Cloud Cost Optimization: In Conversation with Deepak Mittal, CEO of CloudKeeper

As more organizations rely on the cloud for their operations, managing cloud costs becomes increasingly important. Efficient cloud cost optimization helps reduce expenses and improve operational efficiency, freeing up IT budgets for strategic projects rather than maintenance and basic operation costs.

Moreover, companies that manage their cloud expenses well can invest more in innovation and customer experience, positioning themselves ahead in their respective markets. All in all, cloud cost optimization translates into a competitive advantage. However, this practice involves understanding the cost implications of cloud resources, then finding and implementing strategies to reduce unnecessary expenses without impacting the system’s performance.

In this context, we spoke with Mr. Deepak Mittal, CEO of CloudKeeper. In this conversation, Mr Mittal breaks down the key issues enterprises face in cloud cost management and how to overcome them. He highlights how CloudKeeper offers end-to-end cloud support, from consulting and implementation to continuous management and improvement.

Likewise, he also gives a clear view of where the future is headed and what leaders can expect in the coming years.

Q. Congratulations on your role as the Founder & CEO of CloudKeeper! What excites you most about this role in the company? And what is your vision for the future?

Mittal: Thank you!

What excites me the most is the sheer scope of impact CloudKeeper can have on global businesses.

Cloud computing is now the backbone of digital transformation across industries, and yet, every year, we see billions of dollars in unused or inefficiently used resources. CloudKeeper began as a cost optimization service within To The New, and its rapid success proved that this challenge was both real and solvable.

Today, we are an independent entity with $200M in annual revenue and 50% YoY growth, working with 400+ global clients. Our journey has only just begun. The vision ahead is to redefine how businesses perceive and manage cloud costs — with intelligence, automation, and flexibility. We’re investing deeply in next-gen solutions like Gen AI and Kubernetes optimization to stay ahead of the curve. With this momentum, we aim to triple our revenues by FY27 and further solidify our position as a global leader in cloud cost optimization.

Q. You have extensive experience in the tech domain. How has your expertise prepared you for this role?

Mittal: I’ve spent over two decades in the tech industry, starting with engineering roles and gradually moving into building and scaling technology businesses. My journey from early roles at Sapient and BayPackets to co-founding TO THE NEW, and now leading CloudKeeper, has given me both the technical depth and business acumen required to solve complex challenges in the cloud space.

At CloudKeeper, we blend technical innovation with financial discipline — something I’ve come to value deeply over the years. My role as Co-Chair of the NASSCOM Regional Council in Noida has also been incredibly insightful. It keeps me closely connected with the challenges and aspirations of enterprises across sectors, especially when it comes to cloud adoption and optimization. Being on the Governing Board of the FinOps Foundation  also allowed me to collaborate with global leaders in this space and stay aligned with the direction the industry is headed.

This constant dialogue with industry peers ensures that our offerings remain relevant, practical, and future-focused.

Q. According to you, what are the best practices for Cloud Cost Optimization?

Mittal: Cloud cost optimization is a vast and evolving discipline, but at its core, it starts with visibility. You can’t optimize what you can’t see. So, gaining granular insight into your cloud usage and billing is the foundation.

Once visibility is achieved, the next steps are fairly strategic – moving from reactive cost savings to proactive cloud financial planning, which involves embedding cost-efficiency into architecture and operations from the ground up. Smarter architectural choices, workload placement, long-term commitment planning, and automation are no longer optional – they’re foundational to sustaining optimization at scale.

But beyond the technical levers, one of the most overlooked yet critical aspects is building a strong FinOps culture. Cost optimization isn’t just a finance problem or an engineering task — it’s a shared responsibility. It requires tight alignment between engineering, finance, and leadership. When all three speak the same language around cloud value, the real transformation begins.

Q. What is the impact of under-utilization on cloud costs, and how can it be addressed?

Mittal: If we’re referring to scenarios where resources are provisioned but not fully utilized, then yes, that’s one of the most pervasive and costly inefficiencies in cloud environments.

Under-utilization leads to increased costs, as organizations pay for idle or oversized resources that don’t contribute proportional value. This directly impacts the ROI of cloud investments, since you’re not truly leveraging the potential of what you’ve paid for.

This typically results from over-provisioning – either due to unclear workload patterns or a cautious approach that leads teams to allocate more than necessary. In many cases, lack of visibility into real-time usage, or poor application optimization, means teams don’t even realize how much is going to waste.

The consequences aren’t just financial. Inefficient resource allocation affects overall system performance and operational agility. When resources aren’t optimized, teams may unknowingly leave workloads running at higher specs than needed or duplicate efforts without realizing existing capacity could be reused. Over time, this leads to bloated infrastructure, misaligned forecasts, and fragmented cloud governance.

Though often overlooked in the beginning, under-utilization steadily builds up, resulting in meaningful cost and resource inefficiencies.

Q. What are some challenges associated with cloud cost optimization, and how can you overcome them?

Mittal: Cloud cost optimization challenges can range from basic overprovisioning to managing complexities in multi-cloud architectures. Each cloud provider comes with its own pricing models and services, making it difficult for enterprises to adopt a unified cost strategy. This often results in fragmented visibility, inefficiencies, and overspending.

Keeping up with constantly changing pricing models is another hurdle. Without real-time visibility, organizations risk falling behind and incurring unnecessary costs. Similarly, managing Reserved Instances (RIs) effectively is tough. Misjudging future demand can lead to overcommitment or underutilization, negating potential savings.

A lack of accountability and cost visibility across teams further compounds the issue. Without a culture where teams collaborate on cloud spending, optimization becomes an afterthought. Unexpected cost spikes, compliance risks, and skill gaps in cloud teams only add to the complexity.

Overcoming these challenges requires more than just tools – it needs a strong FinOps culture, automation, and continuous education. Real-time visibility, strategic RI management, and proactive governance are critical. Combining technology with expert guidance and cross-functional alignment creates the foundation for lasting, impactful optimization.

Q.  How can you balance cost optimization with maintaining high availability and performance?

Mittal: That balance is central to every cloud optimization strategy. The truth is, when done right, cost optimization should never come at the expense of performance or availability. In fact, the very best practices mentioned before – like rightsizing, auto-scaling, and reserved instance planning – are designed to enhance efficiency while maintaining (or even improving) performance outcomes.

For example, auto-scaling enables dynamic resource allocation based on demand, ensuring peak performance during high-traffic periods and cost savings during lulls. Similarly, rightsizing ensures you’re not over-provisioning resources that sit idle, while still meeting workload needs.

Architectural choices also matter. Serverless functions help eliminate idle compute costs for non-critical processes, and spot instances can deliver savings for flexible workloads. Meanwhile, elastic and cross-zone load balancing enhances both availability and resiliency.

It’s also crucial to maintain continuous monitoring and run regular audits. Tagging resources for cost allocation and setting automated alerts for performance anomalies help teams stay proactive.

Ultimately, it’s about engineering smarter – not cutting corners. At CloudKeeper, we help businesses implement these practices, ensuring their cloud is always cost-effective and high-performing.

Q.  What tools and technologies do you use to manage Cloud infrastructure?

Mittal: At CloudKeeper, we bring a comprehensive suite of solutions that span cost visibility, usage optimization, rate optimization, as well as CloudOps and 24×7 personalized support. Our approach is designed to simplify cloud management while maximizing efficiency and savings.

We offer tailored solutions for diverse customer needs:

• CloudKeeper AZ enables guaranteed bill reduction by unlocking volume pricing and managing RIs & SPs without long-term commitments.
  
  
• CloudKeeper Auto uses AI to automate Reserved Instances and Savings Plans, delivering on-demand flexibility with RI pricing and even buy-back guarantees.
  
  
• CloudKeeper EDP+ helps customers get the most out of their AWS EDP with added discounts, reduced annual commitments, and lowered AWS support costs.
  
  
• CloudKeeper Lens offers deep cloud cost visibility and actionable insights to track and optimize usage.
  
  
• CloudKeeper Tuner is an industry-first usage optimization solution that automatically optimizes 50+ AWS services to improve workload performance while lowering costs.
  
  

Beyond tools, we offer end-to-end cloud support, from consulting and implementation to continuous management and improvement, all delivered by a team of experienced cloud professionals.

Q. How do you ensure security and compliance in a Cloud infrastructure?

Mittal: Ensuring cloud security and compliance starts with a few universal best practices. These include setting up a robust cloud governance framework, enforcing strict IAM (Identity and Access Management) controls, encrypting data in transit and at rest, regularly auditing resources, and staying updated with the latest compliance standards like ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2. It’s also essential to implement real-time monitoring, incident response plans, and clear documentation for audits and risk assessments.

At CloudKeeper, we follow these principles rigorously. We never access any customer data—our solutions require only minimal IAM access strictly for optimization purposes. As part of our consulting and support, we conduct detailed Cloud Security Assessments and help clients build governance frameworks tailored to their business and regulatory needs.

We also support compliance efforts by helping implement secure architectures, monitoring systems, and offering reporting mechanisms aligned with SOC 2 and ISO standards.

Q. What are some key considerations for choosing a cloud provider?

Mittal: While major cloud providers offer a comparable range of services, the right choice often depends on your organization’s specific needs. It’s important to evaluate providers across a few key dimensions:

• Reliability & Performance – Uptime commitments, SLAs, and disaster recovery capabilities play a crucial role.
• Security – Look for providers with strong encryption, access controls, and compliance with international standards.
• Scalability – Ensure the provider can support your future growth without disruption.
• Pricing – Understand their pricing model beyond base rates—especially egress charges, storage costs, and scaling impacts.
• Support & Expertise – Consider the availability and responsiveness of their technical support, and their experience in your industry.
• Integration & Ecosystem – Compatibility with your current architecture and services matters.
• Alignment with Emerging Tech – Choose providers that are cohesive with future-ready technologies like GenAI, Kubernetes, and serverless architectures to future-proof your infrastructure.
• Compliance & Data Residency – Check for global data center presence and adherence to regulatory standards.
• Flexibility – Assess how easy it is to migrate or switch later, to avoid vendor lock-in.

Q. In your opinion, how do you envision the future of cloud computing?

Mittal: We’re seeing AI and machine learning gaining prominence. Platforms like AWS are now embedding Gen AI into their core services, not just for app development, but also for smarter cloud management. For example, AWS recently introduced AI-powered cost optimization features that analyze workloads and recommend savings in real time. That’s a game-changer for FinOps teams!

Edge computing will also explode, thanks to the rise of IoT. Processing data closer to its source means faster decisions and less latency – something industries like manufacturing and healthcare are already benefiting from.

We’re also moving toward a hybrid and multi-cloud future, where businesses combine the best of multiple providers to boost resilience and flexibility – without being locked into one vendor.

Security is becoming more automated and proactive, with AI-driven threat detection and faster incident response. At the same time, sustainability is finally becoming a priority with providers investing in green data centers and carbon-aware computing.

In the near future, we’ll see a rise in industry-specific cloud solutions, wider adoption of serverless architectures, and might even have quantum-intergated cloud computing resources.

Cloud will be smarter, greener, and more tailored—and businesses that embrace this shift early will lead the way.

Q. Any advice you would like to give future tech leaders?

Mittal: Absolutely. One key piece of advice I’d offer is – always stay grounded in customer value. Technology will keep evolving, but the fundamental goal remains the same: solving real problems for real people.

Stay curious. The cloud, AI, quantum computing – they’re not just trends. And the best leaders are the ones who don’t just chase hype but understand how to harness these technologies meaningfully. Be open to experimentation but marry it with discipline, especially when it comes to cost, security, and sustainability.

Also, never underestimate the power of building strong, cross-functional teams. The most impactful innovations are never built in silos. Cultivate a culture where engineers, product leaders, and business teams speak the same language and that language should be outcomes.

And finally, invest in continuous learning for yourself and your teams. The pace of change in tech isn’t slowing down, and the leaders who thrive will be those who learn, unlearn, and relearn faster than the world changes.