Top 10 Strategies for optimizing Azure usage and reducing costs
As with any cloud platform, Azure comes with host of benefits via the infrastructure and the platform it offers. But when mis-managed or not optimised, the cost you end up paying may be huge. Below are some of the key strategies you can add as part of your Azure management process to ensure your cloud costs are not hurting your hands.
Choose the right pricing model
Azure offers different pricing models such as pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, hybrid & fixed monthly costs in few scenarios. Choose the pricing model that suits your business requirements and helps you save costs.
Monitor usage and performance
Resources gets created in multiple ways in Azure. Some may be utilised enough; some may not. Use Azure’s monitoring and reporting tools to keep track of your usage and performance. Analyze the data to identify areas where you can optimize usage and reduce costs.
Use automation
Automate processes such as scaling, backups, and resource allocation to save time and reduce manual effort. Azure offers tools like Azure Automation and Azure Functions that can help you automate these processes.
Use cost management tools to track spending
Azure provides tools like Azure Cost Management and Billing that can help you track costs, optimize usage, and reduce costs. These tools can provide insights into your spending patterns and help you identify areas where you can reduce costs.
Optimize storage
Use Azure’s storage optimization features like data compression, tiered storage, and archiving to save costs on storage. Analyze your data usage patterns to determine which data needs to be stored and which can be archived. Choosing the right data storage redundancy model will also help you cut costs.
Optimize virtual machines
Use Azure’s virtual machine optimization features like resizing, deprovisioning, and scheduled shutdown to save costs on compute resources. Turn off virtual machines when they are not in use and use the right-sized virtual machine to match your workload requirements.
Use Azure's free services
Azure offers many free services like Azure Web Apps, Azure DevOps, Azure Active Directory, and Azure Advisor that can help you save costs. Your development environment & test environment in some cases can be deployed using these services. Use these services to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Use Azure reservations
Azure reservations allow you to commit to a certain level of usage and pay upfront for a discount. This can help you save costs in the long run.
Try availing Azure Hybrid Benefit
If you have existing on-premises licenses for products like Windows Server or SQL Server, you can use Azure Hybrid Benefit to save costs on Azure.
Consider using serverless computing
Serverless computing like Azure Functions and Logic Apps can help you save costs by charging you only for the time your code runs, instead of charging you for the entire virtual machine or getting a fixed cost resource.
Take help of an expert consultant
There are consultants out there like Athen, who are Cloud Solutions Provider partnered with Microsoft who can help you in managing & optimising your cloud services. With right set of tools and processes, they can help you better optimize your cloud.
These strategies can not only help you in reducing your cloud costs, but also in optimizing the services there by helping in better manageability & performance of the services.