High-performance analytics can be a game-changer, but the infrastructure to support it often comes with a hefty price tag. In this talk, I'll share strategies to build a cost-effective sub-second analytics platform using open-source tools and lessons learned from cloud services. I'll cover the trade-offs between self-hosting and managed offerings and discuss ways to optimize infrastructure costs — from maximizing cloud 'nuggets' to ensuring your engineering team is right-sized and focused on solving important business challenges. Drawing from patterns, caveats, and success stories observed with our clients, the goal is to power lightning-fast analytics without breaking the bank.