Zach Johnson

About Zach Johnson

Cloud Strategy, Cloud Architecture and FinOps Director with a proven track record in multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, On-Prem, VMware Cloud). Proven record in running public cloud with hundreds of millions in spend, which consisted of thousands of accounts across cloud providers.Expertise in:## Cloud Leadership- Architecting and implementing enterprise-wide cloud solutions- Establishing cloud governance frameworks for security, operational excellence, and cost optimization- Driving FinOps practices to optimize cloud spend and business value## Cloud Operations & Strategy-**Infrastructure as Code (IaC)**: Implementing Terraform and CloudFormation for consistent, version-controlled infrastructure deployment-**Policy as Code**: Utilizing Cloud Custodian for automated policy enforcement and compliance-**GitOps**: Employing Git-based workflows for infrastructure and application deployment-**Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)**: Implementing robust pipelines for streamlined operations-**Monitoring and Observability**: Leveraging cloud-native and third-party tools for comprehensive system visibility## Technical Proficiency- Cloud and Security Architecture- Enterprise Cloud Standards & Governance- Cloud Automation (Cloud Custodian, Terraform, Ansible)- Windows and Linux image delivery- Active Directory management (including AWS Managed AD)- IGL lifecycle products## Security Expertise- Cloud compliance and encryption standards- IAM/IGL implementation- Security architecture design- Automated policy enforcement-Cloud Posture Security Management## Team Leadership- Leading high-performing international teams- Fostering collaboration in agile environments- Delivering complex projects on time and within budget## Strategic Insights- Developing executive dashboards for cloud compliance, security, FinOps, and operational performance- Aligning technology strategies with business goals across diverse industries## Innovation Focus- Championing DevOps culture and modern tooling- Balancing innovation with security, efficiency, and compliance at scaleCommitted to delivering comprehensive cloud solutions that drive business value while ensuring robust security, operational excellence, and cost optimization through advanced cloud operations strategies and tooling.

Experience

1. Head of Finops & Cloud Platforms at Splunk

   Cisco

   Nov 2025 — Present · Denver, CO, US

   The Cloud FinOps team drives financial accountability and optimization across all cloud environments by uniting engineering, finance, and operations. It ensures full cost visibility, accurate spend allocation, and consistent tagging and account mapping across AWS, Azure, and GCP. The team manages all cloud commitment purchases—including Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, and enterprise agreements—optimizing utilization and aligning investments with business priorities. It automates spend tracking, forecasting, and anomaly detection; integrates cost data into dashboards and governance workflows; and enforces policies for efficiency and budget adherence. By embedding financial intelligence into cloud engineering and, Cloud FinOps enables data-driven decisions, cost efficiency, and sustainable multi-cloud growth.The Cloud Platforms organization builds and operates a secure, scalable, and cost-efficient multi-cloud foundation across AWS, Azure, and GCP. It defines and automates cloud account structures, identity and access controls, and infrastructure baselines to ensure consistent governance and compliance. The team integrates enterprise SSO, enforces least-privilege access, and automates credential and API key rotation. It maintains secure infrastructure templates, centralized logging, and guardrails while embedding compliance and automation through Infrastructure as Code and GitOps. By providing self-service developer platforms and unifying governance across clouds, Cloud Platforms enables developer productivity, operational consistency, and strong security posture—driving the company’s cloud strategy and maturity.

Education

• The University of Toledo

  Bachelor, Business Administration; E-Commerce

  2003 — 2008

• Centerville High School

  High School

  1999 — 2003

• The University of Toledo

  Marketing Minor, Internet Marketing

  2003 — 2008