Azure Cost Management Tools Made Easy: Tips, Tricks and Best Practices

Managing Azure costs effectively is crucial for any organization utilizing the Azure cloud platform. With the myriad of services and resources available, it's easy for costs to spiral out of control if not closely monitored. Azure cost management tools play a vital role in providing visibility, control, and optimization of Azure spending.

In this blog post, we will explore the importance of having a robust Azure cost management tool and why IG CloudOps, with its combination of industry-leading open source tools brought into one management portal, is an excellent option for controlling and reducing Azure costs.

The Need for an Azure Cost Management Tool

As businesses embrace the on-demand nature of Azure, it becomes essential to have a comprehensive cost management tool in place. Here are some key reasons why such a tool is crucial:

1. Visibility: An Azure cost management tool provides visibility into resource usage, consumption patterns, and associated costs. This enables your team to identify areas that could be changed to save cost while balancing performance and resiliance.

2. Azure Cost Control: With a cost management tool, organizations can set budgets, monitor spending in real time, and receive alerts when expenditures exceed predefined thresholds. This allows for proactive cost control monitoring, preventing surprises at the end of the month.

3. Azure Resource Optimization: Identifying underutilised or idle resources is essential for cost optimisation. A cost management tool helps identify such resources, enabling businesses to right-size, scale down, or decommission them, resulting in significant cost savings.

4. Accountability: With multiple teams and stakeholders involved, it's crucial to have clear accountability for Azure costs. Cost management tools provide insights into individual resource owners, enabling departments or teams to take ownership and optimise their own spending.

IG CloudOps: The All-in-One Solution for Azure Cost Management

IG CloudOps stands out as an exceptional option for controlling and reducing Azure costs. Here's why:

1. Industry-Leading Open Source Tools: CloudOps (Our cloud management platform) leverages a combination of industry-leading open-source tools, carefully selected and integrated into a single portal. This integration provides a seamless experience for managing and maintaining Azure, reviewing costs and streamlining the cost optimization process. To see the technology driving CloudOps find out more here.

2. Comprehensive Azure Cost Visibility: IG CloudOps offers real-time cost visibility with detailed breakdowns and dashboards. It provides real-time insights into resource consumption, cost trends, and usage patterns, enabling businesses to make informed decisions.

3. Cost Optimization Recommendations: IG CloudOps goes beyond reporting and offers intelligent recommendations for cost optimization. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, it identifies opportunities to save costs, such as rightsizing virtual machines, resizing storage, or leveraging reserved instances.

4. UK-Based Team of Azure Experts: IG CloudOps provides the added advantage of a UK-based team of Azure experts. These professionals possess deep knowledge and experience in optimising Azure costs, assisting businesses in implementing effective cost-reduction strategies tailored to their specific needs. We also carry out an array of Azure services from architecture to deployment to maintenance, find out more here.

Best Practices for Azure Cost Management

To make the most of an Azure cost management tool, consider the following best practices:

1. Regular Azure Monitoring: Monitor costs and resource usage regularly to identify anomalies and areas for improvement.

2. Tagging Strategy: Implement a robust tagging strategy to accurately attribute costs to specific resources and track spending by departments or projects.

3. Rightsizing: Regularly review resource utilization and rightsize instances, databases, and storage to match workload requirements accurately.

4. Reserved Instances: Identify workloads with consistent usage patterns and leverage Azure Reserved Instances to achieve substantial cost savings.

5. Continuous Optimisation: Cost optimization is an ongoing process. Regularly review cost management reports and recommendations, and adjust resource allocation and usage accordingly.

What should I consider next?

An effective Azure cost management tool provides the necessary visibility, control, and optimisation capabilities. IG CloudOps stands out as an excellent choice, offering a comprehensive suite of industry-leading open-source tools, a UK-based team of Azure experts, and a wealth of features for managing and optimizing Azure.

By implementing best practices and leveraging the power of IG CloudOps, you can take control of your Azure spending, drive cost efficiencies, and maximize your return on investment in the Azure cloud.

Speak to a member of our Azure team today.

Or book a free test drive to find out how we can help you with Azure management & maintenance. 

You might also be interested in:

Why an Azure cost management tool only gives you part of the picture

How to Evaluate Azure Cost Management and Ensure You’re Getting Value for Money

How to Find the Perfect Fit for Your Microsoft Azure Support Plan