FinOps Automation on AWS with Gen AI: ACKstorm Case

1. About the company: ACKstorm

ACKstorm is a technology consulting company specialized in cloud-native solutions, with more than two decades of experience in digital platforms and cloud infrastructure. The company focuses on:

• Designing, implementing, and managing cloud platforms 24×7, ensuring performance, security, and scalability.

• Acting as a Premier Partner of Google Cloud and an AWS Managed Service Provider, with strong technical certifications and market recognition.

• Delivering FinOps consulting, cloud governance, observability, and infrastructure modernization services to customers seeking cost efficiency and digital transformation.

ACKstorm supports multiple customers with complex, multi-account cloud environments and plays a strategic role in optimizing cloud usage and costs.

2. Desafíos

While managing multiple customers on AWS, ACKstorm faced a recurring challenge related to cost visibility and operational risk, specifically around Amazon RDS extended support.

AWS charges extended support fees for database engines running older versions. To avoid these additional costs, instances must be migrated to newer, supported versions, which also improves architectural modernization.

However, ACKstorm faced several issues:

• Lack of a centralized and automated view of all Amazon RDS instances running under extended support across multiple customer accounts.
• Difficulty identifying when extended support would apply or expire, often discovering the issue only after costs had already been incurred.
• A manual and reactive process, requiring account-by-account analysis, which was time-consuming and inefficient.

This limited ACKstorm’s ability to apply a proactive and strategic FinOps methodology.

3. The solution

To address this challenge, PierCloud implemented an automated, AI-powered solution

3.1 Cloud Compliance Analyzer (CCA)

• A custom compliance and cost-optimization rule was created to automatically identify Amazon RDS instances with extended support enabled.
• The rule consolidates data across all customer accounts, providing a single, unified view.

3.2 Lighthouse Intelligent Analyst (LIA)

• Artificial Intelligence was directly used in the creation of the rule.
• Through a natural language prompt, the AI was instructed to:
  • Identify all RDS instances running with extended support
  • Calculate the associated costs
  • Consolidate the results across all customers and accounts
• The AI generated the full code and logic for the rule, significantly accelerating development.

As a result, ACKstorm gained an automated rule inside the CCA, along with a ready-to-use report available directly within the PierCloud platform.

4. Results Achieved 

The solution delivered significant operational and strategic benefits for ACKstorm.

Eficiencia Operativa

Precise identification of snapshots eligible for deletion

• Elimination of manual, account-by-account analysis.

• Centralized visibility across all customers and AWS accounts.

• Teams focused on decision-making instead of data collection

Strategic FinOps Enablement

• Clear visibility into current extended support costs.
• Ability to estimate potential savings after database migration.
• Proactive action before costs occur, rather than reactive remediation.

Improved Customer Experience

• Customers received faster, more accurate insights.
• ACKstorm was able to proactively recommend modernization and migration initiatives, strengthening its advisory role.

Practial Use of Artificial Intelligence 

• AI dramatically reduced time-to-delivery for the new rule.
• Demonstrated how AI can be embedded directly into FinOps and compliance workflows.

5. Lessons Learned

Proactivity is critical in FinOps: Some customers had already incurred extended support costs before the rule was: implemented. Earlier identification could have prevented unnecessary expenses.

Deep knowledge of cloud provider billing rules enables faster value creation: Understanding AWS pricing mechanics allows FinOps teams to quickly translate risks into automated rules.

AI is not just a future concept — it is a practical accelerator: By embedding AI into the PierCloud platform, ACKstorm was able to rapidly deliver scalable, high-impact FinOps solutions.

Final Message

With PierCloud, ACKstorm transitioned from a reactive cost-management approach to a proactive, AI-driven FinOps strategy, improving operational efficiency, reducing cloud costs, and delivering greater value to its customers.