The rise of cloud-based IT infrastructures and hybrid environments has brought new challenges to DevOps teams who must deal with new methods of operational management.
Due to the nature of the cloud, users can choose from a wide range of cloud resources with ease and fast deployment. At the same time, it’s easy for costs to spin out of control without proper management.
Optimizing performance is one of the main roles of DevOps teams. Cloud management and cloud cost tools come equipped with utilization and cost monitoring so you have the visibility needed to reduce management expenses and cloud bills too.
With the right cloud cost optimization tools, DevOps teams can identify and respond to inefficiencies in their cloud environments. The added benefit is reduced monthly cloud costs.
This blog will explore three areas of inefficiencies where tools can make the role and job of DevOps teams easier:
Eliminate Repeat Tasks
Automation is one of the most basic features of cloud cost optimization tools. Some of the ways the DevOps team may benefit from it include automating notification systems and resource tagging[1] .
It can also help in setting up routine cleanups of unused cloud resources and automating program startup and shutdown tasks based on usage and needs.
All of these repeat tasks can be automated to help DevOps save time, while keeping costs in constant check. DevOps simply get notifications when there are anomalies in utilization or cost.
Manage Unused or Incorrect Instance Sizing
Cloud sprawl is an issue for businesses, but it might not be a top priority for DevOps. However, a cloud cost optimization tool is still helpful to DevOps teams since they will be able to see and manage all provisioned instances in one location.
Oftentimes instances and other cloud resources go forgotten, so a cloud cost optimization tool can help teams keep track of their own projects (development testing, for example) and what resources they provisioned for them.
An optimization tool can also help flag these unused or incorrectly sized instances for automatic removal or rightsizing.
Forgotten instances means you are paying for them even when not in use so it’s best to automate their removal to prevent a massive cloud bill at the end of the month.
Stay Informed on Changing Savings Plans
Whichever cloud provider you choose, discounted plans and savings plans are constantly evolving. It’s hard to keep up with their changing pricing structures, as many DevOps would agree.
These savings plans offer significant reduction in overall costs. They vary by upfront costs and commitment terms. Cloud cost optimization tools can help DevOps tap into underutilized capacity from these savings plans.
For example, if you’re an AWS user, they can make recommendations on how to make RI (Reserved Instances) purchases, how to switch from on-demand to RI pricing, and they can also let you know when they are about to expire.
Additionally, though you are locked in long-term commitments, DevOps teams benefit from the constant monitoring provided by cloud cost optimizations tools so that they can make decisions on renewing or changing savings plans.
How DevOps Can Become More Cost Conscious
Ultimately, DevOps teams need to have complete transparency into their cloud environment. Cloud cost optimization tools empower DevOps to gain visibility around costs, usage, and even security, depending on the tool.
Far too often the responsibility for cost management gets muddled or falls upon one individual who may not share everyday updates related to costs and usage with their CTOs/management.
Therefore, an optimization tool can introduce accountability across teams, including DevOps, by delivering the cost intelligence and data to the teams that are building products and features.
Because the data can be sorted by service and product, the tool can send alerts to the appropriate team.
Having the right context at each step of the development phase can ensure that DevOps make informed decisions when it comes to building cost-effective applications and products.
