Are Your Cloud Costs Too Damn High???
Summary
Cloud cost optimization is about designing systems that perform efficiently without wasting money. In this episode, Carl and Brandon break down how AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud help teams rightsize compute, manage storage tiers, and control networking costs. They talk through savings plans, spot instances, lifecycle management, and data transfer strategies that keep performance high and waste low.
The discussion then moves into monitoring, automation, and FinOps culture, where budgets, policies, and shared accountability make optimization stick. They cover dashboards, tagging, auto-shutdown routines, and partner-led programs that unlock funding and deeper discounts. Real-world stories from enterprises and startups highlight one key truth: cost management is not a cleanup exercise, it is an ongoing habit that keeps cloud architectures both efficient and sustainable.
Links
- AWS: Well-Architected Framework – Cost Optimization pillar
- AWS: How to Use AWS Well-Architected with Trusted Advisor for Cost Optimization
- AWS: AWS Savings Plans
- AWS: Amazon EC2 Spot Instances
- Azure: Microsoft Cost Management + Billing (overview)
- Azure: Quickstart: Start using Cost Analysis
- Azure: Common cost analysis uses in Cost Management
- Azure: Control Azure spending and manage bills (learning path)
- GCP: Create, edit, or delete budgets and budget alerts (Cloud Billing)
- GCP: Cloud Billing Budget API overview
- GCP: Committed Use Discounts (Compute)
- GCP: Understand your bill – pricing & billing (Google Developers)