Deana Solis, 2022 FinOps Foundation Evangelist of the Year, joins Corey Quinn to discuss her winding career path from electrical engineering to healthcare IT to FinOps. She shares why certifications are "largely performative," warns that AI can turn your AWS bill into "a telephone number," and explains why NAT Gateway costs hit everyone from hobbyists to enterprises. The episode covers cloud repatriation conspiracy theories, translating between engineering and finance teams, and why good FinOps work is really just getting humans in a room to talk.
Show Highlights:
(02:36) FinOps Foundation
(03:15) FinOps as Marriage Counseling Between Engineering and Finance
(06:00) Deana’s Journey From Electrical Engineering to FinOps
(12:41) The Performative Nature of Certifications
(16:22) AI as Both a Threat and Tool in FinOps
(20:41) Why AI Is Flooding the Job Market with Noise
(25:09) Why FinOps Is Never Boring Despite Sounding Like It
(29:10) The NAT Gateway Problem
(33:09) The Generational Divide in Cloud Platform Preferences
(37:23) Stay In Contact With Deana Solis
About Deana Solis:
Deana Solis is a senior FinOps engineer with more than 20 years of infrastructure management experience. Recognized as the FinOps Evangelist of the Year by the FinOps Foundation in 2022, she has become a leading voice in driving cloud financial accountability and culture.
Beyond her technical expertise, Deana is passionate about humanizing technology. She serves as a FinOps Foundation ambassador and mentor, using her voice to elevate Women in FinOps and underrepresented folks in technology.
Her unique journey, from electrical engineering to liberal studies to FinOps, embodies both analytical rigor and emotional intelligence. Deana isn’t just shaping the way organizations think about cloud costs; she’s helping reshape the culture of technology itself.
Sponsor: https://www.wiz.io/
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