Azure Cost Optimisation

There’s a reason why Microsoft Azure is so popular among today’s businesses. In fact, there are several reasons. Not only is it both flexible and agile in terms of the storage of files (which is highly important in big companies with loads of data), but it can also help organisations to remain compliant in line with recent guidelines, and drive standards in relation to data protection and cybersecurity.

Microsoft Azure is as adaptable as it is useful. The scalability of the platform means that it can easily accommodate the ever-changing circumstances of your business. Flexible features can be used both on a manual basis and on an auto scaling basis, depending on what works best for your requirements, which means you can change to a different service depending on your needs.

As well as offering great flexibility, Microsoft Azure services also include stringent data backup and disaster recovery resources. With over fifty world class compliance certifications and 100 years of retention, Azure is able to protect your data like no other cloud computing platform. It can provide single click backup support for SQL databases and virtual machines running in Azure. And in the event of service disruption or data loss, Microsoft Azure can help you recover your data significantly faster than an on-premise IT solution, meaning minimal downtime for your business. This helps to futureproof your organisation while also mitigating any losses felt by data loss.

Microsoft Azure can help companies quickly utilise apps in the cloud, thanks to its rapid deployment. Hybrid options are also available for businesses looking to use both cloud and on-premise solutions. The bespoke nature of the applications also allow you to use the most suitable services to your organisations, without investing in everything.

New working models and disparate workforces – largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic – have made Microsoft Azure an even more essential asset to businesses in recent years. But while Microsoft Azure resources are inarguably useful to businesses across all industries and sizes, it’s necessary to urge caution when it comes to the budgeting involved in its implementation. Companies should be aware that keeping a close eye on Microsoft Azure is necessary in order to prevent soaring costs, particularly for ambitious organisations looking to grow and expand.

This is more important now than ever, as we find ourselves in a time of great uncertainty. The wake of the pandemic and Brexit, paired with growing business overheads, energy prices due to a utilities crisis, and employee demands mean that businesses have to be even more careful with their finances than ever before. It’s important to set up Azure in a way that is futureproof and can cater to new requirements down the line.

Gartner’s research into cloud spending shines a clear light on this issue. In 2021, overall public cloud consumption grew by 18% and hit a whopping $304.9 billion, but findings also showed that the vast majority of organisations are guilty of overshooting their cloud infrastructure budgets due to a lack of cost optimisation approaches.

The global business climate frequency is always subject to change, so companies reliant on public cloud infrastructure must keep cloud spending within budget, viewing cost optimisation as something which is not merely nice to have, but which is essential for mission success.

Understanding the best practices involved in Microsoft Azure cost management can help you take full control of your cloud spending and Azure resource costs, both in the present and for the future.

While effective Microsoft Azure cost optimisation is a long-term commitment, there are changes you can make to the way the cloud is used in your organisation which promote better cost management when it comes to cloud services. These include:

–        Eliminating cloud waste by assessing idle and under-utilised resources, or orphaned resourced attached to terminated virtual machines (VMs).

–        Optimising the various pricing models available with Microsoft Azure, depending on what works best for your organisation’s specific needs. These include a pay as you go model, Reserved Virtual Machines with a 1 or 3-year commitment, and Azure Spot VMs that service any surges in demand.

–        Utilising B-Series VMs for burstable workloads, which build up credit so when full capacity is required, the cost is discounted. This can help to tackle the burstable CPU performance of workloads like web servers, small databases and more.

–        Selecting the appropriate region for your Azure services, as some workloads have more flexibility than others in terms of location. Choosing a different region for certain services could result in significant cost savings.

–         Optimising your storage options, as Azure offers several types of storage services. These include Blob for unstructured data storage, Files for managed file sharing, Queues for reliable messaging, Tables for structured data and Disks for block level storage volumes.

–        Networking optimisation to reduce traffic across zones and regions, which can result in data transfer costs that quickly add up.

Effective Microsoft Azure cost optimisation requires you to take a critical look at a variety of factors, including your subscription, flexibility, capacity, services and scope. Understanding as much as possible about the way your business uses and handles data will stand you in good stead for making the most of your Azure resources.

Syntax IT Support can help you with Azure cost management and make the most of your cloud spending

Microsoft Azure has become an essential platform for businesses around the world, and across numerous industries, providing secure services that support the day to day running of even large organisations. But over time, the platform can become quite costly. As usage increases, the overheads of using the platform can grow rapidly. This is where Syntax IT Support comes in.

Syntax help clients to solve the cost problem. Using a technology from System Garden we utilise a “design template deployment” approach to Azure. This involves creating a visual deployment framework, within which Azure configurations are documented, authorised, deployed and managed.

This service provides businesses with the visibility they need to track, control and manage Azure costs in the knowledge that all proposed designs meet agreed and approved standards.

Without the visibility provided by this Azure deployment framework, companies cannot effectively track and control Azure resources leading to cost overruns.

By working with experts in the field, businesses can help themselves to deploy Azure services effectively, in a way that futureproofs both your Azure cost management and your business budgets overall.

Taking a controlled approach to the use of Azure is particularly important for financial institutions and fintech companies. These kinds of organisations are often FCA regulated, and are required to demonstrate the ability to recover from a ransomware attack when required.

Using System Garden deployment frameworks enables businesses to track and control governance and risk and replicate Azure templates with total precision and speed when required.