Introduction
Multi-cloud environments can be challenging to manage, especially when it comes to cost management. With multiple cloud providers comes a multitude of pricing models, billing cycles, and unexpected costs. That's why implementing cloud governance can help control expenses and make sure your resources are being used effectively. Let's take a closer look.
Governance for Multi-Cloud Cost Management
The first step towards multi-cloud cost management is creating a governance framework. This helps organizations manage multiple cloud providers while maintaining control over IT resources and costs. Governance can help organizations:
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Optimize Cloud Usage: By setting up policies and procedures for cloud usage, organizations can reduce the risk of overprovisioning or underutilization of resources. They can also identify areas for optimization and make informed decisions about where to allocate IT budget.
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Consolidate Spend: Governance can help organizations track spending across multiple cloud providers, enabling them to determine which providers and services are driving the most cost. This information can then be used to negotiate better deals with providers or consolidate usage on a single platform.
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Reduce Waste: Maintaining governance policies around deletion of unused resources can help organizations avoid paying for resources that aren't being utilized, reducing waste and unnecessary spending.
Cost Comparison
When it comes to comparing the cost of multi-cloud environments, it's important to note that pricing structures vary widely among cloud providers. Here's a quick comparison of the pricing structures of three top cloud providers:
| Cloud Provider | Pricing Model | Example Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Pay-As-You-Go, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Spot Instances | $0.10 per GB of outbound data transfer |
| Microsoft Azure | Pay-As-You-Go, Reserved Instances, and Spot Instances | $0.088 per GB of outbound data transfer |
| Google Cloud Platform (GCP) | Pay-As-You-Go, Committed Use Discounts, and Preemptible VMs | $0.12 per GB of outbound data transfer |
As we can see from the table above, AWS, Azure, and GCP differ in their pricing strategies, with each offering a unique set of benefits and challenges. However, the ultimate decision about which cloud provider to choose will depend on the specific needs of your organization.
Conclusion
Multi-cloud environments can be complex and challenging to manage, but with the right governance framework, organizations can effectively control costs while taking advantage of the best each cloud provider has to offer. By optimizing cloud usage, consolidating spend, and reducing waste, organizations can make informed decisions about how to allocate their IT budgets and resources.
References
- AWS Pricing: https://aws.amazon.com/pricing/
- Azure Pricing: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/bandwidth/
- GCP Pricing: https://cloud.google.com/pricing/v1/networking