Mere insight is not enough to optimize cloud use
Optimally organizing your cloud environment can yield significant cost savings. Almost all large cloud providers offer tooling for optimization, but according to Azer Mehrab, cloud specialist at independent ICT consultant Blackbelt XP, such a ‘native tool’ is only a starting point. “They are built to give you insight, but you need to optimize your cloud yourself.
As IT spending increases, cost control becomes more important. Especially now the cloud has become the central focus of modern business operations. Yet the majority of businesses lack the insight or skills to fully exploit the potential for cost optimization, according to research into European IT spend from Rackspace Technology. “Many organisations think that their cloud provider’s tooling gives them enough insight into how much they are spending and how their security is doing,” says Mehrab. “I often see people thinking – wrongly – that these native tools are a full blown money saving tool.”
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Strikingly enough, users of a public cloud solution seem to blindly follow the advice offered by the supplier of this cloud. “In fact, you are trusting your supplier to be the best, because they say they are”, says Mehrab. But a little critical attitude comes a long way, he says. This does not mean that the cloud expert is not enthusiastic about the native tools that cloud providers offer. “Google, Amazon and Microsoft all want you to benefit as much as possible from their cloud solution, for the simple reason that they want to keep you as a customer,” he explains. Therefore, the native tool is a great first step and Mehrab encourages organisations to definitely use the tools. “But after that, as a company, you have to start optimizing the cloud environment and the workloads yourself. The tool shows you the possibilities, but you have to press the buttons yourself.”
Training wheels
But that is not easy, because while the native tools are standard dashboards that show the same elements for every organization, the exact tuning differs per company. “A legal organisation has different cloud requirements than an agricultural company, for example.” Mehrab compares the standard tools to cycling with training wheels. “You can learn how to ride a bike that way, but eventually you have to learn to keep your balance yourself and be able to do without the training wheels.” For this, it is important that an organisation not only has insight into their cloud use, but also knows the requirements of the organisation itself in this field. “Only a complete picture will give you optimal efficiency, security and cost effectiveness.”
Your specific situation
The cloud has enormous potential, and optimizing cloud spending is the key to controlling costs and minimising waste. Due to a lack of optimization, many companies are still paying too much for their cloud environment. Independent ICT consultants of Blackbelt XP developed an AI-based tool that allows organisations to optimize their dedicated cloud environment, gain insight and reduce costs. “Unlike the standard native tools, Control Tower for Microsoft Azure is based on an AI model that can be deployed on a customer-specific basis. The system looks at your business, your systems and continuously learns from your usage. The advice is therefore continuously optimized, because the tool gets to know your cloud environment and its use better and better.” The result is optimal use of the cloud, insight into the IT maturity of your organisation and cost savings through efficient use. “With Control Tower, you learn to ride a bike without training wheels.”
Control Tower for Microsoft Azure as the next step for your cloud environment
Optimizing the cloud environment maximizes resources and reduces costs. Read more about Cloud Optimization for full insight and complete control over your cloud environment.
