The public cloud has revolutionised the way organisations operate, providing them with unparalleled flexibility, scalability and agility. However, this flexibility comes at a price and if left unchecked, public cloud costs can spiral out of control. Here are some key strategies to keep public cloud costs under control and reap the benefits of the cloud without breaking the bank.
Plan and optimise your cloud infrastructure
One of the most important ways to keep your public cloud costs under control is to plan and optimise your cloud infrastructure. This involves carefully considering your business requirements and designing your cloud infrastructure accordingly.
When planning cloud infrastructure, consider your workload requirements and choose the right cloud services and resources to meet them. For example, you may need to choose between different instance types or storage options depending on your workload’s demands.
It is also important to consider how your cloud infrastructure will scale as your workload grows. One of the key benefits of the cloud is its scalability, but this can quickly become a double-edged sword if you’re not careful. Over-provisioning resources can lead to unnecessary costs, while under-provisioning can lead to performance issues. Being able to scale these resources dynamically will help.
Implement effective cost monitoring and management
Once you have designed your cloud infrastructure, the next step is to implement effective cost monitoring and management. This involves keeping a close eye on your cloud use and spending and taking steps to optimise costs.
There are many tools and services available that can help monitor your cloud usage and spending. For example, AWS Cost Explorer or Azure Cost Management tracks spending and identifies areas where you can reduce costs. You can also set up alerts to notify you when your spending exceeds a certain threshold.
It is also important to establish policies and guidelines for cloud usage in your organisation. This ensures that your cloud resources are used efficiently and that costs are kept under control.
Use automation to reduce costs
Another way to reduce public cloud costs is to use automation. Automation can help reduce costs by automating repetitive tasks such as provisioning and de-provisioning resources, scaling your infrastructure and optimising cloud usage.
For example, you can use AWS Lambda or Azure Functions to automate tasks such as scaling your infrastructure or automatically shutting down unused resources. This also reduces costs by ensuring that you pay only for the resources you need.
Take advantage of cloud provider discounts and savings plans
Cloud providers offer a range of discounts and savings plans that can reduce cloud costs. For example, AWS offers Reserved Instances, which allow you to reserve capacity in advance and save up to 75% compared to on-demand pricing.
Azure offers a similar service called Azure Reserved VM Instances, which can save up to 72% compared to pay-as-you-go pricing. These savings plans are a great way to reduce cloud costs, especially if you have predictable workloads.
Work with cloud experts
If you don’t have the in-house skills, work with cloud experts. There is normally a cost involved, but you can rest assured that the cost is nothing in comparison to receiving an eye-watering bill from your public cloud provider. These resources can implement best practices and leverage underlying technologies to make the most of the cloud platform.
Consider multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud strategies
Finally, another way to reduce public cloud costs is to consider multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies. Multi-cloud strategies involve using multiple cloud providers to meet your workload requirements, while hybrid cloud strategies involve using a mix of public cloud and private cloud resources.
By using multiple cloud providers or a mix of public and private cloud resources, you can take advantage of different pricing models and resource options. This will optimise costs and ensure that you get the best value for money.
It’s clear that the cloud is both the present and the future of business, but it’s important to be aware that public cloud costs can quickly spiral out of control if used inefficiently. However, by employing the strategies mentioned in this article, you’ll reap the benefits. Feel free to reach out to us if you are struggling to keep cloud costs under control.
About LSD
LSD was founded in 2001 and wants to inspire the world by embracing OPEN philosophy and technology. LSD is your cloud-native acceleration partner that provides managed platforms, leveraging a foundation of containerisation, Kubernetes and open-source technologies. We deliver modern platforms for modern applications. For more, visit www.lsdopen.io, e-mail info@lsdopen.io or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or GitHub.
- The author, Deon Stroebel, is LSD’s chief commercial officer
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