AWS ECS – Consider Graviton Instances

Amazon Web Services Graviton instances and Fargate containers are 20% cheaper than x86 equivalents, presenting a substantial opportunity for cost optimization in cloud infrastructure. Why This Policy Matters Cost and Performance Benefits Key Advantages of Graviton Instances Implementation Strategy Infrastructure-as-Code Transformation Example (Terraform) Before (x86 Configuration): After (Graviton-Optimized Configuration): Manual Migration Steps Best Practices Recommended…

Azure SQL – Leverage Azure Hybrid Benefit for SQL Server

Azure Hybrid Benefit allows organizations to convert existing SQL Server licenses into substantial cloud cost savings, potentially reducing Azure SQL expenses by up to 30% or more. Why This Policy Matters Azure Hybrid Benefit represents a critical cost optimization strategy for enterprises with existing Microsoft SQL Server licenses. By strategically leveraging Software Assurance-enabled licenses, organizations…

Amazon EC2 – Consider Graviton Instances

Amazon Web Services Graviton instances offer a compelling opportunity for organizations to reduce compute costs while maintaining performance. By leveraging ARM-based processors, these instances provide significant cost savings and efficiency improvements for many workloads. Why Graviton Instances Matter Graviton instances are approximately 20% cheaper than equivalent x86 instances, making them an attractive option for cost-conscious…

Azure Virtual Machines – Consider Upgrading D-Series (AMD x64) Machines to Dav5

Azure provides multiple virtual machine series with varying performance characteristics and pricing. The D-series, while previously competitive, can now be optimized by upgrading to newer Dav5, Dasv5, or Dadsv5 series machines that offer improved price-performance ratios. Why This Policy Matters Upgrading Azure Virtual Machines from older D-series to newer Dav5 series can deliver significant benefits:…

Amazon RDS – Consider Single-AZ Databases in Non-Production Projects

Optimize cloud spending by using single-availability zone (single-AZ) RDS databases in non-production environments, potentially reducing costs by up to 50%. Why Single-AZ Databases Matter in Non-Production Environments Database infrastructure can quickly become a significant expense in cloud environments. For non-production workloads like development, staging, and testing, high-availability configurations are often unnecessary and can dramatically inflate…

AWS Lambda – Consider Graviton

AWS Lambda functions running on AWS Graviton processors can deliver significant cost savings and performance improvements for your cloud infrastructure. By migrating from x86 to ARM64 architecture, organizations can optimize their serverless computing strategy. Why Graviton Matters for Lambda Functions Graviton-based Lambda functions offer compelling advantages: Performance and Cost Benefits AWS Graviton processors, based on…

Azure Virtual Machines – Upgrade GS Series to Esv5 or Mv3

Azure offers multiple virtual machine series with varying performance and cost characteristics. Upgrading from older GS series machines to newer Esv5 or Mv3 series can significantly reduce cloud infrastructure expenses while improving computational performance. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters Older Azure VM series like the GS machines often have higher costs and less efficient…

Amazon RDS – Consider Upgrading Version to Avoid Extended Support Costs

Database engine versions that reach end-of-standard support can significantly increase operational costs for organizations running Amazon RDS instances. Upgrading to a newer database engine version can help eliminate additional extended support fees while improving performance, security, and overall database efficiency. Why This Policy Matters Extended support for older database engine versions comes with substantial financial…

Azure Virtual Machines – Consider Upgrading Ls Series Machines to Lsv2

Upgrade Azure Ls series virtual machines to Lsv2 series to improve price performance and reduce cloud infrastructure costs with newer processor technology. Why Upgrade Azure VM Series Azure’s Lsv2 series virtual machines offer significant advantages over the original Ls series, providing: Cost Optimization Potential Upgrading from Ls to Lsv2 series can deliver meaningful cost savings….

Google Compute Engine – Remove Unattached Disks

Identify and remove unattached Google Compute Engine persistent disks to eliminate unnecessary cloud storage costs and optimize cloud resource management. Why Unattached Disks Matter Unattached disks are persistent storage volumes in Google Cloud that exist without being connected to any active compute instance. These orphaned disks typically accumulate through: When instances are deleted, Google Cloud…

Amazon EKS – Upgrade Version to Avoid Extended Support Costs

Running outdated Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) clusters can significantly increase your cloud infrastructure expenses. Extended support for older Kubernetes versions comes with substantial cost implications that can be easily avoided through proactive version upgrades. Policy Overview Key Points: Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters Amazon EKS imposes additional charges for extended support on older…

Azure Database – Removing Geo-Redundant Backups in Non-Production Projects

In cloud infrastructure management, optimizing database backup strategies can significantly reduce unnecessary costs. Non-production environments often carry unnecessary redundancy that drives up cloud spending without providing critical business value. Why Geo-Redundant Backup Cost Optimization Matters Geo-redundant backups provide data durability across multiple geographic regions, which is critical for production environments. However, for non-production databases like…