Azure Cost Optimization Tools

By: Albert McQuiston   |   Updated: 2024-11-01   |   Comments   |   Related: > Azure

Problem

Organizations using Azure Cloud services often overspend, eventually decreasing their operational efficiency. Leveraging cost-optimization techniques can help these businesses to focus on areas requiring more capital investment.

Solution

Do you dream of having a clean garage? Well, many have had the challenge of maintaining a clean garage. Initially, it seems to be neat and clean. After some time of continually stuffing the extra space, the area turns out to be quite chaotic. In the end, you have no idea what to do. This is the same situation with cloud computing.

Today, every business seems to be gearing towards evolving technological advancements. This is great, but there is a major downside: unused or underutilized resources, which lead to unwanted complications. Whether you like it or not, it can severely raise your IT maintenance budget. This is when the concept of cloud cost optimization plays a vital role.

Cloud cost optimization is a process for making cloud computing services budget-friendly by reducing overall costs. Now, reducing the price doesn't mean it has to adversely affect the performance or maintenance and support. In simple terms, when you opt for cloud cost optimization, you are bound to receive outcomes that are:

• Less complicated
• More efficient
• Less pricey
• Easy to maintain
• De-cluttered atmosphere

Do you think it is possible to reduce the price without compromising on the quality of the service? With cloud cost optimization, it is quite possible. Now, you must be wondering how to reduce the cost. Well, there are certain ways to consider, such as:

• Limiting the usage of over-provisioned resources
• Check around unused instances
• Point out inefficient architecture

It is all about balancing price, maintaining peak performance, and ensuring seamless growth, compliance, and high-end security.

This tip is all about cloud cost optimization, focusing on what Azure cloud cost optimization is, why it is needed in the first place, some crucial Azure Cloud Cost Optimization Techniques to consider, and what the best Azure Cost Optimization Tools are. This will be your Azure cloud cost optimization "go-to" handy guide. So, keep reading!

What is Azure Cloud Cost Optimization?

It has often been observed that cloud computing can be costly and difficult to manage, whether using Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), or Google Cloud Platform (GCP). However, does this mean it's not a doable job? Of course, it is, but you must find the top techniques and tools.

Unfortunately, many believe that cost optimization is mostly about reducing the price and nothing else. Of course, it means way more, such as:

• Choosing the right tradeoffs
• Prioritizing well
• Looking out for ways to maximize the returns on investment

First and foremost, let us understand the meaning of Azure Cloud Cost Optimization. It is a cost management technology offered by Azure that is mainly considered for monitoring and successfully optimizing overall cloud spending. To date, it has gained a lot of recognition across the globe, and I will tell you why. Firstly, you are bound to gain insights regarding the costs and utilization of all Azure services and marketplace products. Moreover, try integrating the cost management tool with Azure Advisor and Microsoft Power BI, and I am sure you will find the best possible solutions.

In today's times, receiving budget-friendly services or coming up with a robust optimization strategy is certainly not enough. It's more about looking for different ways to maximize the value of investment in every possible manner.

Benefits of Azure Cloud Cost Optimization

Developing and launching a cloud-based app has never been so easy, all thanks to evolving cloud-based deployment services. One no longer has to be stressed about infrastructure-related changes, such as accessibility, reliability, and scalability. Also, all your resources will be classified into different buckets based on cost entities. Below, let us go through some Azure Cloud Cost Optimization benefits.

Reduced Unpredicted Cloud Spending

As mentioned above, there are times when the monthly cloud invoices budget may exceed. So, in such situations, Azure Cloud Cost Optimization strategies can work wonders by making you understand how each cloud service can affect your overall business value. Also, you can set alarms or warning signs to limit overage and prevent unnecessary losses. If you cannot find the way out, you must reach out to the expert.

Less Fluctuating Workloads

Another benefit is that adapting to the ever-changing workloads is quite easy. Here, you aren't supposed to allocate the cost of resources when not in use. The best advantage of Azure Cloud Cost Optimization is that it tends to change successfully between peak- and low-performance periods. No wonder more and more retail companies are focusing on different marketing campaigns.

Seamless Long-term Cloud Usage

Adopting an Azure services subscription means your business has expanded and needs an absolute optimization strategy. So, what happens next? You will see a sudden rise in effective resource management, as well as appropriate allocation increases. Look out for the most reliable and trustworthy service provider who can assist in shutting off unnecessary, irrelevant services to optimally redistribute your costs.

All in all, cloud technology ensures numerous advantages and coherences only until it is audited regularly. When not done, the cost might significantly double, resulting in a hefty price. What if this drains a year's tech budget within a month? Therefore, considering appropriate Azure Cloud Computing Cost Optimization techniques is a must.

Azure Cloud Computing Cost Optimization Techniques

Further, I would like to mention how Azure Cost Management techniques can assist in locating underutilized resources, eliminating waste, and reducing cost. Some common yet crucial Azure Cloud Computing Cost Optimization Techniques to consider are discussed next.

Use Azure Hybrid Benefits

With the help of Azure Hybrid, it is possible to make the most of all the existing licenses within your on-premises (Software Assurance-enabled) SQL Server and Windows Server licenses on the Azure cloud. Here, you can even consider RedHat and SUSE Linux subscriptions.

When you use this particular technique, the chances of additional charges automatically decrease, and the returns increase. It has been observed that by incorporating Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS) and Azure SQL Database (PaaS), you can enhance the scope from 40% to 50%. This also applies to SQL Servers. The best is to combine Azure Hybrid Benefits with Azure Savings Plans or Reserved Instances—this can result in a significant rise of 80%.

VM Autoscaling

Another interesting technique is to set up VM autoscaling. By doing so, you can use as many virtual machines as possible. With this technique, scaling up can occur during peak times, and scaling down during low usage periods can be easily done. Optimizing resources and reducing costs are benefits that can be gained due to VM autoscaling. In simple terms, you are only paying for the resources you need. These are small adjustments that can certainly have a huge impact on the performance of the application as well as the predetermined budget.

Remove Unused Resources

Removing Unused resources might seem obvious, but many fail to consider it. It's simple math. Azure Cloud Cost Optimization assists in getting rid of resources that haven't been used for a long time. You can also find numerous recommendation services to help look out for redundant resources. For example, Azure Advisor can help find the right idle virtual machines and virtual machine scale sets.

This allows you to "kill two birds with one stone." First, you can gain proper insights into the current usage patterns, and second, shutting down unused resources can significantly reduce costs.

Azure Resource Tagging

Another amazing technique to consider is tagging your Azure resources. Tags are extremely important and should be assigned to Azure resources precisely. Once you do that, you will be able to categorize all your resources using different parameters, like department, project, and cost center. By doing this, it becomes easier to track and successfully manage your Azure costs.

Additionally, tags assist well in identifying all the underutilized and unnecessary resources, allowing you to successfully eliminate waste. Also, tags are important to automate resource management.

View Cost Optimization Recommendations in Advisor

Last but certainly not least, the Azure Cloud Cost Optimization technique to consider using is Azure Advisor. This technique enables seamless evaluation of all resource settings and usage metrics, logs, and traces. Doing so can result in effective cost savings, performance, reliability as well as security.

In layman's terms, think of this as your personalized cloud consultant offering best practices and using resources appropriately. Are you ready to make informed decisions?

Certain Azure Cost Optimization Tools to Consider

Let's explore some Azure Cost Optimization Tools for optimization.

Azure Advisor

As mentioned above, Azure Advisor is a free service offered by Microsoft Azure. The core objective of this tool is to optimize Azure resources effectively. The tool successfully analyzes all your deployed services and offers quick, personalized recommendations, especially for high availability, security, performance, and, of course, cost.

Imagine that you have your very own cloud expert. Azure Advisor is just the same. Here, you will receive tips about making the most of the Azure environment and noticing potential pitfalls that might impact workloads. Some of the core aspects of this cost optimization tool include:

• Personalized recommendations
• Integrated dashboard
• Free access
• Dismiss recommendations (if needed)
• Great security
• Amazing performance
• Cost

Azure Resource Graph

Another interesting tool is the Azure Resource Graph. This power-packed query tool enables us to successfully explore and analyze all types of Azure resources. Using the Azure Resource Graph makes it extremely easy to understand the relationships and dependencies and offers accurate insights into how they can be used effectively.

Now it is possible to look for all underutilized resources and take immediate action. This tool can assist well in optimizing the environment. No wonder it is recommended for large organizations and complicated Azure deployments. If your team needs a clear and comprehensive solution, Azure Resource Graph is the right choice.

Azure Pricing Calculator

Lastly, the Azure Pricing Calculator is a great tool for cost optimization. Based on your specific usage scenario, it is possible to estimate the price of Azure services by inputting relevant details regarding your anticipated usage to determine the overall cost.

The Azure Pricing Calculator not only assists in planning your budget but also helps you choose the most cost-effective solutions for your needs. It allows you to compare different configurations and pricing options, permitting you to select the perfect fit for your organization's requirements.

Final Words

I know you will come across a plethora of available serverless resources in Azure. I advise you not to pay blindly; choose the service that best fits your organization's needs. I hope this article has provided relevant information to assist you with this cost analysis process.

In today's fast-paced times, it is impossible to do it all, from being budget-friendly to lowering the cloud infrastructure expenses. All this is a continuous effort. So, I would suggest you seek assistance from reputable Azure service providers who can offer a comprehensive assessment as well as ensure proactive solutions that can stay intact within the Azure marketplace.

Next Steps

• Check out all of the Azure tips on MSSQLTips.com.

About the author

Albert McQuiston is a software developer with more than 10 years of experience. He has worked with many companies and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.

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