Optimising Cloud Spend Without Sacrificing Performance: Datadog and Google Roundtable in Sydney
Clutch partnered with Datadog and Google to host an exclusive roundtable at Quay in Sydney, bringing together senior cloud and engineering leaders to explore the challenges of managing cloud costs without compromising performance, resilience, or innovation.
The Brief
With cloud costs rising and accountability spreading across teams, Datadog and Google partnered with Clutch to convene a peer discussion for engineering and infrastructure leaders tasked with balancing cost optimisation and service delivery. The goal was to unpack the root causes of inefficiency and explore how teams can embed cost-aware practices without slowing innovation.
The Work
Held at Quay, one of Sydney’s most acclaimed venues, the roundtable brought together a curated group of technical and business leaders for an off-the-record conversation. The session focused on real-world strategies for optimising cloud infrastructure—covering automation, cross-team alignment, and policy enforcement—without compromising service levels or developer agility.
The Outcome
Sydney Roundtable at Quay: 16 attendees from leading organisations including Commonwealth Bank, Optus, Atlassian, Endeavour Group, Scentre Group, and Nine.
Event Highlights
Key discussion points included:
- Where Do Most Cloud Cost Inefficiencies Originate?
Leaders shared insights on common areas of waste—such as over-provisioning, idle resources, and underutilised tooling—and how to surface them with better observability. - Optimising for Cost Without Sacrificing Reliability
The group discussed practical approaches to reducing spend without introducing outages, latency issues, or customer experience risks. - Balancing Cost, Performance, and Resilience
Attendees explored how top teams are using automation, guardrails, and governance frameworks to maintain service quality while enforcing cost controls. - Engineering + Finance Collaboration
The session also addressed how to improve collaboration between engineering and finance—sharing techniques to align business goals with technical priorities without slowing delivery.
Conclusion
This roundtable demonstrated Datadog, Google, and Clutch’s ability to engage senior technical leaders in relevant, solution-oriented dialogue. By focusing on the intersection of performance, resilience, and cost, the session helped attendees walk away with new ideas for driving efficiency and accountability in complex cloud environments.