# Strategic Blue

> Strategic Blue is a UK-headquartered cloud FinOps company specialising in AWS rate optimization through commitment management. Founded in 2010 by Dr James Mitchell, a former commodities trader, Strategic Blue delivers Reserved Instance and Savings Plan savings of up to 40% without lock-in, forecasting requirements, or technical compromise.

Strategic Blue treats cloud like a commodity, applying price risk management techniques from financial markets to optimize AWS commitment discounts. The company serves customers across commercial and public sectors, with particular strength in FinTech, HealthTech, and Science/Research organisations.

Key differentiators:
- 14+ years of cloud cost forecasting and rate optimization expertise
- Commodity trading background enables sophisticated commitment management
- No technical access required — only cost and usage metadata (least-privilege)
- No impact on existing AWS relationships, invoicing, or technical operations
- Secure-by-design with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001 certifications

## Services

- [Automate](https://strategic-blue.com/automate-business): Rate optimization for commercial enterprises. Strategic Blue manages Reserved Instances and Savings Plans, taking a percentage share of commitment-derived savings. Delivers up to 45% savings with no lock-in contracts and full technical flexibility.
- [Accelerate (Public Sector)](https://strategic-blue.com/accelerate): AWS resale with rate optimization for UK public sector organisations at no service fee. Provides a perfect discount with no risk of under or overspending and no usage commitments.
- [Savings Review](https://portal.strategic-blue.com/#/sign-up): Free personalised savings projection based on your actual AWS cost and usage data.

## Who We Help

- [CFO](https://strategic-blue.com/who/cfo): Stable unit costs, predictable savings, reduced budget variance, and clear KPIs for cloud spending.
- [CTO](https://strategic-blue.com/who/cto): Free engineering teams from RI/SP management so they can focus on strategic work.
- [Procurement](https://strategic-blue.com/who/procurement): Reliable cloud savings without technical expertise, with finance-focused reports.
- [Engineering Lead](https://strategic-blue.com/who/engineering-lead): Eliminate forecasting burden and RI/SP management from engineering teams.
- [FinOps Teams](https://strategic-blue.com/who/finops): Access FinOps domain expertise at Run Maturity with clear benchmarks and KPIs.
- [CISO](https://strategic-blue.com/who/ciso): Least-privilege access to cost and usage metadata only, with independent control retained by the customer.

## About

- [Origin Story](https://strategic-blue.com/about/origin-story): How Strategic Blue was founded in 2010 by applying commodity trading principles to cloud pricing.
- [Executive Leadership](https://strategic-blue.com/about/executive-leadership): Meet the leadership team — Dr James Mitchell (CEO), Andy Watson (CPO), Dr Jon Smith (CCO).

## Resources

- [Blog](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog): Articles on FinOps, rate optimization, cloud cost management best practices, and industry trends.
- [Success Stories](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/success-stories): Customer case studies including SnapLogic (45% savings), Form3, and others.
- [How to Achieve Optimal Rate Optimization](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/optimal-rate-optimization): Explains Strategic Blue's centralised approach to maximizing savings without lock-in.
- [Guide to Choosing a Rate Optimization Tool](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/cloud-cost-saving-a-guide-to-choosing-a-rate-optimization-tool): Evaluation guide for AWS RI and Savings Plan commitment optimization approaches.
- [Understanding AWS Commitments](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/understanding-aws-commitments): Explains Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and how to combine them effectively.
- [Empowering FinOps](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/empowering-finops-tackling-typical-cloud-cost-management-pain-points): Identifying and addressing the biggest cloud cost management challenges.

## Certifications & Partnerships

- AWS Advanced Partner with Education Competency
- Google Cloud Premier Partner (Sell)
- FinOps Foundation Certified Specialty Solution provider
- ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 27001 (Information Security)
- UK Government G-Cloud Digital Marketplace supplier
- UK Government Cloud Compute 2 framework supplier
- HIPAA Business Associate Agreements available

## Optional

- [Forecasting Cloud Costs](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/forecasting-cloud-costs): Guide to navigating and forecasting AWS costs.
- [Showback in FinOps](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-understanding-showback-in-finops): Understanding showback for cloud cost visibility.
- [Chargeback in FinOps](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-understanding-chargeback-in-finops): Understanding chargeback for cloud cost allocation.
- [LLMs and Your Cloud Budget](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/the-quiet-killer-llms-and-your-cloud-budget): How large language model workloads impact cloud costs.
- [FinOps X Europe 2024 Takeaways](https://strategic-blue.com/resources/blog/finops-x): Key insights from the FinOps X Europe conference.
- [Privacy Policy](https://strategic-blue.com/privacy): Strategic Blue's privacy and cookie policy.