Introduction

In the platform, a framework is used to create widget-based dashboards, resize widgets, save widgets, add permissions for dashboards, and more.

These dashboards are dynamic in nature. A user can create their own dashboard and add various widgets to look at the data as per their convenience and requirement. A user can create multiple dashboards. Based on the user-role, certain users can share the dashboard with another user by assigning relevant permissions.

This user guide will focus on the FinOps Dashboard, how users can leverage it to understand their cloud spending and visualize cost data in meaningful ways, and how they can create and modify their own custom dashboards.

Key Features

Cloud Provider Specific Dashboards & Filters

• For users focusing on a single cloud provider, we’ve introduced provider-specific FinOps dashboards for AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI. These dashboards offer detailed visibility into costs and financial trends, ensuring that partners and enterprises can effectively manage cloud spend using native cloud terminology.

Multi-Cloud Dashboards & Filters

• For those managing multi-cloud environments, our new Multi-Cloud FinOps Dashboards provide a unified financial view across AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI. These dashboards utilize standardized terminology from the FinOps Foundation’s FOCUS project, ensuring a consistent and streamlined financial governance experience.
  • FOCUS 1.0 Standardization ensures cloud cost metrics, charge categories, and cost allocation structures remain uniform across providers.
  • Enables seamless cross-cloud analysis, improving transparency and multi-cloud financial governance.

Filter Management at Dashboard Scope

• Enhanced Filter Management for dashboards empowers users with greater control over filter visibility and functionality. By managing both Filter Keys and Filter Values, dashboard creators can deliver highly tailored and simplified experiences for their users.
  • Control Filter Key Visibility: Users can hide specific filter keys to streamline the dashboard experience and minimize distractions. For example, users can exclude fields like Instance Type, Operating System, or Region if irrelevant to the dashboard's purpose.
  • Restrict Filter Values: Define which values within a filter are visible to users. For instance, users can hide all charge types except Usage for clarity in financial dashboards or display only specific tag values like Production while hiding others.

Visual Subscribe

• The new Visual Subscribe feature enhances the delivery of FinOps insights by enabling users to subscribe to dashboards, widgets, and/or views to customize and automate the distribution of tailored cloud financial data to stakeholders on a recurring basis (daily, weekly, etc.).
• This helps customers to keep teams informed and aligned with cost and usage insights without requiring regular portal logins and/or by delivering tailored FinOps insights through automated PDF reports.

Manage Views

• Manage Views enhances user experience by allowing the saving and customization of page views, eliminating the need to re-select filters and settings each time a page is visited. This feature addresses the time-consuming process of manually configuring views, providing a more efficient workflow.
• Users can export dashboards with both configured and standard views and conveniently import them using the import functionality. Additionally, users have the option to create private views that are not included in the exported data.

Dashboard Permissions Enhancements

• We have enhanced the permissions feature to include permissions for custom roles and user groups, which were previously limited to system roles, as well as add the Subscribe permission to the existing set of role grants (e.g. Read, Edit, Share). This update allows for more granular control and flexibility in managing user access and capabilities.
  • Custom Role Permissions: Assign permissions to custom roles, not just system roles while sharing dashboards across multiple tenants.
  • User group Permissions: Assign permissions to user groups while sharing across tenants.
  • Subscription Permissions: Grant or deny permissions for roles to set up subscriptions. Users with roles that have this permission can create subscriptions for system views or their own custom views (provided they also have Edit permission).

FinOps Standardized Dashboards

To further enhance standardization, this release introduces a comprehensive set of pre-configured dashboards, ensuring that both partners and end customers can get started quickly with consistent financial insights across cloud environments.

• Cost Posture (Account and Tenant View) - Existing cost posture has been replaced with new Cost Posture dashboard. A specific dashboard has been created for customers which only allows Account and Tenant View. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Cost Summary, and Cost Trend.
  • The Parameters widget in Cost Posture (Account and Tenant View) dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Cost Summary widget shows the overall cost spend across cloud providers and the cost spend for each cloud provider.
  • The Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend by cloud/account/tenant view and drilldown across various dimensions.
• Cost Posture (Admin View) - Existing cost posture has been replaced with new Cost Posture dashboard for admins. A specific dashboard has been created for tenant and account admins which only allows to view various account type hierarchies to get a view across multiple accounts and customers. This dashboard is available only for account admins and the widgets in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Cost Summary, and Cost Trend.
  • The Parameters widget in Cost Posture (Admin View) dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. The account admins can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. They also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Cost Summary widget shows the overall cost spend across cloud providers and the cost spend for each cloud provider.
  • The Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend by cloud/account/tenant view and drilldown across various dimensions.
• AWS Cost Explorer – Provides comprehensive visibility into AWS costs with trend analysis, forecasting, and actionable insights for Distributors, MSPs, and Customers. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, AWS Cost Summary, AWS Cost Trend, and AWS Cost Variation Trend.
  • The Parameters widget in AWS Cost Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The AWS Cost Summary widget provides cost summary for AWS cloud accounts across various dimensions.
  • The AWS Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend as per the details selected in Granularity filter. Users can group dimensions to get insights and can view drilldown details for analysis.
  • The AWS Cost Variation Trend widget shows cost variation based on previous period and period is based on the values selected in the Granularity filter.
• AWS Management Account Explorer – Centralized view of total AWS charges across managed accounts, enabling financial optimization and EDP balance tracking. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, AWS Management Account - Cost Insights, and Spend Trend & Variation Trend by AWS Management Accounts.
  • The Parameters widget in AWS Management Account Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The AWS Management Account - Cost Insights widget provides cost insights for AWS management accounts across various dimensions.
  • The Spend Trend & Variation Trend by AWS Management Accounts widget shows cost details in three widgets, that is, Cost Spend by AWS Management Account, Cost Trend by AWS Management Account, and Cost Variation by AWS Management Account.
• Azure Cost Explorer – Delivers insights into Azure cost trends, forecasts, and analytics to help stakeholders manage cloud spending effectively. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Azure Cost Summary, Azure Cost Trend, and Azure Cost Variation Trend.
  • The Parameters widget in Azure Cost Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Azure Cost Summary widget provides cost summary for Azure cloud accounts across various dimensions.
  • The Azure Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend as per the details selected in Granularity filter. Users can group dimensions to get insights and can view drilldown details for analysis.
  • The Azure Cost Variation Trend widget shows cost variation based on previous period and period is based on the values selected in the Granularity filter.
• Azure Enterprise Agreement (EA) Explorer – Offers MSPs and LSPs a consolidated view of Azure EA and optionally MACC charges to enhance customer service and cost management. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Cost Spend by Azure Enterprise Agreement (EA Application), Cost Trend by EA Enrollments, and Cost Variation by Azure EA Enrollments.
  • The Parameters widget in Azure Enterprise Agreement (EA) Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Cost Spend by Azure Enterprise Agreement (EA Application) widget provides cost spend details for Azure EA accounts.
  • The Cost Trend by EA Enrollments widget provides cost trend details for Azure EA accounts.
  • The Cost Variation by Azure EA Enrollments widget provides cost variation details for Azure EA accounts.
• Azure CSP Direct Explorer – Provides CSP Direct Partners with insights into Azure costs, customer billing, and partner margins for financial transparency. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Partner Cost Summary, Cost Spend by Azure CSP Customer, Partner Cost Trend by Customer, and Partner Cost Variation.
  • The Parameters widget in Azure CSP Direct Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Partner Cost Summary widget provides cost spend details across various dimensions.
  • The Cost Spend by Azure CSP Customer shows the cost spend details.
  • The Partner Cost Trend by Customer shows the cost trend.
  • The Partner Cost Variation widget shows the cost variation.
• GCP Cost Explorer – Enables detailed cost analysis of GCP environments with trend insights, forecasting, and actionable cost management strategies. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, GCP Cost Summary, GCP Cost Trend, and GCP Cost Variation.
  • The Parameters widget in GCP Cost Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The GCP Cost Summary widget provides cost summary for GCP cloud accounts across various dimensions.
  • The GCP Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend as per the details selected in Granularity filter. Users can group dimensions to get insights and can view drilldown details for analysis.
  • The GCP Cost Variation Trend widget shows cost variation based on previous period and period is based on the values selected in the Granularity filter.
• OCI Cost Explorer – Offers deep visibility into OCI cloud spending with trend tracking, forecasting, and optimization opportunities. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, OCI Cost Summary, OCI Cost Trend, and OCI Cost Variation Trend.
  • The Parameters widget in OCI Cost Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The OCI Cost Summary widget provides cost summary for OCI cloud accounts across various dimensions.
  • The OCI Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend as per the details selected in Granularity filter. Users can group dimensions to get insights and can view drilldown details for analysis.
  • The OCI Cost Variation Trend widget shows cost variation based on previous period and period is based on the values selected in the Granularity filter.
• Multi-Cloud Cost Posture Explorer – Consolidates cloud expenditure data across multiple platforms for holistic cost analysis and optimization. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Total Cloud Spend, and Cost Trend. All the data in the dashboard are shown based on FOCUS definition.
  • The Parameters widget in Multi-Cloud Cost Posture Explorer dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Total Cloud Spend widget provides cost summary for all cloud providers across various dimensions.
  • The Cost Trend widget shows the cloud spend as per the details selected in Granularity filter. Users can group dimensions to get insights and can view drilldown details for analysis.
• CFO/Executive Dashboard – Provides cloud FinOps insights for executives, covering investment analysis, cost control, budgeting, and forecasting. The widgets that users can view in this dashboard are: Parameters widget, Multi Cloud Summary, Cloud Spend, Govern, Budget, and Cost Impact.
  • The Parameters widget in CFO/Executive Dashboard contains pre-set filters and option to add custom filter. You can update the filter values anytime for the existing filters and custom filters. You also have the option to remove custom filters. The details in charts show up as per the applied filters.
  • The Multi Cloud Summary widget provides cost summary for all tenants or cloud or cloud accounts across various dimensions.
  • The Cloud Spend widget shows the cloud spend trend by cloud, tenant, region, product category, and charge category across all cloud accounts based on the applied filters from Parameters widget. The charts viewable within this widget are: Cloud Spend Trend, Spend By Tenant, Spend By Region, Spend By Product Category, and Top Spend By Charge Category.
  • The Govern widget shows cost spend trend as per tag status (tagged or untagged) and the applied filters. The chart viewable within this widget is called Cost Trend By Tag Status.
  • The Budget widget shows the budget details for tenants. The chart viewable within this widget is called Top Budget by Tenant (based on Actual cost).
  • The Cost Impact widget shows the cost impact amount as per cloud accounts. The chart viewable within this widget is called Cost Anomaly Impact By Cloud.

Supported Cost Metrics

To enhance the platform’s ability to assist its users in financial decision-making, and cost management, support for additional cost metrics has been added as part of cost ingestion, as well as appearing in dashboards and Billing Inventory.

The additional cost metrics supported are listed below: