‘In cloud computing, organizations are confronted with the difficulty of creating accurate cost estimates. They are often hit by bills that they apparently can’t explain and struggle to identify items that are responsible for spending. As a result, financial management is often overlooked until spend is out of control.’ - Gartner
Businesses migrate to the cloud for its agility. They want to benefit from the increased flexibility and the opportunity for innovation it provides.
Few businesses, if any, move to the cloud for its pricing. That said, if you’re using Azure for your cloud computing, you can make savings with a few simple tactics. Let’s take a look at Azure cost management and the three ways you can cut the cost of the cloud.
1. Set a budget
Sounds simple, right? Well, for the 58 percent of businesses who said moving to the cloud was more expensive than they first thought, it wasn’t so straightforward.
But, Azure can make it a whole lot easier.
With Azure Budgets, you’ll receive an email when you reach your set threshold. But, you don’t have to wait until your spending is close to its limit. You can monitor usage and access rich data-driven insights at any time. This will empower you to make informed decisions about how you use the cloud going forward.
2. Switch it off
Most people shut the lights off when they leave the house. But, when it comes to the cloud, many don’t think twice about leaving resources running. And, on a consumption-based model like Azure, costs can quickly rack up.
Azure Advisor helps reduce your spending by identifying idle and underutilised machines. It will evaluate their memory pressure, their workloads, and their CPU usage so it can recommend either shutting down or rightsizing them.
Put simply, this will allow you to allocate the right resources to the machines that need them. Meaning you can reduce overheads immediately.
3. Purchase reserved instances
Ever wondered if you’re spending too much on pay-as-you-go? The answer is most likely ‘yes’, but with Azure, you can make sure.
Azure Advisor reviews your virtual machine usage over the past 30 days. Then, it will show where you can make savings while evaluating if buying reserved instances is a better option.
The beauty of pre-purchasing reservations is their flexibility, with the choice to cancel or exchange them as your needs evolve. There’s also the fact that you can choose a monthly payment plan at no extra cost.
But the best part? Savings of up to 72 percent.
Manage Azure costs with HTG
Trying to get the most from the cloud can be difficult when costs are mounting. But, if you use our three simple tactics, you can start making savings straight away.
That said, if you haven’t yet moved to the cloud, the prospect of navigating your migration as well as hidden costs can be daunting.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Microsoft to provide you with our Azure Foundations Assessment. We’ll analyse your processes and provide you with a report covering cost estimations and what workloads you should prioritise. This means you’ll get the clarity you need for the timeline of your migration project as well as its price.
And, because we’re committed to helping you manage your costs, it’s funded by HTG and Microsoft. Request the assessment today.
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