Charu Thomas, the CEO and co-founder of Ox, a technology company specializing in online shopping and warehouse order picking optimization through augmented reality and machine learning software, reflects on the company's progress since its inception in 2019. Ox had experienced significant growth, securing partnerships with major retailers and attracting investments. However, as the company matured, Thomas recognized the need to scrutinize its cost structure, particularly its cloud hosting and computing expenses. Being a cloud-native company, Ox relied fully on cloud services for its software infrastructure. Thomas discovered that Ox was paying significantly more for cloud services compared to similarly sized start-ups. Concerned about the impact on profitability, she enlisted the help of Brent Sperry, Ox's new COO, who possessed extensive experience in information technology and cloud initiatives. Together, Thomas and Sperry embarked on a project to benchmark and reevaluate Ox's cloud costs. They aimed to understand which activities drove these costs, compare prices across different cloud providers, assess operational constraints, and explore the advantages of adopting a multi-cloud strategy. Their objective was to optimize cloud spending while maintaining the company's competitive edge. Ox's product portfolio included seamless integration software solutions facilitating rapid fulfillment and workforce optimization for retailers. The company's success relied on its ability