Controlling cloud costs has become one of the most challenging tasks for Cloud Engineers. Many companies hire specialized personnel or services to monitor and control their cloud expenses.
I recall working for a company as a Cloud Architect. They were using AWS as their cloud provider, and their monthly bill was a staggering $50,000. One of my primary missions was to reduce these costs. However, the tools provided by AWS to monitor billing were not efficient for identifying abandoned instances, scheduling shutdowns for instances during weekends, and implementing other cost-cutting strategies.
Often, I had to create an inventory manually by compiling data into an Excel sheet. This involved checking if resources were accessible, monitoring application logs, and analyzing CPU, RAM, and network usage. It was a time-consuming process that required significant effort but was essential to identify inefficiencies and reduce expenses.
Why I Like OptScale
I was looking for a FinOps tool to manage multiple cloud accounts and providers. An ex-colleague from India suggested I try OptScale.
OptScale is free—you can create a free account and configure your cloud account to accept requests.
Here are some reasons why OptScale stands out:
- Comprehensive Reports and Recommendations: OptScale provides detailed insights and actionable recommendations to optimize cloud usage.
- Power Schedules: You can configure power schedules to automate instance shutdowns during non-production hours, saving costs effortlessly.
- Anomaly Detection: OptScale monitors daily expenses and flags anomalies, ensuring you’re aware of unexpected cost spikes.
- FinOps Portal: The portal offers valuable advice for optimizing your cloud platforms and implementing best practices.
- Cost Map: This feature helps you visualize the location/region of your resources, making it easier to identify redundancies or inefficiencies.
OptScale simplifies cloud cost management and ensures you stay within budget while maximizing efficiency. It’s an excellent tool for anyone serious about FinOps.
Some OptScale Reports
The Dashboard
In the left menu, you’ll find all the essential reports, such as Recommendations, Resources, Cost Explorer, Cost Map, and Power Schedules.
On the home page, you can get an overview of your resources and billing for the last three months. Additionally, you’ll see cost recommendations and security insights.
Recommendations: A Key Feature
Recommendations is one of my favorite reports. Here are some examples of what you can find in this section:
- Reserved Instances Opportunities
- Some of your active instances have been detected as sustainable (for more than 90 days) compute consumers but have not been covered with Reserved Instances or Saving Plans. Consider purchasing Reserved Instances to save on compute usage. Check RI/SP Coverage to see the detailed breakdown of current reservations.
- Instances with Migration Opportunities
- Some of your active instances can cost less with the same size in another geographically closer region. Consider their migration to the recommended region to reduce expenses.
- Abandoned Instances
- Some of your active instances have been detected as abandoned (average CPU consumption is less than 5% and network traffic below 1000 bytes/s for the last 7 days). Consider their termination to reduce expenses.
- Instances for Shutdown
- Some of your instances have an inactivity pattern that allows you to set up an on/off power schedule (average CPU consumption is less than 5% and network traffic below 1000 bytes/s for the last 14 days). Consider creating a power schedule to reduce expenses.
- And Many More
Saving Spike Emails
Every month, OptScale sends an email summarizing potential savings based on its recommendations. This report helps you stay informed about cost-saving opportunities, such as:
- Instances Suitable for Reserved Instances or Savings Plans
- Idle or Abandoned Resources
- Power Scheduling Suggestions for Non-Production Hours
- Migration Opportunities to Lower-Cost Regions
- Anomalies in Daily Expenses
OptScale simplifies cloud cost management and ensures you stay within budget while maximizing efficiency. It’s an excellent tool for anyone serious about FinOps.
Here you will find documentions to deploy and configure your OptScale account:
https://hystax.com/documentation/optscale/
