Azure Cost Optimization with 30% monthly Azure cost reduction

Client Overview

• Client Name: Well-known Steel Industry Consultant
• Industry: Manufacturing and consulting
• Location: USA
• Size: Enterprise-level organization
• Azure Subscription: Enterprise Agreement

Background

Customer is a leading provider of on-site, industrial steel mill services for steelmakers around the world. Our people, services, technology and equipment provide invaluable resources that support and enhance our partners’ entire manufacturing operations.

They leverage Microsoft Azure as their primary cloud platform to host a wide range of applications and services. However, despite experiencing significant growth in their cloud usage, they were concerned about the increasing cost of their Azure consumption.

Challenges

Customer faced several challenges related to their Azure costs:

1. Rising Monthly Bills: The client’s monthly Azure bills were steadily increasing, posing a financial burden on their IT budget.
2. Lack of Visibility: They had limited visibility into their Azure spending, making it difficult to identify areas for optimization.
3. Resource Over-provisioning: The client was unsure if they were using Azure resources efficiently, which potentially led to over-provisioning.

Solution

Customer partnered with IntMavens Infotech, a leading cloud optimization consultancy, to address their Azure cost optimization challenges. Our team of certified Azure experts conducted a comprehensive analysis of the client’s Azure environment and implemented a cost optimization strategy.

Implementation

1. Azure Cost Assessment: Our team performed an in-depth assessment of Customer’s Azure usage, examining virtual machines, storage, and network resources. This assessment identified areas with significant cost potential.
2. Unattached Virtual Disk: Unattached disks in Azure continue to incur storage costs even when they are not attached to any virtual machine (VM). By regularly identifying and deleting unattached disks, you can free up storage space and avoid paying for storage that you don’t need.
3. Removing old Diagnostic logs: Azure Storage charges you based on the amount of data stored. By deleting old and unnecessary diagnostic logs, you can free up storage space, leading to reduced storage costs. This is especially significant if you have a large amount of historical log data.
4. Rightsizing Resources: We analysed the performance data of virtual machines and adjusted their sizes to match actual workload requirements, eliminating over-provisioning.
5. Reservations: We recommended the purchase of Azure Reserved Instances (RIs) for predictable workloads, providing cost savings compared to pay-as-you-go pricing.
6. Tagging and Resource Governance: We established a tagging and resource governance strategy, enabling the client to monitor and manage resources more efficiently.
7. Cost Alerts and Reports: We configured Azure cost alerts to notify the client of any unusual spending patterns and provided customized cost reports for better cost control.

Results

The implementation of the Azure cost optimization strategy yielded remarkable results for Customer:

1. 30% Monthly Cost Reduction: Within the first three months of implementation, the client experienced a 30% reduction in their monthly Azure billing.
2. Enhanced Visibility: The client gained greater visibility into their Azure spending, allowing them to make informed decisions about resource allocation.
3. Improved Resource Efficiency: Resource rightsizing and reservation purchases led to a more efficient use of Azure resources, eliminating wastage.
4. Cost Control: With cost alerts and detailed reports, Customer now has better control over their Azure spending, preventing unexpected overages.

Future Roadmap

Customer and IntMavens Infotech are continuing to work together to further optimize their Azure environment. Future initiatives include:

1. Continuous Monitoring: Ongoing monitoring and periodic cost reviews to identify additional optimization opportunities.
2. Automation: Implementation of automation scripts and policies to enforce resource governance and cost control.
3. Exploration of Advanced Azure Services: Evaluation of advanced Azure services to further enhance performance and cost-effectiveness.

Conclusion

By partnering with IntMavens Infotech, Customer successfully addressed their Azure cost optimization challenges, reducing their monthly Azure billing by 30%. This not only led to significant cost savings but also improved resource efficiency and cost control. With a well-defined roadmap for the future, Customer is well-positioned to continue optimizing their Azure environment and drive further business value.

IntMavens Infotech is proud to have played a key role in helping Customer achieve these results and looks forward to a continued partnership in their cloud optimization journey.