24 January 2024
Are you grappling with unexpectedly high cloud costs, despite diligent pre-migration calculations? You're not alone. The advent of cloud migrations as a viable data center exit strategy gave rise to industry terms like "cloud sprawl" and "FinOps." Entire job descriptions now blend cloud operational management with financial oversight of a company's OPEX. When conventional terms failed to rein in unruly IT budgets, phrases like "cloud repatriation" and "cloud sales talk" gained popularity.
*Note to self: Add hyperlinks and backlinks for the Googah algorithm…
**Note to my tired self: Too exhausted to add hyperlinks and backlinks now…
So, how can cloud specialists slash OPEX spending in the cloud? On the Azure side—where I've dedicated much of my time and expertise—a handy tool called Azure Advisor comes into play. This tool evaluates your current Azure usage and suggests various optimization initiatives. These initiatives aim to 1) cut costs, 2) enhance security, 3) optimize resource utilization, and 4) migrate to better, more modern services.
Numerous FinOps companies offer tools that provide a more in-depth analysis of your Azure environment, presenting a clearer picture of potential cost reductions. Of course, quality often comes with a price tag.
While following recommendations might seem straightforward in theory, the reality is a complex challenge requiring profound knowledge of infrastructure, applications, databases, services, usage, and business intricacies. Blindly applying suggestions could lead to increased costs or jeopardize system performance. Clicking 'buy' is not a viable option.
Thoroughly analysing each recommendation is a vital step in ensuring it aligns with your business goals and proves to be a viable exploration option. My team and I are currently immersed in this analysis. As discussed in previous blogs, I'll delve deeper into the nuances of what recommendations work, what doesn't, and why.
Today marked our first workshop, and it was a success. We've made decisions and are now taking actionable steps.
Venturing into uncharted territory is a thrilling journey for me, as I relish learning new, interesting things that add value in the end.
Here we go…