Choosing the right cloud partner is an important decision for any business, as it impacts everything from daily operations to long-term growth. A reliable cloud provider offers the tools, support, and security necessary to streamline processes, reduce costs, and scale effectively. However, selecting the wrong partner can lead to serious consequences, such as limited scalability, security vulnerabilities, and operational inefficiencies. 

These issues can not only disrupt business performance but also compromise customer trust and financial stability. Therefore, making an informed choice when selecting a cloud partner is essential for ensuring a smooth and secure path forward for your business.

When Should You Choose a Cloud Partner?

There are certain moments when it’s especially important to choose a cloud partner and a FinOps tool:

• New Initiatives: When you’re starting a new project or business initiative, selecting the right cloud partner can help set the foundation for success.
• Re-architecture: If you’re redesigning your infrastructure or applications, it’s a good time to evaluate new cloud partners and tools that can support these changes.
• Cost Overruns: If you’re spending more than expected on cloud services, it may be time to bring in a cloud partner and FinOps tools to better manage costs.
• Cloud-native Pivots: If you’re shifting to a cloud-first or cloud-native approach, selecting the right cloud partner is key for smooth adoption.
• Cost Overruns: If you’re spending more than expected on cloud services, it may be time to bring in a cloud partner and FinOps tools like Ternary, which specializes in cloud cost optimization, to better manage costs.

Why FinOps Should Be Included Early in Your Cloud Strategy

FinOps software, which stands for Financial Operations, should be part of your cloud strategy from the start. It helps you manage cloud spending, track costs, and make data-driven decisions. By including FinOps early, you can avoid unexpected costs, optimize resource usage, and ensure that your cloud investment aligns with your business goals. This proactive approach helps prevent financial issues down the road and keeps your cloud strategy efficient and cost-effective.

Key Criteria for Choosing a Cloud Service Provider

When choosing a cloud service provider, it’s important to compare your options based on specific categories. These key criteria will help you make a smart decision that supports your business goals, budget, and technical needs.

1. Certifications & Industry Standards

Look for cloud providers that meet well-known security and compliance standards like ISO, SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR. These certifications show that the provider follows strict rules to keep your data safe and private.

2. Technologies & Service Roadmap

Make sure the cloud provider’s technology works well with your existing systems. Also, check if their future plans (or roadmap) match your own goals for innovation.

If you plan to use AI/ML, serverless, or containers (like Docker or Kubernetes), your provider should support those technologies.

3. Data Governance, Management, and Security

Security is key. Choose providers that offer strong encryption, access controls, and easy-to-manage security policies.

FinOps tools like Ternary help track cloud spending while ensuring your security and data protection policies are followed. This gives you better control over both costs and data safety.

4. Service Dependencies & Partnerships

Understand how many third-party services or subcontractors your provider relies on. Also, check if you’re at risk of vendor lock-in, which makes it hard or expensive to switch providers later.

Look at their support for APIs and integrations with other tools you already use.

5. Contracts, SLAs, and Commercial Models

Understand the provider’s pricing options, such as on-demand, reserved instances, or spot pricing. Each comes with different benefits and cost risks.

Check their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for guarantees on uptime, support response times, and compliance.

6. Performance, Reliability & Disaster Recovery

Check the provider’s latency benchmarks and whether they have data centers in the regions you serve.

Also, review their disaster recovery (DR) plans, how often they back up data, and their recovery time goals (RTO/RPO).

7. Support, Administration & Migration Assistance

Good support is essential. Look for providers that offer clear onboarding, helpful training, and complete documentation.

Ask about migration tools or professional services to help move your existing systems to the cloud.

Easy-to-use admin dashboards make day-to-day management simple for your team.

8. Reputation & Market Presence

A strong reputation gives you confidence. Check customer case studies, peer reviews, and trusted analyst reports like the Gartner Magic Quadrant or Forrester Wave.

These sources show how the provider performs in real-world situations and how they’re ranked in the industry.

Best Multi-Cloud FinOps Tools to Use with Your Cloud Partner

Managing cloud costs across multiple platforms can get complicated without the right partner and tools. Multi-cloud FinOps tools help businesses stay in control of their spending while working with diverse cloud service providers.

FinOps Tool	Supported Cloud Platforms	Key Features	Strengths	Ideal For
Ternary	GCP, AWS, Azure	Cost allocation, chargeback, anomaly detection, real-time insights, team collaboration	Strong GCP support, modern UI, easy setup, real-time tracking	Startups to enterprises using multi-cloud, especially GCP-heavy
CloudHealth (by VMware)	AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle	Policy management, governance, budget tracking, forecasting	Mature platform, strong reporting & automation	Large enterprises with complex governance needs
Cloudability (Apptio)	AWS, Azure, GCP	Rightsizing, budgeting, forecasting, reporting	Deep financial integrations, strong enterprise use	Financial teams in mid to large enterprises
Harness Cloud Cost Management	AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes	Cost optimization, recommendations, Kubernetes visibility	Strong DevOps integration, CI/CD + FinOps	Engineering-led teams and DevOps organizations
Spot by NetApp	AWS, Azure, GCP	Automated cost optimization, workload scheduling, reserved instance management	Great for infrastructure automation, dynamic optimization	Cloud-native businesses optimizing workloads
Kubecost	Kubernetes on AWS, GCP, Azure	Cost visibility, chargeback, budgeting, real-time alerts	Native K8s integration, open source available	Kubernetes-heavy teams wanting detailed insights
nOps	AWS-focused	Cost optimization, compliance, change management, automation	Certified AWS partner, great for Well-Architected Framework	Teams running primarily on AWS

Ternary: A Leading FinOps Tool for Multi-Cloud Environments

Ternary is a powerful and easy-to-use FinOps tool designed to help businesses manage cloud costs across multiple platforms. It stands out in the market for its strong focus on visibility, control, and collaboration in cloud financial operations. 

Ternary supports major cloud providers like Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure,  making it a best choice for companies using a multi-cloud strategy.

Some of Ternary’s top features include chargeback (so teams only pay for what they use), detailed cost allocation (to track spending across departments), and smart anomaly detection (to catch unusual spikes in usage or cost). 

Compared to other tools like CloudHealth, Cloudability, and Harness, Ternary is known for its modern interface, deeper GCP integration, faster setup, and real-time data insights, making it a top pick for teams that want simple yet powerful cloud cost management.

How Cloud Providers and FinOps Tools Support Each Other

To get the most out of the cloud, you need more than just a strong provider, you also need smart tools to manage costs. Cloud partners focus on delivering performance, scalability, and reliability. FinOps tools, like Ternary, give you visibility into how much you’re spending and where your money is going.

Together, they create a powerful balance:

• The cloud provider runs your apps smoothly.
• The FinOps tool keeps your budget on track.

Example of integration:

Ternary connects directly with platforms like Google Cloud (GCP) and AWS to track usage, find unusual spikes, and allocate costs by team or project, all in real-time.

With this combination, engineering, finance, and operations teams can all use shared metrics like usage trends, cost per product, and budget forecasts to stay aligned. This teamwork ensures your cloud setup performs well and stays cost-efficient.

FAQs

What factors should I consider when choosing a cloud partner for my business?

Key factors include certifications, technology compatibility, data security, support, pricing models, and the provider’s performance and reliability.

Why is FinOps important in cloud strategy?

FinOps helps manage cloud spending, optimize resources, and ensure that cloud investments align with business goals, preventing unexpected costs.

How can a cloud partner help manage service dependencies and vendor lock-in?

A good cloud partner will minimize dependencies on third-party services, provide flexible APIs, and help avoid vendor lock-in, offering easier migration options and integration with other tools.

What are some top FinOps tools for managing multi-cloud environments?

Top tools include Ternary, CloudHealth, Cloudability, Harness, and Spot by NetApp, each offering unique features to manage multi-cloud costs efficiently.

How do cloud providers and FinOps tools work together?

Cloud providers ensure performance and scalability, while FinOps tools like Ternary track usage and optimize costs, providing visibility for better financial decision-making.