The Azure Cost Optimization workbook is a powerful tool designed to help you understand and optimize your Azure costs. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various features and capabilities of the workbook, equipping you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and drive cost savings in your Azure environment.

Overview

The Azure Cost Optimization workbook serves as a centralized hub for some of the most commonly used cost optimization tools and insights. It offers a range of recommendations and insights aligned with the Well-Architected Framework’s Cost Optimization pillar, including:

  • Azure Advisor cost recommendations
  • Identification of idle resources
  • Management of improperly deallocated Virtual Machines
  • Recommendations for applying Azure Reservations and Savings Plan for Compute
  • Insights into using Azure Hybrid Benefit options

The workbook is organized into different tabs and subtabs, each focusing on a specific area to help you reduce the cost of your Azure environment. These include:

  1. Overview: Provides a high-level summary of your Azure resource distribution, security and reliability recommendations.
  2. Rate Optimization: Focuses on potential savings related to the rate optimization of your Azure services, including Azure Hybrid Benefit, Azure Reservations, and Azure Savings Plan for Compute.
  3. Usage Optimization: Examines potential savings related to the usage optimization of your Azure services, such as Compute, Storage, and Networking resources.
  4. Top 10 Services: Offers insights and recommendations for optimizing the costs of other popular Azure services, including Web Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Synapse, and Azure Monitor.

Each tab supports filtering, exporting, and quick-fix capabilities, allowing you to focus on specific workloads, share insights with your team, and streamline the optimization process.

Getting Started

To access the Azure Cost Optimization workbook, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Workbooks gallery in Azure Advisor.
  2. Open the Cost Optimization (Preview) workbook template.

The workbook will provide you with a wealth of information and recommendations to help you optimize your Azure costs. Let’s dive deeper into the different sections of the workbook.

Rate Optimization

The Rate Optimization tab focuses on reviewing potential savings related to the rate optimization of your Azure services. This includes:

Azure Hybrid Benefit

The Azure Hybrid Benefit represents an excellent opportunity to save on Virtual Machines (VMs), SQL, and Azure Stack HCI operating system costs. The workbook can help you identify these opportunities and guide you through the process of enabling the Azure Hybrid Benefit.

Azure Reservations

The workbook allows you to review Azure Reservations cost-saving opportunities across your subscriptions. You can use filters to focus on specific resource types and time periods to identify the best reservation options.

Azure Savings Plan for Compute

Similar to Azure Reservations, the workbook provides insights into Azure Savings Plan for Compute cost-saving opportunities, helping you make informed decisions about this cost optimization strategy.

Usage Optimization

The Usage Optimization tab focuses on reviewing potential savings related to the usage optimization of your Azure services. This includes:

Compute

The workbook identifies compute resources that can be optimized, such as Virtual Machines in a Stopped state, Deallocated Virtual Machines, and Virtual Machine Scale Sets. It provides recommendations and quick fixes to address these optimization opportunities.

Storage

The workbook examines storage resources, identifying optimization opportunities like upgrading to Storage v2, managing unattached Managed Disks, and optimizing Disk Snapshots and Backup storage settings.

Networking

The workbook provides insights into networking resources, such as Azure Firewall instances, Application Gateways, Load Balancers, and Virtual Network Gateways, helping you identify and address any optimization opportunities.

The workbook also covers optimization recommendations for other popular Azure services, including Web Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Synapse, and Azure Monitor.

By leveraging the insights and recommendations provided in the Azure Cost Optimization workbook, you can effectively manage and optimize your Azure costs, ensuring your cloud resources are utilized efficiently and cost-effectively.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Azure Advisor Cost Optimization Workbook documentation.