Peter Crenshaw of IEM on Building vs. Buying & How to Choose the Right FinOps Tools
Should you build your own FinOps tool or buy one?
In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sat down with Peter Crenshaw, Manager of FinOps and M&A at IEM, to unpack one of the biggest questions I hear from FinOps leaders everywhere: when does it make sense to build, and when should you buy?
Peter shared his journey leading FinOps at UKG and IEM, including what he learned from building an in-house FinOps platform and why simplicity, scalability, and resource awareness matter more than any feature list.
We also dove into how FinOps connects with M&A, how to educate teams across finance and engineering, and what it really takes to show ROI — even when your FinOps practice is still maturing.
If you’ve ever wondered where to start with FinOps tooling or how to build the right foundations for scale, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons and practical guidance.
Here’s what we talked about:
Why most teams should buy FinOps tools instead of building them
Evaluating FinOps platforms for your size and maturity
Building FinOps foundations early in the cloud journey
Connecting FinOps and M&A to uncover savings and integration value
Showing ROI and business impact with simple, scalable practices
If you’ve ever wondered where to start with FinOps tooling or how to build the right foundations for scale, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons and practical guidance.
Quote of the Show:
“ Don’t overspend and don’t buy the Rolls Royce when you just need a Toyota Corolla. You don’t need all the bells and whistles to get the data you need out for your organization, depending on what your use cases are.” -Peter Crenshaw
Connect with Peter:
Website: http://www.iemfg.com/
In this episode, I sat down with Peter Crenshaw, Director of FinOps and M&A at IEM, to tackle one of the most common questions in the FinOps world — should you build your own tool or buy one? Peter shares lessons from leading FinOps at UKG and IEM, including what it really takes to balance simplicity, scalability, and ROI. Whether you’re just starting out or refining your FinOps strategy, this episode offers practical guidance on tooling, M&A integration, and building a strong FinOps foundation for growth.