Maintaining data centers onsite can get expensive, and it is the reason why thousands of companies across the globe are switching to public cloud services such as AWS. Due to its massive infrastructure, AWS is able to cater to developed as well as new companies. The flexibility and scalability offered by AWS are unmatched, and it continues to attract more and more companies towards its platform.
Once you have switched to AWS, the next question to ask is how to reduce AWS costs. The AWS costs can rise exponentially if you don’t know how to optimize your storage and processes. Here are a few ways to reduce the AWS bill considerably.
Custom Tags
Using custom tags to classify the elements used and the costs associated with it can help you understand what is contributing to your bill and what can be modified to bring it down. There are features inside of the AWS platform, such as Trusted Advisor and Cost Explorer that would help you understand the optimization features you can use to bring down the cost further. Using these optimization features would help you get an insight into your AWS bill and identify trends leading to high bills.
Shutdown Unused Instances
Make it a regular practice to shut down the instances and services that are not used or not needed at the end of the working day to reduce the AWS bill. Shutting down the AWS resources that are not in use or non-essential is an integral part of any AWS cost optimization drive.
Monitor Service Usage
The instance metrics of your AWS service usage can be tracked through the Trusted Advisor. It would help you review the service usage and turn off features and instances that are not required. The size and scale of the instances can also be trimmed if required to bring down the cost. The in-built management tool, such as Trusted Advisor, would help you get an idea of idle resources. The clarity offered by such management tools makes it easier to scale up or down the instances of AWS as required while optimizing cost on the go.
Choosing the Right Instance Type
The instance families in AWS are numerous, and it is essential to choose the right instance types to ensure the cost does not continue to shoot up unnecessarily. Choosing the instances that are suitable for your workload and fits your budget is imperative to keep the AWS bill within your budget. The processing and memory type required for your workload would help determine the instance type. Periodically review the instance type you are using to ensure it is conducive to your workload.
Choose the Right Instance Size
One of the biggest benefits of utilizing the AWS platform is the flexibility it offers. With AWS, you can choose the services that fit your business scale and workload requirements exactly without having to overpay. The companies can even choose to use multiple services at the same time simultaneously to optimize their cloud operations while keeping the cost low. You can scale up or down your requirements and instance size as per your workload and requirements.
If you are looking for definitive answers to how to reduce AWS costs, following the above-mentioned tips would be helpful. It is a good idea to constantly review your AWS dashboard and the services and instances that are in use. Keep modifying and shuffling as per your business requirements, and you’ll finally land on a configuration that suits your business and fits your pocket perfectly.
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