Cloud computing offers scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. However, it can also lead to cloud waste—unnecessary spending on underutilised resources. With about 32% of cloud spending being wasted, there’s significant potential for cost savings.
Here’s how you can reduce cloud waste and save money:
Conduct a Comprehensive Cloud Audit
Start with an audit to understand your current cloud usage. Identify underutilised resources, overprovisioned instances, and unnecessary services. Use cloud management tools to generate detailed reports on usage patterns and costs. This will help you pinpoint areas for optimisation.
Implement Right-Sizing Strategies
Match your cloud resources to your actual workload demands. Avoid overprovisioning by analysing requirements and resizing instances accordingly. Utilise cloud provider tools to adjust capacities, ensuring you only pay for necessary resources.
Use Reserved Instances and Savings Plans
Leverage cost-saving options like Reserved Instances (RIs) and Savings Plans. Commit to a specific usage amount in exchange for discounted rates. Analyse your workload patterns to determine the best plan that aligns with your long-term goals.
Install Automated Scaling Policies
Set up automated scaling to adjust resources based on demand. Use features like AWS Auto Scaling or Azure Autoscale to optimise performance and prevent overprovisioning during low activity periods.
Optimise Storage
Regularly review and manage your storage. Implement lifecycle policies to move infrequently accessed data to lower-cost storage. Delete unnecessary data to free up space and reduce costs.
Schedule Cloud Resources
Schedule resources to run only when needed. Turn off development, testing, or staging environments during off-hours. Use automation tools to enforce scheduling policies.
Delete Unused or Orphaned Resources
Regularly audit and remove unused snapshots, backups, volumes, load balancers, and IP addresses. Use cloud provider tools to identify and eliminate these orphaned resources.
Consolidate Services
Eliminate duplicate services used by different departments. Centralise cloud tools to enhance collaboration and save money.
Embrace Serverless Architecture
Adopt serverless computing to run applications without managing infrastructure. Pay only for actual compute resources used, reducing operational complexity and costs.
Schedule a Cloud Optimisation Assessment Today!
By implementing these strategies, you can reduce cloud waste and optimise your cloud spend. Improve operational efficiency and save money. Contact our team of cloud experts to schedule your assessment and start saving today.
