Optimising cost is a continuous discipline. These patterns consistently deliver savings without compromising performance.
Monitor actual usage and resize compute to match. Use auto-scaling rules to handle peaks rather than provisioning for worst case.
Commit to baseline usage for 1-3 years to lock in substantial discounts on VMs, databases, and analytics services.
Automate start/stop schedules for dev/test environments. This simple step can cut costs by 40-60% for those workloads.
PaaS offerings often reduce operational overhead and total cost. Compare fully-loaded costs, not just VM prices.
Choose appropriate storage tiers, lifecycle policies, and caching/CDN to lower hot storage and egress charges.