Identifying and Eliminating Cloud Waste: A Practical Guide
Cloud waste is the gap between what organisations pay for and what they actually use. Studies show that 30% of cloud spending is wasted on idle, oversized, or forgotten resources.
Common Sources of Waste
- Idle resources: Development environments running 24/7 when used 8 hours/day
- Oversized instances: Resources provisioned for peak but running at 10% utilisation
- Orphaned storage: Volumes and snapshots no longer attached to anything
- Unused licences: Software subscriptions no one uses
Detection Methods
Use cloud provider tools to identify resources with consistently low utilisation. Set up automated reports that flag resources below usage thresholds. Review spending trends monthly.
Elimination Strategies
Automate shutdown of non-production environments outside business hours. Right-size based on 90th percentile utilisation. Delete orphaned resources. Organisations that systematically address waste typically recover 20-35% of their cloud budget.
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