ShareGate recently announced that the ShareGate Overcast tool will be discontinued on June 1, 2021. Overcast is an Azure cloud spending analysis tool, and its imminent retirement led many in the VIAcode community to ask us about Overcast alternatives.
In this article, we’d like to take a look at some of the ways Azure users can address cloud cost concerns, discover potential cost savings, and implement processes that ensure cloud spending aligns with business objectives.
The Challenge: Businesses Overspend on Cloud Infrastructure
Research shows that cloud waste consumes up to 30 percent of total IT spend. Businesses adopt cloud infrastructure because it promises efficient infrastructure spending, but real-world cloud costs frequently exceed expectations.
ShareGate Overcast helped Azure users to identify the immediate causes of past overspending, reporting unused storage devices, VMs, and similarly wasted resources.
But highlighting short-term issues is only a partial solution. Azure users should also ask why they overspend and what they can do to control future cloud spending through improved processes and tooling.
That’s why VIAcode recommends and supports a three-phase cost optimization process.
Identify Cost-Saving Opportunities
The first step is a preliminary analysis to identify potential cost savings. This should be a low-friction process that provides actionable information about unused resources, over-provisioning, and other opportunities to reduce cloud spending.
VIAcode’s Azure Snapshot was designed with just this use-case in mind. Azure Snapshot is a free self-service tool that quickly analyzes Azure subscriptions. It generates reports with actionable cost optimization recommendations, as well as security and monitoring recommendations.
Analyze, Plan, and Prioritize
Azure Snapshot saves businesses money, but a complete Azure cost assessment demands a more profound analysis that considers the totality of a business’s Azure infrastructure in its context of use. It aims to identify forward-looking cost savings, prioritize based on their impact, and provide recommendations tailored to each business’s Azure environment.
In the VIAcode cost optimization journey, that’s the role of the Azure Optimization Assessment (AOA). The AOA combines our proprietary assessment technology with the analysis of experienced cloud experts. It provides prioritized recommendations that save Azure users an average of 30 percent.
Implement and Maintain
By this point in your Azure cost optimization journey, you have a prioritized list of actionable recommendations. The next step is to implement cost optimization best practices and build processes to maintain optimal spending in the future.
Many businesses find this challenging, primarily because they lack the time, resources, and Azure expertise to implement processes and tooling that could significantly reduce cloud spend. Additionally, Azure environments evolve, making cost optimization an ongoing process that includes monitoring, governance, and regular reviews.
VIAcode’s Azure Optimization services help businesses to attain and maintain their cloud spending goals. We’ll work with you to execute your optimization roadmap and provide the expertise you need to keep cloud spending under control.
To get started on your cloud cost optimization journey, take the free Azure Snapshot test today or contact one of our Azure experts for a free initial consultation.
