AI Strategy and Cloud Cost Control for a SaaS Scale-Up

The Challenge

A growing B2B SaaS company was burning cash on Azure infrastructure while debating a major AI investment.
The board lacked visibility on spend, governance, and risk — and confidence in their next move.

Leadership needed clarity on:

• Where cloud costs were spiraling and why
• Whether AI investment was strategic or just hype
• How to govern technology decisions without slowing delivery
• Risk management for data protection in AI experiments

The Approach

Richard joined as Fractional CTO, embedded directly with the leadership team.

FinOps and Cost Control

He implemented FinOps guardrails, introduced cost dashboards linked to revenue metrics, and set up lightweight architecture governance. This provided real-time visibility into spending patterns and enabled data-driven decisions about infrastructure investment.

AI Strategy and Governance

On AI, he developed a responsible innovation framework balancing data protection with experimentation and coached the board on practical, ethical AI use cases. The framework included:

• Risk assessment for AI projects
• Data governance policies
• Evaluation criteria for AI investments
• Experimentation guidelines with safeguards

Architecture Governance

Lightweight governance processes were established to ensure technical decisions aligned with business objectives while maintaining development velocity.

The Results

Cost Optimization:

• 28% reduction in monthly Azure spend
• Cost visibility linked directly to revenue metrics
• Predictable infrastructure scaling

Strategic Clarity:

• Board-ready AI roadmap with prioritized use cases
• Clear governance framework for innovation
• Risk mitigation strategies in place

Organizational Impact:

• Improved communication between technical and business teams
• Faster, more confident technology decisions
• Established foundation for sustainable growth

Technologies & Approaches

• Cloud Platform: Microsoft Azure
• FinOps: Cost dashboards, tagging strategies, resource optimization
• AI/ML: Responsible AI framework, ethical AI principles
• Governance: Lightweight architecture decision records (ADRs)
• Stakeholder Management: Board-level reporting and coaching

Client Testimonial

"Richard brought clarity to our cloud spend chaos and helped us think strategically about AI investment. The cost savings alone paid for the engagement multiple times over, but the strategic guidance was invaluable."

— Leadership Team, Confidential SaaS Company