Develop a workload review process

As AWS regularly introduces new services and features, it’s essential to periodically assess your existing architecture. This ensures that your operations remain cost-effective, allowing you to leverage innovation without incurring unnecessary expenses.

Best Practices

Establish a Workload Review Committee

• Form a cross-functional team responsible for workload evaluations, including stakeholders from finance, development, and operations. This ensures diverse perspectives are considered during the review process.

Define Evaluation Criteria

• Create clear criteria for evaluating workloads, focusing on cost savings, performance improvements, and alignment with business goals. This will help prioritize which workloads to review and when.

Schedule Regular Review Cycles

• Implement a schedule for reviewing core workloads quarterly or semi-annually, while smaller workloads can be reviewed annually. This helps maintain a proactive approach to identifying potential cost optimizations.

Document Findings and Actions

• Maintain detailed documentation of each review’s findings and the actions taken. This helps track improvements over time and provides a basis for future reviews.

Leverage AWS Cost Management Tools

• Utilize AWS Cost Explorer, Budgets, and Trusted Advisor to gather insights and data on workloads. These tools can provide valuable information on usage patterns and cost allocation, aiding in informed decision-making.

Engage with AWS Training and Resources

• Stay updated on new services and best practices by engaging with AWS training programs and resources. This knowledge will help inform the review process and identify opportunities for cost optimization.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you established criteria for which workloads are reviewed for cost optimization?
• How frequently do you conduct reviews for your core workloads, and have you documented this process?
• Are there specific metrics or KPIs you analyze during your workload review to assess cost effectiveness?
• Have you identified and prioritized workloads that account for significant portions of your costs?
• What process do you follow to integrate new AWS services into your existing architecture during these reviews?
• Is there a feedback mechanism in place to continually improve your workload review process based on insights gained?

Who should be doing this?

Cloud Architect

• Lead the review process and define workload evaluation criteria.
• Analyze architectural decisions against new AWS services.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to assess potential cost benefits.

Cost Analyst

• Monitor cloud spending and identify workloads that account for significant costs.
• Prepare reports on workload performance and cost implications.
• Provide data-driven insights on cost optimization opportunities.

Project Manager

• Coordinate the workload review process and schedule reviews.
• Ensure adherence to the defined review timelines.
• Facilitate communication among team members and stakeholders.

DevOps Engineer

• Implement changes based on workload review outcomes.
• Assist in deploying new AWS services or features as needed.
• Ensure that infrastructure aligns with cost optimization recommendations.

Business Stakeholder

• Provide input on workload importance and business impact.
• Support the prioritization of workloads for review based on strategic goals.
• Review findings and recommendations to align with business objectives.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Workload Review Process Template: A structured template outlining the steps for reviewing workloads, including criteria for selection, review frequency, and documentation requirements.
• Quarterly Workload Review Report: A sample report summarizing findings from the quarterly review of core workloads, detailing cost savings, potential optimizations, and recommendations for new services.
• Workload Review Policy Document: A formal policy that defines the process for workload reviews, including the criteria for selecting workloads, timelines, and responsible parties.
• Workload Evaluation Checklist: A comprehensive checklist to guide teams through the evaluation of new AWS services, ensuring all cost optimization factors are considered in the decision-making process.
• Cost Optimization Review Dashboard: An interactive dashboard that visualizes the cost metrics of workloads, highlighting those that meet the review criteria and showcasing potential areas for optimization.
• Annual Workload Review Strategy Guide: A strategic guide outlining the methodology and best practices for conducting annual reviews of smaller workloads to ensure long-term cost effectiveness.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Cost Explorer: AWS Cost Explorer allows you to view and analyze your costs and usage patterns over time, which can help identify opportunities for cost optimization.
• AWS Budgets: AWS Budgets enables you to set custom cost and usage budgets that notify you when your usage exceeds or is forecasted to exceed your defined thresholds.
• AWS Trusted Advisor: AWS Trusted Advisor provides real-time guidance to help you provision your resources following AWS best practices, including cost optimization recommendations.
• AWS Pricing Calculator: AWS Pricing Calculator allows you to estimate the cost of AWS services and choose the most cost-effective options for your workloads.

Azure

• Azure Cost Management + Billing: Azure Cost Management provides tools to monitor, allocate, and manage cloud costs, enabling you to evaluate your architecture for cost optimization.
• Azure Advisor: Azure Advisor offers personalized best practices and recommendations, including cost optimization advice for your Azure resources.
• Azure Pricing Calculator: Azure Pricing Calculator helps you estimate the costs associated with Azure services, allowing for informed decisions on service selection.

Google Cloud Platform

• Google Cloud Pricing Calculator: Google Cloud Pricing Calculator helps estimate your costs for GCP services, assisting in evaluating changes in architecture for optimization.
• Google Cloud Billing Reports: Billing Reports provide insights into your GCP spending, helping identify trends and areas for potential savings.
• Google Cloud Profiler: Google Cloud Profiler analyzes production applications to help you discover optimization opportunities, including cost-related metrics.

Question: How do you evaluate new services?
Pillar: Cost Optimization (Code: COST)