On August 20, 2020, the Linux Foundation announced the formation of the FinOps Foundation, an effort to advance cloud financial management through shared practices, education and standards. The announcement named 11 founding members, set out an initial advisory council and introduced partner categories, a free online course and a certification exam. Its membership figures and program details describe the 2020 launch—not the Foundation’s current status.
What is the FinOps Foundation?
The Linux Foundation’s August 20, 2020 announcement described the FinOps Foundation as a community intended to advance cloud financial management through best practices, education and standards. The intention to form it had been announced at Open Source Summit North America in late June; August 20 was the formation announcement. The Linux Foundation’s announcement named these 11 founding members:
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- Apptio
- Cloudeasier
- Cloudsoft
- CloudWize
- Contino
- Kubecost
- Neos
- Opsani
- ProsperOps
- Timspirit
- VMware
The same release reported nearly 2,000 individual practitioner members across the globe and more than 1,200 companies represented. Those are Linux Foundation figures reported in 2020; the release gives no survey method or breakdown, and they should not be read as current membership counts.
How did the announcement define FinOps?
In the release’s framing, FinOps is an operating model for cloud that brings together systems, shared practices and organizational culture so businesses can understand cloud costs and make informed decisions. It is not presented as a finance-only function: technology, business and finance professionals collaborate to connect cloud spending with business choices.
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The announcement emphasized two related mechanisms. First, accountability for spending should sit closer to the people making purchasing decisions. Second, centralized processes can improve purchasing efficiency while helping allocate spend to teams. The aim is to make cloud costs more understandable and actionable across an organization, rather than treating them only as a bill to review after the fact.
Who was named to the initial Technical Advisory Council?
The release described a Technical Advisory Council with vendor-appointed representatives and practitioner seats. It named six initial members:
- Eugene Khvostov, VP of Product & Engineering at Apptio
- Matt Leonard, product management lead for Google Compute Cloud billing
- John McLoughlin, director of product management for CloudHealth by VMware
- Mike Fuller, principal systems engineer for FinOps at Atlassian
- Joseph Daly, director of cloud optimization at Nationwide
- Ashley Hromatko, senior manager of FinOps at Pearson
The release said the council charter called for both appointed and elected members, including end-user practitioners expected to be added in the coming months. This describes the proposed launch-era structure, not present-day governance.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat partner programs and education did the launch include?
The announcement introduced three vetted partner categories. The organizations below are the launch partners named in the 2020 release, not a current endorsement list or confirmation of present partner status.
FinOps Certified Platform
This was described as a pre-qualified tier of technology providers offering software for cloud financial management practices. Launch partners named were Apptio Cloudability, CloudHealth by VMware, CloudWize, Kubecost, Opsani and ProsperOps.
FinOps Certified Service Provider
This category covered a pre-qualified tier of providers offering FinOps support, consulting, professional services and training. The release named Apptio, Cloudeasier, Cloudsoft, Contino, Neos and Timspirit.
FinOps Training Partner
The selected group of vetted training providers named at launch consisted of Apptio, Cloudeasier, Contino and VMware.
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Course and exam
For member education, the release pointed to the free “Introduction to FinOps” course on edX, which had launched that summer, and the FinOps Certified Practitioner Exam. The announcement establishes that these were part of the launch-era education offer; it does not establish whether the course or exam is available today.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2020 announcement does—and does not—tell readers
The release documents the Foundation’s stated purpose, its launch-era membership and governance plans, the partner categories and education resources introduced in August 2020. It does not verify current membership, governance, partner status, course or exam availability, or vendors’ present-day offerings. Readers assessing a provider or training option today should check current information from the Foundation and the provider rather than treating the 2020 launch list as a recommendation.
J.R. Storment, then executive director of the FinOps Foundation, said: “With demand for new collaboration to support cloud procurement between IT and finance teams, the FinOps community is growing fast,” He also said: “We have the infrastructure and governance in place to support this acceleration and provide best-in-class training and education opportunities to grow this discipline.” Chris Aniszczyk, CTO of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, said: “CNCF looks forward to collaborating with the FinOps Foundation to improve cloud financial management for all.” These statements reflect the organizations’ launch-era expectations.
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