About AppsFlyer
AppsFlyer helps brands make good choices for their businesses and their customers with its advanced measurement, data analytics, deep linking, engagement, fraud protection, data clean room, and privacy-preserving technologies. Built on the idea that brands can increase customer privacy while providing exceptional experiences, AppsFlyer empowers thousands of creators and 10,000+ technology partners to create better, more meaningful customer relationships.
AppsFlyer’s FinOps challenge
AppsFlyer’s entire business is built on traffic, with each team collecting huge amounts of data for use in tracking and measuring their customers’ campaigns. The infrastructure is based primarily on AWS with occasional use of other cloud providers. Over the last year, the company has increased its use of Kubernetes, leading to a cost visibility challenge.
“Before Finout, we did everything in-house. As a team of analysts, we did all of the cost visibility and cost allocation on our own. But, once we started using shared Kubernetes clusters at scale, we faced new challenges that required a new solution”
Uri Argov | Cloud FinOps Analyst
The analysts built an internal BI tool that they used to provide cost allocation and other information to developers and managers. The addition of Kubernetes as well as the use of shared clusters, made this task more challenging. The analysts wanted to create a situation in which not only would there be clear cost visibility, but it would also be easily accessible to the developers. Rather than analysts using a closed BI tool to create reports, they wanted developers and other relevant personnel to be able to conduct their own analysis in an easy and straightforward way.
Why Finout?
“As FinOps analysts, We are focused on allowing our engineering teams to make good decisions. We needed the right tool to facilitate this - and Finout gives us the best solution in this regard.”
Uri Argov | Cloud FinOps Analyst
Understanding that making the full switchover from the internal BI tool to an external solution is a process, the AppsFlyer team quickly identified Finout as the best solution for their goals. They wanted the analytical team to be responsible for ensuring that the data gets into the tool correctly so that developers and business managers can access and view it to make actionable decisions.
AppsFlyer’s paramount requirement was that the selected solution seamlessly integrate with their existing organizational framework. Their infrastructure, a blend of teams, groups, and units, often shares Kubernetes clusters. The challenge was finding a tool that could provide granular cost insights for shared resources at the desired specificity.
With Finout, AppsFlyer found an agile FinOps ally. Leveraging their service catalog's in-house logic, Finout’s virtual tagging system maps directly to AppsFlyer’s predefined structures. This automation grants AppsFlyer the agility to precisely identify and assign costs within each Kubernetes cluster and outside of them to the corresponding team, group, or owner.
Furthermore, Finout enriches this process by enabling the identification of resources down to the application layer—be it service or pod—thus offering a clear view of specific cost implications for every internal entity.
This capability ensures that each segment of AppsFlyer’s operations can directly access, analyze, and manage their cloud expenditures without convolution. This strategic alignment with Finout’s cloud observability platform has propelled AppsFlyer towards more efficient and accurate cloud cost management.
In short, Finout’s ability to take complex information, including Kubernetes pod level costs, and present it in a simplified and accurate way made it the obvious and best choice for AppsFlyers’ FinOps solution.
The results of onboarding Finout’s cloud observability platform
In the short period of time that AppsFlyer has been using Finout, the tool’s transformative potential has become evident. Finout is an excellent complement to the AppsFlyer decentralized management philosophy as each team can take ownership of their respective cloud costs, while still providing top-level information to management.
“While our current source of truth for Kubernetes data is still the internal BI tool, our plan is for Finout to evolve into the one definitive source of truth for all data. Although not all of the data has been migrated yet, Finout’s comprehensive features and accessibility have already made it an indispensable tool.”
Uri Argov | Cloud FinOps Analyst
The AppsFlyer team is already leveraging Finout’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive filtering options, and developers are able to look at any service they want and determine the exact costs during a particular time period. This has proven to be time-saving and is also promoting a culture of proactive cost management.
“We’ve already begun identifying areas of waste and unnecessary spending, thanks to Finout. While this is still in the early stages, the impact is tangible. Previously, we weren’t actively looking for wasted spending, but with the help of Finout we are making strides.”
Uri Argov | Cloud FinOps Analyst
Finout and AppsFlyer have developed a collaborative relationship, underscored by the dedication and responsiveness of the Finout team to AppsFlyers’ needs. From full transparency and fast solutions when any bugs or issues arise to a willingness to create unique and personalized solutions when needed, it’s clear that help is always just a phone call away.
“Finout’s commitment to understanding our needs and integrating seamlessly with our internal systems has been exemplary. They’ve set up the virtual tagging system so that it’s updated in near real-time, reflecting changes in resource ownership accurately and timely.”
Uri Argov | Cloud FinOps Analyst
Where vision and necessity meet
AppsFlyers’ adoption of Finout represents a meeting of Finout’s vision to make FinOps an easier and more productive reality, and AppsFlyers needs to provide a viable solution for its team. By providing visibility into accurate cost allocation information, Finout empowers developers to make better, more informed decisions and has become an indispensable part of AppsFlyers’ journey toward efficient cloud cost management.
