Simplify Departmental Cost Allocation with AWS Organizations and Lambda

This article provides a solution for simplifying departmental cost allocation in AWS using Organizations and Lambda. The key approach involves automatically creating and maintaining cost categories based on organizational units (OUs).

• Problem: Tracking cloud costs across multiple departments and AWS accounts can be challenging
• Solution uses Amazon EventBridge, Lambda, and AWS Cost Categories to automate cost tracking
• Lambda function runs monthly to:
  • Enumerate OUs and accounts in the AWS Organization
  • Create cost categories for each OU
  • Update existing cost categories
• Enables easy cost reporting and chargeback by department
• Provides an alternative to complex cost allocation tagging strategies

The solution offers a practical way for organizations to gain visibility into departmental cloud spending with minimal manual intervention.