Amazon OpenSearch – Consider Graviton Instances

Graviton instances powered by AWS-designed ARM-based processors provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional x86 instances in Amazon OpenSearch deployments. By strategically selecting Graviton instances, organizations can achieve meaningful cost savings without compromising performance. Why This Policy Matters Cost Efficiency Performance Considerations Potential Cost Savings Comparative Instance Pricing Example Instance Type Monthly Cost Cost Difference  m5.xlarge.search…

Google Compute Engine – Consider Using Current Generation Machine Types

When deploying Google Compute Engine virtual machines, choosing the right machine type can significantly impact your cloud infrastructure’s performance and cost-efficiency. First-generation N1 machine types are outdated, and Google recommends transitioning to more advanced second-generation options. Why This Policy Matters Performance and Cost Benefits Google’s second-generation machine types provide substantial advantages: Potential Cost Savings Consider…

Amazon ElastiCache – Consider Using Graviton Instances

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Graviton instances offer significant cost savings for ElastiCache deployments. By switching to Arm-based Graviton instances, organizations can reduce infrastructure expenses while maintaining performance. Why This Policy Matters Graviton instances provide a compelling cost-optimization strategy for ElastiCache deployments: Detailed Cost Analysis Pricing Comparison Instance Type Monthly Cost (us-east-1) Performance Cost Savings  cache.m5.xlarge…

Amazon DynamoDB – Consider Using TTL on Tables

DynamoDB tables can accumulate data over time, leading to unnecessary storage costs and potential performance impacts. Time-to-Live (TTL) provides an automated mechanism to remove expired or unnecessary items, helping organizations optimize their database storage and reduce unnecessary expenses. Why This Policy Matters TTL is a critical cost optimization strategy for DynamoDB that offers several key…

Azure App Service – Upgrade to Premium v3

Azure App Service Premium v3 offers significant performance improvements and potential cost savings compared to previous service plan tiers. Organizations can optimize performance and cloud spending by strategically upgrading their App Service plans. Why Upgrade to Premium v3? Premium v3 service plans provide substantial benefits: Detailed Explanation Performance and Cost Benefits The performance differences between…

Azure Virtual Machines – Consider Upgrading DS Series Machines to Dv5

Systematically upgrade Azure DS series virtual machines to Dv5 or Ddsv5 series to leverage newer processor technologies, improve performance, and reduce monthly infrastructure costs. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters The evolution of Azure virtual machine series presents critical opportunities for FinOps professionals to: Cost Reduction Potential Upgrading from DS series to Dv5 or Ddsv5…

Azure App Service – Consider Upgrading Isolated Service Plans to v2

App Service Isolated v2 plans offer significant performance improvements and cost optimization opportunities for organizations running Azure App Services. This policy provides guidance on evaluating and migrating to the more cost-effective Isolated v2 service plans. Why This Policy Matters Azure App Service Isolated v2 plans represent a strategic opportunity for organizations to: Detailed Explanation Performance…

Azure Virtual Machines – Upgrade ND Series Machines

Optimize Azure VM costs by upgrading deprecated ND series machines to more modern and cost-effective NCas T4 v3 or NDamsr A100 v4 series virtual machines. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters The ND series virtual machines have reached end-of-life, presenting a critical opportunity for cost optimization and performance improvement in cloud infrastructure. As technology evolves,…

Google Compute Engine – Consider Predefined Machine Types

Predefined machine types in Google Compute Engine offer significant cost savings compared to custom machine types, providing optimized performance and pricing for most workloads. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters In the world of cloud cost optimization, selecting the right machine type is crucial for controlling expenses. Custom machine types typically cost 5% more than…

Azure Firewall – Consider Downgrading to Standard or Basic

Optimize Azure Firewall costs by selecting the appropriate tier based on your specific security requirements, potentially saving up to 67% on monthly infrastructure expenses. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters in FinOps In the world of cloud financial management, every dollar counts. Azure Firewall offers multiple pricing tiers with varying feature sets, and selecting the…

Amazon Cloudwatch – Consider Using a Retention Policy to Reduce Storage Costs

Implement log retention policies in AWS CloudWatch to optimize storage costs and prevent unnecessary log accumulation that can lead to significant cloud spending. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters Log management is a critical aspect of cloud cost optimization. Without proper retention strategies, organizations can inadvertently accumulate massive storage costs from unchecked log data. CloudWatch…

Amazon VPC – Consider Avoiding Multiple NAT Gateways for a Single Subnet

Minimize cloud infrastructure costs by strategically sharing NAT gateways across subnets, preventing unnecessary network address translation expenses. Detailed Explanation Why This Policy Matters NAT (Network Address Translation) gateways are critical for enabling private subnets to access the internet, but they come with significant ongoing costs. Each NAT gateway incurs substantial monthly charges, making it crucial…