How to Use AWS to Identify Resource Waste

The fifth and final pillar of the AWS Well-Architected Framework, Cost Optimisation, helps businesses ensure they use their resources effectively. By following its five best practices, you can optimise your expenses and expenditures, saving you money, time, and resources.

Cost Optimisation: Best Practices
Two of the best practices included in the Cost Optimisation pillar are improving your awareness of your expenditures and usage and finding cost-effective resources. By ensuring you use the most cost-effective options available, you can reduce your resource waste.

Improving Awareness of Expenditures and Usages
AWS can help you track your expenditures and usages through cost allocation tags. Categorise and tag different resources using your own tag names. Many companies use categories like owners, names of workloads, or names of cost centres to organise their tags.

Once you have tagged your resources, you can use AWS to create a report that tells you your cost and usage. Depending on your needs, you may want to use AWS Cost Explorer or Amazon QuickSight and Amazon Athena to create a more in-depth analysis or to receive reports daily.

If you use these regular reports in addition to tracking the lifecycle of a project or the history of an employee, you can see which areas, projects, or employees no longer generate revenue for your company.

Finding Cost-Effective Resources
Besides analysing your AWS reports and identifying resource waste, you can also use the AWS Cost Optimisation pillar to help you replace wasteful resources with cost-effective ones.

Cost-effective resources are not always the cheapest option. Sometimes, a more expensive resource takes less time or accomplishes the task more efficiently, making it a better choice in the long run.

Because AWS allows you to select only the services you require, you can save on costs while also using a top-of-the-line cloud service. Additionally, many AWS services allow you to pay by usage, which means you don’t pay for services you didn’t use.

When selecting your services, consider their efficiency and their cost compared to your needs. You should also consider whether using an automated service can reduce your overhead when compared to using personnel.

Optimise Your Costs With AWS and WOLK
As a long-time Partner with the AWS Well-Architected Program, WOLK can review your workloads and organisation to ensure you comply with all five pillars, including cost optimisation. If we find an issue, like a problem with your tags or an ineffective use of your resources, we can provide solutions to help your business optimise costs and grow.

Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation and learn how WOLK can help you.