Many organizations assume that launching a FinOps practice requires a fully staffed team, enterprise-grade tooling, and board-level approval. But in reality, some of the most impactful FinOps transformations begin with just one person—one champion with the vision, initiative, and influence to change how their organization thinks about cloud spend.
Whether you’re a cloud engineer, a finance analyst, or an IT leader, you don’t need a massive budget or a team of experts to get started. You just need to take the first steps. This article explores how a single FinOps champion can lay the foundation for a scalable practice that brings transparency, control, and collaboration to cloud financial management—especially in Microsoft-first environments like Azure and Microsoft 365.
Step 1: Understand the Landscape
Before you act, observe. Start by gaining a baseline understanding of how cloud and SaaS costs are currently managed in your organization:
- Who owns the cloud budget(s)?
- How are Azure and Microsoft 365 licenses allocated?
- Is there a cost reporting process?
- Are teams aware of what they’re consuming and spending?
This discovery phase will likely reveal a lack of visibility, inconsistent ownership, and room for optimization. But more importantly, it will help you identify allies—people in finance, procurement, or engineering who are frustrated by the status quo.
Step 2: Collect Data and Build a Cost Baseline
Data is your currency as a FinOps champion. Start by collecting and analyzing basic cost data:
- Use Azure Cost Management + Billing to view subscription-level spend.
- Leverage the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to examine license allocation and utilization.
- Review any available invoices or contracts to understand pricing models.
Even without automation or advanced tooling, these native tools offer powerful insights. Look for trends, spikes, idle resources, unused licenses, and service-level anomalies. A simple spreadsheet can go a long way when paired with the right story.
Step 3: Pick a High-Impact, Low-Complexity Use Case
To demonstrate value early, choose a manageable use case with visible impact. Examples:
- Identify and deallocate unused Microsoft 365 licenses.
- Shut down or right-size idle Azure resources.
- Set up a monthly cost report for a specific business unit.
- Create tags for Azure resources and begin tracking ownership.
The goal here isn’t perfection—it’s momentum. Even a single win can earn you credibility and spark interest across departments.
Step 4: Build Relationships, Not Just Reports
You can’t scale FinOps alone. Use your early efforts as an opportunity to build cross-functional relationships. Meet with engineering leaders to understand provisioning behaviors. Collaborate with finance partners to align reporting timelines. Share dashboards and invite feedback.
Position yourself not as a cost enforcer, but as a partner helping others make smarter, faster decisions with cloud.
Step 5: Establish a FinOps Rhythm
Once you have a few wins under your belt, introduce a regular cadence:
- Weekly or biweekly reviews of Azure and license usage
- Monthly stakeholder meetings to discuss trends and priorities
- Quarterly retrospectives to reflect on progress and adjust direction
These rhythms don’t need to be formal. Even recurring emails or informal working sessions can build continuity. Over time, these practices become the backbone of a scalable FinOps operating model.
Step 6: Document and Share Learnings
Transparency builds trust. Document your findings, decisions, and results—especially early success stories. Did you reclaim $12K in unassigned Microsoft 365 licenses? Did a resource cleanup reduce Azure spend by 18% in a department?
Quantify and communicate the value of your work. Create before-and-after visuals. Publish internal posts or lead team briefings. These narratives not only validate your impact but also attract future collaborators and justify further investment.
Step 7: Make the Case for Scale
Once you’ve demonstrated results and built initial momentum, it’s time to make the case for a formal FinOps function. Use your documented success stories to advocate for:
- A dedicated FinOps role or team
- Investment in tools (e.g., Azure cost optimization platforms)
- Executive sponsorship
- Clear accountability models across business units
If you’ve tied your work to measurable outcomes—like cost savings, improved forecasting, or faster budget cycles—your case will be hard to ignore.
The Microsoft Advantage
Starting with Microsoft environments gives solo FinOps champions a strategic edge. The breadth of native tools in Azure and Microsoft 365 enables early wins without the need for third-party investments:
- Azure Advisor provides right-sizing and reserved instance recommendations.
- Microsoft 365 usage reports highlight unused licenses and feature adoption.
- Cost Management APIs offer rich data access for building custom views.
These tools give you the leverage to begin optimizing, even before you scale.
One FinOps Champion, Big Impact
FinOps doesn’t need to start with a team. It starts with a champion—someone willing to connect the dots, ask the hard questions, and take action. By starting small, focusing on impact, and building relationships, you can lay the foundation for a FinOps practice that grows organically and delivers outsized value.
At Surveil, we support FinOps champions at every stage. Whether you’re just beginning or scaling enterprise-wide, our platform delivers the visibility, automation, and insights needed to drive meaningful change. To learn more, explore how Surveil helps FinOps leaders turn small wins into enterprise transformations.