VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) vs Cloud Cost/FinOps Tools

Stage-0 baseline (vCenter + backup CSVs, local) and cloud TCO/cost optimization: how they fit together.

TL;DR

  • Purpose: Stage-0 = fast, local readiness baseline; Cloud cost/FinOps tools = target-platform sizing, pricing, and ongoing cost management.

  • Inputs: Stage-0 uses vCenter + backup CSVs; FinOps tools ingest billing & usage data, pricing catalogs, discount programs, and sometimes inventory/perf feeds.

  • Outputs: Stage-0 delivers per-VM readiness with reasons + exec rollups; FinOps tools deliver right-sized cost scenarios, commit/discount modeling, budgets/alerts, and showback/chargeback.

(Examples in this class include cloud-native cost tools and platforms like CloudHealth-style FinOps suites.)

Looking for the page where you can download the VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) — Stage-0 readiness baseline? Click here.

What each does

Stage-0 Readiness Baseline (this tool)

  • Inputs: vCenter inventory CSV + backup job inventory CSV.

  • Runs locally: Google Sheets (and Excel) — no agents, no SaaS ingest.

  • Normalization: deduped VM names, OS family, any-tag production/critical/compliance, uptime class.

  • Backup posture: missing/stale backups, short retention, irregular frequency, no offsite.

  • Output: Per-VM readiness with reasons (only causes that apply) and exec-ready rollups by Cluster / OS family / Uptime / Backup posture.

  • Why first: quickly separates move-sooner vs stabilize/leave-for-now cohorts before deeper sizing and cost work.

Cloud cost / FinOps tools (class)

  • Goal: estimate and optimize run-rate cost on a specific cloud (or multi-cloud), including right-sizing, discount/commit strategies, and budget controls.

  • How: combine pricing catalogs (instances/storage/network), utilization feeds (where connected), and discount models (RIs/CUDs/Savings Plans) to produce TCO scenarios and continuous optimization.

  • Output: Scenario costs (by region/instance family/storage class), dual-run overlap modeling, egress & HA/DR cost effects, and governance artifacts (budgets, policies, alerts).

When to use each

  • Use Stage-0 when you need a vendor-neutral triage baseline in hours—no connectors—so you can brief stakeholders and narrow options.

  • Use FinOps tools when you’re ready to price specific target footprints, compare commit/discount strategies, and manage budgets and optimization before and after migration.

How they work together (handoff 1-2-3)

  1. Stage-0 shortlist: Identify cohorts by cluster/OS/role with readiness + reasons, backup posture, and uptime class; note leave-for-now anchors.

  2. Focused cost scenarios: Feed those cohorts into FinOps tooling to model right-sized run-rate, overlap/dual-run periods, egress/HA/DR costs, and discount strategies (RIs/CUDs/Savings Plans).

  3. Planning: Use scenarios to create budget ranges, ramp curves, and financial guardrails for wave planning; keep Stage-0 flags as the audit trail for scope and assumptions.

What carries forward from Stage-0 (not throwaway)

  1. Deduped VM inventory with normalized names & OS family.

  2. Any-tag normalization for production / critical (DB/AD/DNS) / compliance.

  3. Backup posture flags informing RPO/RTO and DR cost choices.

  4. Uptime class for change-averse systems that may extend overlap.

  5. Cohort shortlist (move-sooner vs stabilize/leave-for-now) to limit scenario scope.

  6. Assumptions register (thresholds) and readiness rules table for governance.

  7. Optional CSV bundle (inventory + flags + cohorts) to import/map into FinOps scopes.

Can we continue guiding beyond Stage-0?

Yes. If deeper cost work is useful, we’ll help scope the right next step, ensure Stage-0 artifacts are reused with FinOps scenarios (no re-keying), and keep assumptions consistent across sizing, discount strategy, and budgeting. Vendor-neutral.

What this page is not

A vendor comparison or endorsement. “Cloud cost/FinOps tools” refers to a class of solutions that model run-rate cost and optimization on cloud platforms.

Micro-FAQ

  • No. Stage-0 provides a readiness baseline and shortlists cohorts; FinOps tools price target footprints, overlap periods, and discount strategies.

  • Deduped counts, OS/role mix, backup posture, uptime class, and cohort selection—plus thresholds/rules—become clean inputs for right-sizing and TCO.

  • Lower friction and faster signal; you avoid estate-wide guesswork and focus cost modeling on the workloads that actually influence the decision.

Legal & attribution

This page compares a Stage-0 readiness baseline with a class of cloud cost/FinOps tools. Product names mentioned as examples are trademarks of their respective owners. We are not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by those vendors. Descriptions of third-party capabilities are based on publicly available information and typical deployments as of September 2025 and may change without notice.

Nothing here is legal, financial, or professional advice. Use of third-party products is governed by those vendors’ terms and privacy policies. Our tool runs locally in your Google Drive.

Last reviewed: September 8, 2025.