Understanding Cloud Waste: The Hidden Cost of Convenience
Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand the common sources of cloud waste:
1. Idle Resources
Resources that are provisioned but not actively used:
- Running instances with low CPU utilization
- Provisioned databases with minimal connections
- Load balancers routing traffic to a single instance
2. Overprovisioned Resources
Resources allocated beyond actual requirements:
- Instances with more CPU/memory than needed
- Databases with excessive provisioned IOPS
- Oversized storage volumes with low utilization
3. Orphaned Resources
Resources that are no longer needed but still incurring costs:
- Unattached storage volumes
- Unused IP addresses
- Outdated snapshots and backups
- Zombie assets (resources with no owner)
4. Inefficient Architecture
Architectural decisions that lead to unnecessary costs:
- Using on-demand instances for predictable workloads
- Inefficient data transfer patterns
- Redundant data storage
- Suboptimal region selection