As cloud spending continues to grow, the priorities of FinOps teams are evolving. The 2025 State of FinOps Report highlights a clear shift in focus—not just on cutting costs, but on building smarter, more sustainable financial strategies for the cloud.
So, what’s at the top of the FinOps agenda this year? Let’s break it down.
1. Optimization and Waste Reduction Still Lead the Way
No surprises here—workload optimization and waste reduction remain the top priority for FinOps teams. With cloud budgets under constant scrutiny, businesses are still laser-focused on reducing unnecessary spending without sacrificing performance.
But there’s a shift happening. Optimization is no longer just about finding quick savings—it’s about long-term efficiency. Businesses are looking beyond easy wins and investing in automation, governance, and forecasting to ensure optimization is sustainable.
2. Governance Takes Center Stage
For the first time, governance and policy enforcement at scale have overtaken optimization as the top future priority. Why? Because after years of chasing cost reductions, organizations are realizing that without proper governance, cost savings don’t stick.
Governance isn’t just about setting rules, it’s about creating accountability, automating policy enforcement, and ensuring that cloud investments align with business goals. The most mature teams are shifting their focus toward proactive financial management, not just reactive cost-cutting.
3. Expanding FinOps Beyond the Public Cloud
Managing new scopes of cloud spending is becoming a bigger priority. More organizations are applying FinOps principles to:
- SaaS spend (a growing cost for most businesses)
- Private cloud and data centers
- AI/ML workloads, which saw the biggest jump in FinOps attention this year
This shift means that FinOps isn’t just about understanding public cloud costs anymore—it’s about managing technology spend as a whole. And with AI investments booming, companies need better forecasting and allocation strategies to keep costs in check.
4. Getting the Right Investment and Tooling in Place
One of the most significant trends in this year’s report? A 20% increase in the demand for investment and tooling to support FinOps efforts.
While organizational buy-in is still the biggest factor in driving success, many teams are now saying they need:
- More automation to handle growing workloads
- Upskilling opportunities to keep up with expanding responsibilities
- Better tooling to improve cost visibility and forecasting
As teams take on more responsibility, resourcing and productivity are becoming critical concerns. Organizations that fail to invest in their capabilities risk falling behind.
What’s Next for FinOps?
The FinOps landscape is evolving quickly. While optimization and cost reduction remain key, the shift toward governance, automation, and AI-driven cost management signals a new era of cloud financial operations.
At Surveil, we work alongside FinOps teams to optimize cloud costs, improve governance, and drive long-term efficiency. Whether you’re refining your cloud strategy or scaling your FinOps practice, we can help you get there.