The rapid digitisation of things has led organisations to use both cloud services (like Microsoft Azure) and ERP systems (like ) to run their businesses. But many struggle when it comes to managing costs effectively across these platforms. Enter FinOps cost management, a strategy that brings cloud and ERP spending together, all within one unified view.
Did you know that businesses often waste 30% of their cloud costs due to unused or underused resources? And ERP systems can have similar hidden inefficiencies. With Azure cost tracking and ERP cost management, finance teams can gain control, lower waste, and improve visibility, especially when using Dynamics 365 Finance dashboards.
In this blog, we’ll explore how embedded analytics in Dynamics 365 Finance, powered by Power BI, can help finance teams track ERP-related costs, integrate Azure spend insights, and take practical steps toward cost optimisation.
What Is FinOps Cost Management?
At its core, FinOps cost management is about bringing together teams of finance, IT, and operations to manage cloud and ERP spending. It's not just accounting but a proactive effort to optimise spend, improve budgeting, and align with business goals.
With Finance + IT working together, companies can:
- Track Azure and ERP spend in real time
- Use dashboards to spot overspending and trends
- Make data-backed decisions on resource use
Why You Need Azure Cost Tracking and ERP Cost Management?
Without visibility into costs, it’s easy to overspend. Here’s how each area matters:
- Cloud resources: Idle VM instances, unused licenses, and overprovisioned services can drive Azure bills up fast.
- ERP footprint: License usage, custom builds, and inefficient processes can inflate ERP running costs.
Using embedded analytics in D365 Finance, you can bring these two data streams together for a clearer view. This means finance can react quickly and with accurate data.
Meet the Dashboards: Embedded Analytics in D365 Finance
One of the big wins in financial insights in Dynamics 365 comes from the dashboards already built into your ERP system. These dashboards use Embedded Power BI in D365 to pull data from Azure Cost Management and your ERP module, all in one place.
Key Dashboard Views
- Monthly Spend Overview
A side-by-side look at Azure and ERP monthly expenses, with trend lines and year-over-year comparison. - Resource-Level Breakdown
See Azure costs by subscription or service and ERP costs by department or module. No more blind spots. - Forecast vs Budget
Compare actual spend against your forecast. Dashboards highlight areas running over.
These views give teams real-time clarity and speed decision-making.
How Azure FinOps Integration Works?
Start by connecting Azure Cost Management to D365 Finance:
- Use API credentials to fetch cost data regularly.
- Map Azure subscriptions to your cost centres in Finance.
- Create Power BI dashboards embedded within the ERP interface.
Once set up, finance teams can review trends, raise alerts when budgets are exceeded, and fine-tune cloud workloads, all in the same portal used for ERP.
ERP Cost Management with Dynamics 365 Finance Dashboards
Tracking ERP spend includes both internal and external costs. Here’s what you can monitor:
- License counts and renewals
- Custom module maintenance
- Third-party integrations
- Transactional costs (POs, invoices, inventory)
By analysing modules or departments, finance managers can flag underused features, unnecessary add-ons, or gaps in productivity.
Cost Optimization Using Dynamics 365
Now comes the best part, which is turning insight into action:
- Scale down Azure VMs when not in use
Turn off virtual machines during weekends or off-hours to avoid paying for idle time. It’s a quick way to save money without hurting performance.
- Retire unused ERP licenses monthly
Check which users still need access and cancel licenses that aren’t being used. This helps keep costs down and prevents waste. - Move workloads to cheaper compute tiers
Run less demanding tasks on lower-cost resources. Reserve high-performance tiers for critical operations only. - Implement Power Automate to cut manual tasks
Automate repetitive work like data entry or reporting. It saves time and lets your team focus on more important tasks.
With combined data on a single screen, teams can run “what-if” scenarios before making changes. For example, what if we cut our ERP custom build spend by 10%? What savings does that unlock?
Benefits of Embedded Analytics in D365 Finance
When you combine Azure cost tracking, ERP cost management, and Dynamics 365 Finance dashboards, here’s what you gain:
- Clear view of total IT spend
- Faster budgeting with shared dashboards
- Less guesswork, more evidence-based decisions
- Fewer surprises from unexpected cloud charges
- A culture of cost ownership, across teams
Getting Started with FinOps in D365 Finance
To begin your FinOps journey:
- Enable Azure Cost Management in your tenant
- Connect Azure to D365 Finance using native connectors
- Use embedded dashboards to view spend trends
- Meet monthly to review and act
- Adjust resources, license use, and processes based on insights
You’ll need some setup time. But once done, ongoing tracking becomes seamless and efficient.
Real-World Example
A mid-sized manufacturing company used to run multiple Azure VMs even during weekends. They also carried unused ERP licences across teams.
By linking Azure and ERP spend in one dashboard, they found:
- $20,000 annual savings by deallocating idle cloud resources
- $10,000 annual gain from consolidating 15 unused licenses
- 25% faster monthly cost reviews, thanks to shared dashboards
Final Words
FinOps cost management is a way to manage spending with clarity and purpose. By combining Azure cost tracking and ERP cost management within Dynamics 365 Finance dashboards, you get a single source of truth and a real chance to cut waste, better forecast, and reach higher returns on your tech investments.
If you're ready to gain real-time financial insights and control over both cloud and ERP spend, start with embedded analytics. Soon, you’ll see how strategic cost tracking can drive growth.
Need assistance?
Let guide you in setting up Dynamics 365 Finance dashboards for full visibility across Azure and ERP. We can guide your path to smarter cost management.