Cost
The amount of money spent on a specific activity, IT service, or business unit. Costs consist of real costs (money paid to third parties) and notional costs (internal cross-charging).
Impact
Understanding the true cost of an IT service (Total Cost of Ownership) is necessary for making informed investment decisions.
Weinto take
In cloud architecture, Cost is a non-functional requirement just like latency or availability. If you architect a system that scales infinitely but bankrupts the company, you have failed as an architect. We design for "Unit Economics"—ensuring that as revenue grows, cost per user drops.