important, but it's not enough on its own. The next step is to evaluate the options available on the market. While the overwall pricing logic is similar across the major players, each provider has its own specifics that directly impact cost predictability and how expenses evolve over time.
Just like in motorsport, where teams follow the same rules, but adopt different strategies to gain competitive edge, choosing the right cloud provider means understanding the details - and aligning them with your business goals.
Below, we explore the factors that differentiate offerings from providers like Oracle, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and how these variations affect companies with different levels of maturity and operational needs.
4.1. What is the best option for each type of company?
The answer doesn't lie in a providers technical specs - it lies in the specific of reality of each business.
Companies with structured technical staff, mature financial management and experience with complex environments can take advantage of the flexibility offered by major providers. In these cases, advanced features like Machine Learning, Multicloud setups and Custom Configurations may be worthwhile and well utilized.
On the other hand, businesses that prioritize cost predictability, close support and structured growth often see better results with models that offer local currency billing, shared governance, dedicated experts for continuous operation and optimization, maturity assessments, and ongoing strategic guidance.
In practice, the most efficient cloud is not necessarily the most sophisticated, it's the one that best supports your company growth in a safe and controlled way.
4.2. Why Skyone's model offers greater predictability?
For companies operating in Brazil, cloud cost predictability is not just an advantage: it is a strategic necesity. As we have seen, when princing is tied to the dollar, even a well -managed environment can become unstable due to external factors like currency fluctuations.
That's exactly why Skyone developed a pricing model in Rrazilian real (R$), ensuring stability in financial planning and eliminating last-minute surprises in your invoice.
But our commitment to predictability goes beyond the currency. It is reflected in how we structure and manage operations alongside our customers:
- We work with a cloud platform for self -scale management, performance, stability and cutting -edge security, with a predictable and unsurprising .
- We work with shared governance , which means that no infrastructure decision is made in the dark;
- We operate with a nearby and specialized technical team that follows the real -time environment and proposes improvements based on data;
- We start every journey with a diagnosis of maturity , to understand where the company is and where it can come sustainably;
- We also apply structured FINOPS practices to major cloud providers, focusing on preventing costs from growing unnecessarily as the business scales.
Our goal is not just to offer cloud, but to offer control, efficiency and safety to grow.
As with a professional race, it's not just the engine that guarantees performance . It is the behind -the -scenes strategy, real -time adjustments and thin tuning with the team that make a difference. It is this role we assume with each client: being the partner who anticipates scenarios and transforms the infrastructure as a real result !
5. Strategies to optimize cloud costs and how Skyone can help
Reducing cloud costs goes beyond turning off resources or renegotiating contracts. It involves rethinking how the infrastructure is used, monitored and adjusted - continuously, intelligently and strategically.
Managing this process manually can be laborious, inaccurate and prone to failures. It is in this context that comes the role of a robust platform and a specialized technical team. When the operation is supported by a solution that abstracts infrastructure complexity , the company can optimize costs without dealing directly with technical requirements, currency variations or constant operational adjustments.
At Skyone , in addition to the platform, we offer a technical team with agnostic performance - that is, without bonding with a single provider or technology . This allows us to propose tailored solutions , based on the reality of each client, with full focus on results. Our team has experience with various architectures and cloud environments, which ensures a wide and strategic view, without commercial or technical bias.
This approach, coupled with good governance and financial management practices (such as Finops), is what makes it possible to turn the cloud into an efficient, controlled and scalable operation . Check out more details below.
5.1. What is FinOps: the discipline of cloud financial management
FINOPS ( Cloud Financial Operations ) is the practice of uniting technical and financial areas to optimize cloud use . The logic is simple: you can only control what you understand, and can only improve what measures.
Thus, the discipline starts from three pillars :
- Visibility : Understand in detail what is being used by whom and for what purpose;
- Governance : Assign costs to the right teams or areas, promoting a culture of conscious use;
- Continuous Optimization : Identify adjustment, automation and constant improvements based on real data.
In practice, this means not only “cutting spending”, but preventing costs from growing as business expands - which we call avoided cost.
This approach requires processes, tools and especially technical expertise to translate consumption into business decisions.
5.2. How Skyone helps reduce cloud costs by up to 40%
At Skyone , Finops is part of the delivery. Our goal is not just to support the infrastructure, but to ensure that it is operating at its best cost-effective . For this, we apply a series of practices integrated with the client's journey:
- Diagnosis of technical and financial maturity , to understand the current stage of the company and identify improvement levers;
- Tagging and consumer traceability to map exactly where the largest cost centers are;
- Provisional automation, intelligent shutdown and reconfiguration of instances to eliminate waste;
- Simulations and growth forecasts , which prevent the environment from climbing uncontrollably.
With this approach, we have been able to deliver 10% up to 40% reductions in cloud costs , depending on the cloud platform used by the customer, without compromising performance or safety. That is, more than economy, what we offer is consistency to grow with control!
As with a running team, it is not enough to cross the finish line: you need to do this in the shortest possible time, with the slightest wear and taking advantage of each feature . This is the philosophy that guides our daily work: transforming the complexity of the cloud into real competitive advantage.
If your company is looking for more efficiency, predictability and cloud performance, talking to one of our experts can be the next most strategic step! We are ready to understand your reality, diagnose opportunities and build a cloud environment together that really follows the rhythm and ambition of your business
6. Conclusion
Cloud investment represents an important milestone for companies that seek more agility, scalability and efficiency. But as we have seen throughout this guide, achieving these benefits requires more than hiring infrastructure: it requires strategic vision on where costs are, and what practices really support long -term growth.
Understanding the different pricing models, evaluating the offers of major providers, identifying adjustment opportunities, and applying methodologies such as FINOPs are essential steps to turn the cloud into an ally , not just a budget expense line.
Each choice made in this environment reflects directly on the financial and operational health of the business. And the sooner these decisions are structured, the greater the return potential.
If you liked this guide and want to keep following trends, analysis and good practices about the cloud universe, follow the Skyone blog ! We are always bringing practical and up -to -date content to those who want to make decisions with more security and future vision.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about cloud investiment
Migrating to the cloud is an increasingly common decision among companies that seek scalability, flexibility and innovation. But with so many variables involved (such as collection models, resource consumption, exchange, governance) understanding clear costs has become a strategic challenge.
Below, we answer the most recurring questions about cloud investments : from what really impacts the invoice to how to calculate the return on investment (ROI) and optimize spending without giving up performance.
1) What are the main factors that influence cloud costs?
The main factors are: the adopted pricing model (such as pay-a-you-go , reserved or hybrid instances), data storage and transfer volume, processing use (such as CPUs, GPUS and TPUS), security and compliance , and in Brazil the exchange rate variation. Poorly planned architectures and absence of governance also contribute significantly to increased costs.
2) How can I reduce cloud computing spending without compromising performance?
It is possible to optimize costs without losing performance by applying practices such as: automatic out -of -use instance shutdown, provisioning automation, correct choosing the instance type, demand -based scaling and use of intelligent storage. Fine discipline also helps to make data -oriented decisions, ensuring operational and financial efficiency.
3) Which cloud provider offers the best cost-benefit?
It depends on the maturity and needs of the company. Oracle, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud offer robust solutions, but charge in dollars, which can generate instability for Brazilian companies. Models such as Skyone, with real pricing and continuous technical support, deliver greater predictability and efficiency to companies that seek financial control and sustainable growth.
4) How do I calculate cloud ROI for my company?
ROI (return on investment) in cloud can be calculated by comparing operational gains (such as increased productivity, scalability, downtime and agility) with the total costs involved (infrastructure, support, migration and management). The challenge is also to include the avoided costs, that is, the waste that ceases to happen due to efficient practices.
5) What tools help control and optimize cloud costs?
There are several native tools from the providers themselves (such as AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Cost Management, Google Cloud Billing and Oracle Cloud Cost estimator), as well as Specialized FinoS solutions. In addition, shared management platforms, such as Skyone's, offer technical and strategic support to identify waste, design growth and ensure intelligent use of resources.
