Azure Assess Cost Optimization Workbook: A Guide for Cloud Professionals

Overview

If you want to optimize your Azure costs, consider the Azure Assess Cost Optimization Workbook. It’s a new workbook template now available in Azure Advisor. It provides insights and recommendations to help you reduce your Azure environment’s cost. In this blog post, we’ll explain its purpose, advantages, operation, and how to enhance your cloud efficiency using it.

What is the Azure Assess Cost Optimization Workbook?

The Azure Assess Cost Optimization Workbook is a template in Azure Monitor Workbooks. It gives an overview of your cost posture and identifies cost optimization opportunities. Aligned with the WAF Cost Optimization pillar, part of the Well-Architected Framework for Azure, it offers best practices and guidance for cost-effective solutions.

The workbook has various tabs focusing on specific areas like compute, storage, and networking, with recommendations such as:

• Resizing or shutting down underutilized instances to optimize virtual machine spend.
• Saving money with reserved virtual machine instances instead of pay-as-you-go costs.
• Adjusting agent nodes based on resource demand by enabling cluster autoscaler for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Saving on Windows Server and SQL Server licenses with Azure Hybrid Benefit.
• Using Azure Spot VMs for workloads that can handle interruptions or evictions.
• Adjusting pods in a deployment based on CPU utilization with Horizontal Pod Autoscaler for AKS, and more!

The workbook also offers filters, export options, and quick-fix actions, making it easier to focus on specific workloads, share insights, and apply optimizations from the workbook page.

What are the Advantages of Assess Cost Optimization Workbook?

The Workbook has several advantages over other tools or methods for cost optimization:

• It acts as a centralized hub, integrating commonly used tools like Azure Advisor, Azure Cost Management, and Azure Policy, helping you achieve utilization and efficiency goals.
• You can customize and extend the workbook template, creating queries and visualizations through the Azure Monitor Workbooks platform.
• The workbook uses the latest data from your Azure environment and reflects current pricing and offers from Azure, ensuring accurate insights.
• It provides actionable insights and recommendations, enabling you to apply them directly from the workbook page, streamlining the optimization process for quick cost-saving actions.

Conclusion

The Azure Assess Cost Optimization Workbook is an invaluable tool for cloud professionals seeking to maximize cost efficiency and optimize their Azure environment. By using this workbook, you gain valuable insights, make data-driven decisions, and take concrete steps towards reducing your Azure costs effectively. Learn How to use Azure Cost Optimization Workbook.