Executive Summary
Large organizations often establish strong FinOps practices within dedicated teams but struggle to extend those practices across engineering and technology organizations. As cloud environments become more complex, sustainable cloud financial management depends on broad participation—not just specialized expertise.
To scale FinOps adoption across its technology organization, Inter partnered with Pier Cloud to launch a 120-day adoption program that combined practical learning, real-world challenges, and continuous engagement. Rather than relying solely on traditional training, the initiative encouraged teams to apply FinOps principles in their daily work, helping transform cloud financial management into a shared organizational practice.
Highlights
- More than 150 technology professionals participated throughout the program.
- 91% of participants rated the initiative as Good or Excellent.
- Professionals from across the technology organization actively participated.
- FinOps dashboards became part of day-to-day operational routines.
- Pier Cloud became a trusted source of cloud financial insights supporting ongoing optimization initiatives.
Customer overview
Inter is a digital financial services company serving more than 39 million customers (2H 2025) through an integrated platform that brings together banking, investing, lending, insurance, and digital commerce.
As the company continues to expand its digital ecosystem, cloud infrastructure plays a critical role in supporting scalability, operational efficiency, and customer experience.
To support this evolution, Inter established FinOps as a key operational discipline, bringing together engineering, technology leadership, and governance teams to improve cloud financial management and strengthen financial accountability across the organization.
The Challenge
Building a successful FinOps practice is only the beginning. The greater challenge is expanding that practice beyond a dedicated FinOps team and embedding it into everyday decision-making across a technology organization.
After successfully implementing Pier Cloud and establishing foundational FinOps processes, Inter reached a new stage in its cloud financial management journey. The organization wanted to extend FinOps knowledge, accountability, and best practices beyond its core FinOps practitioners, making cloud cost awareness a shared responsibility across technology teams.
The initiative was designed around three strategic objectives:
- Expand FinOps adoption across the technology organization.
- Encourage continuous engagement with FinOps practices in day-to-day operations.
- Create a scalable and inclusive learning experience that could engage professionals at every organizational level.
Rather than relying exclusively on documentation or traditional training sessions, Inter sought an approach that would encourage active participation, reinforce practical learning, and sustain engagement over time.
Technology alone does not create a FinOps culture. Dashboards provide visibility, policies establish governance, and reports identify optimization opportunities—but lasting change happens when cloud financial management becomes part of the everyday decisions made by engineering teams, technology leaders, and business stakeholders.
Inter recognized that expanding FinOps adoption would require an initiative capable of transforming learning into participation—and participation into long-term operational habits.
The approach
To accelerate FinOps adoption across its technology organization, Inter partnered with Pier Cloud to design a structured engagement program that combined education, real-world application, and continuous participation.
Rather than delivering traditional training sessions, the initiative transformed FinOps learning into an ongoing operational experience. Every activity was designed to encourage participants to apply FinOps principles using their own cloud environment, reinforcing behaviors that could continue long after the program ended.
Over a period of 120 days, participants completed practical challenges based on real cloud data, attended live learning sessions, collaborated with peers, and tracked their progress through recurring performance rankings.
The objective was simple: make cloud financial management part of everyday work instead of an occasional initiative.
Program structure
TThe program combined education, practical execution, and continuous engagement through a structured framework that included:
- More than 12 hours of live workshops and webinars covering FinOps concepts and best practices.
- Practical technical challenges based on real cloud environments and day-to-day operational scenarios.
- Performance scoring based on participation, dashboard creation, platform adoption, and execution of FinOps best practices.
- Biweekly rankings designed to maintain engagement throughout the four-month initiative.
- Recognition and awards for the highest-performing participants, including special prizes for the top three.
Participation was open to professionals across the technology organization, regardless of role or seniority. Interns, engineers, managers, and directors all contributed to the same initiative, reinforcing the idea that effective cloud financial management depends on shared accountability rather than individual ownership.
The program leveraged Pier Cloud Lighthouse to provide cloud visibility, dashboards, and chargeback capabilities, while Cloud Compliance Analyzer (CCA) supported governance and automated optimization recommendations. Every challenge was based on real operational data, allowing participants to connect FinOps concepts directly to their daily responsibilities.
Successful FinOps programs depend on more than visibility into cloud spending. They require consistent participation from the people making technology decisions every day.
By combining education, hands-on experience, and healthy competition, Inter created an environment where FinOps became part of everyday conversations rather than a periodic governance exercise.
Business impact
Over four months, the initiative successfully expanded FinOps participation beyond dedicated practitioners and into day-to-day technology operations. The measurable outcomes reflected both strong engagement and lasting adoption.
Pier Cloud became a trusted source of cloud financial insights supporting ongoing optimization initiatives.
More than 150 technology professionals actively participated throughout the initiative.
91% of participants rated the program as Good or Excellent.
Professionals from across the technology organization actively engaged throughout the program.
FinOps dashboards became part of daily operational routines.
Customer feedback
“This initiative is great because it strengthens the partnership, increases platform usage, and drives real value for Inter.”
Christian Pinheiro – Executive Manager of Governance and Automation
“FinOps is a strategic priority at Inter. This program demonstrates how a structured approach combined with creativity can drive meaningful organizational change.”
Carlos Pedrosa – Director of IT Services
Key takeaways
Inter’s experience reinforces several principles that organizations can apply when scaling FinOps adoption:
- Engagement drives adoption. Structured participation encourages teams to integrate FinOps into everyday decision-making.
- Culture cannot be mandated. Involving professionals across different roles helps establish shared ownership of cloud financial management.
- Technology enables—but people create change. Combining cloud visibility with practical learning accelerates FinOps maturity.
- Leadership participation matters. Active involvement from managers and directors reinforces organizational commitment.
- Consistency sustains momentum. Regular challenges, ongoing education, and continuous feedback keep engagement high over time.
Beyond the program
Creating a successful FinOps practice requires more than technology. It requires continuous engagement, shared accountability, and an environment where cloud financial management becomes part of everyday decision-making.
Inter’s 120-day adoption program demonstrates how organizations can strengthen FinOps culture by combining education, practical experience, and executive engagement. Today, FinOps continues to support cloud financial decision-making across the technology organization, helping teams improve financial accountability while sustaining operational efficiency at scale.
