When it comes to cloud computing, costs can often spiral out of control if you don't have a good handle on things. Indeed, 70 percent of organisations claim their public cloud costs are up to 62 percent higher than they anticipated.
But, don't grimace at us just yet. You'll be pleased to learn that there are practical ways to reduce your Microsoft Azure monthly bill. And they may be simpler than you think. So, let's take a look at six cost-saving methods you can adopt today, straight from the Azured experts.
Six ways to reduce your Azure monthly bill:
1. Set up cost alerts
Don't wait for your monthly bill to find out how much you're spending on services and applications. Setting up Azure cost alerts will allow you to monitor usage in a more budget-friendly way. Best of all, it's automated. Azure alerts you immediately if you go over your set thresholds and spending limits.
2. Tag Azure resources
To keep further tabs on your resources, tag them with an assigned budget code. These tags will help you identify resources that are meant to be in your environment. On the flip side of that, you'll also be able to flag surprise services that you didn't
authorise, which you can subsequently shut down.
3. Govern your Azure usage
One of Azure's greatest advantages is, ironically, one of its biggest downfalls. The ability to spin up instances quickly is brilliant for innovative businesses, but it can also make it too easy to go over budget. Therefore, you should aim to govern the process. Azure's governance capabilities allow you to assign policies, analyse spending, and encourage accountability across your business.
4. Use on-premise if cheaper
While cloud-first may sound like the bold option for ambitious businesses, it's not always a good tactic. Particularly when you factor in your finances. Believe it or not, placing certain services and applications on-premise may save you more money than the cloud can. For instance, 'tier three' applications, such as those that aren't critical to your day-to-day operations, are suited for this. Ultimately, a hybrid approach can be the most cost-effective cloud adoption model.
5. Buy compute in advance
Reserving Azure instances ahead of time can save you up to 80 percent and proves a lot more budget-friendly than pay-as-you-go models. In addition to this, you can right-size your instances either as you reserve them or afterwards. This is a great way to save money, as many Azure instances are oversized and businesses end up paying for capacity they're not using.
6. Shut down resources
You wouldn't leave every light on in your house if you were at the office, would you? Of course not. Adopt the same mentality for your Azure resources. If you're not using an application in the evening, for instance, shut it down. This will save you money in the long run.
Cost considerations in the cloud landscape.
The cloud computing world is ever-changing. This means that businesses must stay flexible when planning their cloud environments, especially when they're looking to reduce their bill. It's not just cloud-first anymore, but rather hybrid and multi-cloud.
At the end of the day, you'll save more money in the future if you choose the right
services - not just the ones that sound convenient.
We hope our insider tips will help to reduce your costs going forward. But, if you'd like more hands-on support, book a call and get the kettle on. We've got more tricks up our sleeves!
Want to avoid the fate of the Death Star?
When it comes to securing your business in the crowd, you really can't be too careful. Download the Azured Guide to Identity and Access Management for a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about securely managing your identity and access in Azure.