A global retail leader operating 1,500 stores across 22 countries achieves clear visibility and control over cloud costs, transforming financial conversations and enabling data-driven decisions.
As one of Australia's largest global retailers, Cotton On’s digital footprint spans eight fashion and lifestyle brands, multiple e-commerce platforms, and partnerships with major marketplaces like ASOS and The Iconic. Managing cloud costs at this scale presented significant challenges for the technology team.
Led by Head of Technology & Cyber Security Daniel Hompas, the team sought a solution that would transform their cloud cost management approach while focusing on their core business—delivering on-trend, affordable products with an incredible customer experience.
Growing Pains: Managing Cloud Costs at Scale
As Cotton On's digital footprint expanded, so did its cloud infrastructure needs. The technology team faced several critical challenges:
Limited visibility into Azure cloud spending
Time-consuming manual cost analysis processes
Difficulty mapping technology costs to business services
Challenges in justifying cloud investments to stakeholders
Complex reporting requirements across multiple business units
"Microsoft gave us pretty basic ways of tagging data," explains Daniel Hompas. "The problem with the Microsoft portal was that it took hours a week. We're here to deliver incredible products and shopping experiences for customers; we're not here to analyse costs."
Tailoring the Right Solution
The search for a better way to manage cloud costs led Cotton On to Cloud Ctrl recommended by the infrastructure team's existing partner, SixPivot. The solution stood out for its:
Intuitive interface
Automated cost analysis
Clear business service mapping
Detailed yet accessible reporting
Time-saving automation features
Seamless Integration
The transition to Cloud Ctrl transformed how Cotton On manages cloud costs, with an immediate and significant impact across multiple business areas. From an operational perspective, the solution eliminated time-consuming manual processes, including complex Excel work and pivot tables. The streamlined reporting processes enhanced visibility across Azure services, enabling the team to make better decisions about resource allocation.
The financial impact has been equally impressive. Through improved optimisation of cloud resources and better attribution of costs to business services, Cotton On has maintained Azure costs. The enhanced budgeting accuracy has given stakeholders greater confidence in cloud investment decisions.
"Cloud Ctrl has taken a tedious manual process which included Excel and pivot tables and turned it into a fit-for-purpose tool," says Hompas.
"It's given our team the ability to be confident in what they're saying... they can provide recommendations on the data rather than fighting with Excel and numbers."
A Pattern for Success: Strategic Benefits
Implementing Cloud Ctrl has fundamentally changed how Cotton On approaches cloud cost management. The enhanced decision-making confidence and improved resource optimisation have led to more robust stakeholder communications and productive strategic discussions.
"Clear and timely visibility into cloud costs ensures we are enabled to make optimised investment decisions," Hompas notes. "Data-driven decisions are now possible at a granular level, with clarity over cost per system, technology or service at our fingertips."
Threading Technology into Future Growth
With Cloud Ctrl successfully monitoring its Azure environment, Cotton On has established a foundation for sustainable cloud cost management. The solution continues to support their commitment to delivering value to customers while maintaining operational efficiency.
Key Takeaways:
Automated cost analysis replaced time-consuming manual processes
Enhanced visibility enabled better decision-making
Team confidence and efficiency improved significantly
Finance conversations shifted from cost justification to strategic planning
Clear ROI through time savings and cost optimisation
Cloud Ctrl: A Retail Technology Essential
When asked if he would recommend Cloud Ctrl to other organisations, Hompas's response was emphatic:
"100%. We've seen a couple of similar tools across telecommunications management and billing management... I haven't seen anything similar that compares with Cloud Ctrl for Azure."
