Should you build your own FinOps tool or buy one?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Peter Crenshaw, Manager of FinOps and M&A at IEM, to unpack one of the biggest questions I hear from FinOps leaders everywhere: when does it make sense to build, and when should you buy?

Peter shared his journey leading FinOps at UKG and IEM, including what he learned from building an in-house FinOps platform and why simplicity, scalability, and resource awareness matter more than any feature list.

We also dove into how FinOps connects with M&A, how to educate teams across finance and engineering, and what it really takes to show ROI — even when your FinOps practice is still maturing.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why most teams should buy FinOps tools instead of building them

• Evaluating FinOps platforms for your size and maturity

• Building FinOps foundations early in the cloud journey

• Connecting FinOps and M&A to uncover savings and integration value

• Showing ROI and business impact with simple, scalable practices

If you’ve ever wondered where to start with FinOps tooling or how to build the right foundations for scale, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons and practical guidance.

🎧 Subscribe for more FinOps leadership conversations → https://www.finopsinaction.com/

Quote of the Show:

• " Don't overspend and don't buy the Rolls Royce when you just need a Toyota Corolla. You don't need all the bells and whistles to get the data you need out for your organization, depending on what your use cases are.” -Peter Crenshaw

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercrenshaw/
• Website: http://www.iemfg.com/

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