As businesses increasingly adopt cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), managing the associated costs and complexities has become a critical challenge. Aquila Clouds, a company founded 5+ years ago, is tackling these issues head-on with their comprehensive cloud and AI management platform. We had the opportunity to speak with them while at the 60th edition of the IT Press Tour in California.

The Problem with Cloud Complexity

As more businesses embrace the cloud, they often find themselves struggling to maintain visibility and control over their cloud usage and bills. "For the second year in a row, managing cloud spend topped security as the top challenge facing all organizations," shared Desmond Chan, CPO and co-founder of Aquila Clouds, citing a recent industry report.

The statistics paint a sobering picture: organizations are overspending on the cloud, with estimates suggesting that up to 30% of cloud expenses are wasted. Security remains a top concern as well, with data breaches and compliance issues looming large.

The Growing AI Market and Cost Challenges

The AI market is experiencing explosive growth, with Gartner predicting that AI software will reach $297 billion by 2027. However, this rapid expansion comes with its own set of challenges, particularly in terms of cost management.

"More than 90% of CIOs said that managing cost limits their ability to get value from AI for their enterprise, according to a Gartner survey of over 300 CIOs in June and July 2024. In fact, Gartner believes that cost is as big an AI risk as security or hallucinations," said Suchit Kaura, CEO and co-founder of Aquila Clouds.

Just as organizations struggle with cloud overspending, the expenses associated with AI can quickly spiral out of control without proper governance and optimization.

Aquila Clouds' Holistic Solution for Cloud and AI

Aquila Clouds aims to address these challenges through their cloud and AI management platform, which encompasses three key areas: FinOps, BillOps, and AI Management.

FinOps helps organizations gain visibility into cloud usage and costs, optimize resources, and enforce governance policies. BillOps simplifies complex billing for cloud resellers and managed service providers (MSPs), enabling customized pricing and automated invoicing.

But what truly sets Aquila Clouds apart is their focus on AI management. "We're actually elevating the full story to where we're actually doing all of the automation for you, so that your AI workloads run in the cloud, securely, cost effectively, and with a very fast time to market," explained Chan.

The platform provides capabilities for managing the entire AI deployment stack, from infrastructure to applications. This includes cost optimization for AI workloads running on platforms like Databricks and Kubernetes, as well as support for emerging technologies like confidential computing to ensure data security.

Proven Results and Customer Success

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Aquila Clouds' approach has already yielded impressive results for their customers across a number of different industries. An energy company in Europe, for example, achieved 15-20% savings on their cloud spend and gained better visibility into costs across business units and projects.

The platform has also helped customers optimize their usage of AI technologies like Databricks. "Databricks was an early company to engage with us, asking if we could actually capture all those expenses. Because Databricks has a lot of transient VMs," shared Chan.

Typical savings range from 10-20%, with improved forecasting and decision-making as added benefits. Aquila Clouds is also enabling cloud resellers and managed service providers (MSPs) to offer customized pricing and automated billing to their end customers.

By providing granular cost insights and optimization recommendations, Aquila Clouds enables organizations to reap the benefits of AI without breaking the bank.

Partnering for Innovation and Growth

Aquila Clouds' success can be attributed to their technology, their customer-centric approach, and their thriving partner ecosystem. The company has a global presence, with offices in the US, Dubai, and India, and partnerships with major cloud providers and AI platforms.

Looking ahead, Aquila Clouds plans to continue expanding their platform's capabilities and exploring new pricing models. They are also developing a Cloud Advisory tool to help customers compare costs across different cloud providers and make informed decisions about their deployments.

As the convergence of cloud and AI accelerates, Aquila Clouds is well-positioned to help organizations navigate this complex landscape. With their comprehensive platform spanning FinOps, BillOps, and AI Management, they are empowering businesses to optimize costs, ensure security, and drive innovation.

In the words of Kaura, "You can build that knowledge and actually put it into a digital form." With Aquila Clouds, that knowledge is being put into action, transforming the way organizations manage and optimize their cloud and AI investments.