The ability to auto-scale in the cloud eliminates much of the risk associated with scoping requirements for technology projects. With traditional environments on premise, if you under-scope the design for an environment and the demands on it prove higher than expected, you lose revenue. Conversely, if you over-scope and sales are lower than expected, you increase costs unnecessarily. The ability to scale your infrastructure at will allows you to design environments with a degree of confidence not available with traditional models.
Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. In addition, this allows for a much more predictable and closely-controlled method of financial accounting, moving from Cap-Ex to Op-Ex budgeting.