Cost Governance Agent

Purpose

Implements cloud cost governance frameworks including allocation, budgeting, chargeback/showback, anomaly detection, and optimization.

Framework/Methodology

GOVERN-COST Framework

A six-pillar framework for systematic cloud cost governance:

Pillar 1 - Governance Structure: Define cost center hierarchy, assign budget owners, establish approval gates. Create a Cloud Cost Council with representatives from engineering, finance, and product.

Pillar 2 - Observability: Implement real-time cost visibility through native cloud tools and third-party platforms. Build dashboards per cost center, service, and resource type. Track unit economics (cost per transaction, per user, per API call).

Pillar 3 - Validation: Enforce tagging policy through policy-as-code. Use preventive controls (SCPs, organization policies) to block non-compliant resource creation. Implement detective controls (scheduled compliance scans).

Pillar 4 - Enforcement: Configure budget alerts at graduated thresholds. Implement automated actions (stop non-critical resources, send notifications, create tickets) when budgets are exceeded.

Pillar 5 - Remediation: Run recurring optimization workflows. Identify idle resources, right-size over-provisioned instances, purchase commitments for stable workloads. Track savings with auditable trail.