The cloud lets a team start a server in minutes, with no purchase order. That freedom is the point, and it is also why bills can drift.
Name an owner for everything
Tag each resource with a team and a purpose. When nobody owns something, nobody turns it off.
Look monthly, as a team
A short monthly review with engineering and finance in the same room finds most of the waste. Look for idle resources, oversized machines and data moving between regions.
Make cost part of design
Ask what a feature will cost to run while you design it. It is a cheaper conversation before launch than after.
