Cloud based applications are continuing to grow in popularity, due to benefits such as simplified deployment, increased accessibility and reduced maintenance. Cloud migrations are often staggered, with different applications and platforms being rolled out at different times. This is a popular and recommended approach to ensure a smooth transition and improve adoption rates.
However, building a bank of Cloud based applications can lead to unexpected bill shock, so it is crucial to monitor your assets and ensure that you are only paying for active, in-use applications. The mismanagement of Cloud assets, and the resulting bill shock, are the cause of the myth that Cloud computing is expensive.
Common mistakes that lead to surging costs
There are several elements that can lead to avoidable Cloud asset cost increases. With multiple departments within one organisation rolling out new solutions to enable their team, it can be very difficult to keep track of all current assets. This is especially true in time-pressured situations where department leaders are rushing to ensure they can maintain business as usual.
A side effect of this, and a common issue of its own, is the deployment of assets that provide the same service as an existing resource. For example, if you are paying for a holistic workplace solution such as Microsoft 365, this includes storage in SharePoint / OneDrive. Therefore, you do not need to pay for a separate file hosting solution. Instead, you should maximise your existing subscription and avoid paying for the same service twice. Another example is using a teleconference point solution when you already have Microsoft Teams.
Because monitoring Cloud assets can be tricky, it is also common for businesses to find themselves still paying for legacy assets or assets that are rarely used. Without having the oversight of these, it is hard to know whether you should downgrade or remove these assets completely.
Introducing WARDY IT Solutions’ Cloud Beacon
To combat this issue and reduce the risk of bill shock, WARDY IT Solutions have launched Cloud Beacon. An intelligent, real-time monitoring tool, Cloud Beacon presents an overview of your entire Cloud footprint and spend to date.
Compatible with Azure, Google and AWS, Cloud Beacon offers users a customisable dashboard with real-time data, historic data and predicted costs ahead. The software allows you to create customised reports to drive informed decisions on which assets need reviewing, upgrading or downgrading.
Features include a spend predictor and the ability to set spend thresholds. When a threshold is approached or reached, an alert is sent out. You can then drill down into the asset in question to understand what is causing the high level of activity.
A quick tour of Cloud Beacon
The Cloud Beacon interface has been designed with ease of use in mind. Once logged in, you will be directed to the summary screen.
This screen gives you a summary of your daily average spend for the current and previous months. This can be customised to include more historic data, based on your requirements.
You’ll also see a list of all your Cloud assets and their associated costs. Here, the cost is presented as per month.
By clicking on the individual asset, you can then see the data and cost information in more detail, presented graphically. Here you can see the asset spend for two months. Two months is the default setting and can be changed based on your requirements. You can also see the projected spend, based on your recent activity.
The screen to the right highlights the properties of the asset. This is where you can set a spend limit for the asset, Cloud Beacon will then notify you when you are approaching the determined limit.
Cloud Beacon also allows you to configure the portal view that you see using the toolbar to the left of the portal. From here you can review all monitored assets, define reporting requirements and set spend thresholds.
Find out more
Cloud Beacon provides valuable transparency across your entire Cloud footprint. This helps you regain control across your resources and make informed decisions. Using Cloud Beacon, you can identify opportunities to remove or reduce assets, avoid double up and scale up or down key subscriptions.
Set up is quick and easy, with your dashboard accessible within one day. To find out more or to enquire about Cloud Beacon, contact WARDY IT Solutions today.
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