Understanding and Optimising Your Azure Environment

Azure offers incredible potential, but many UK organisations aren't getting full value from their investment. If your Azure bill keeps climbing whilst you're unsure whether resources are being used efficiently, you're not alone.

What Is Azure?

Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform offering services across compute, storage, networking, databases, and AI. The breadth makes Azure powerful but can also make optimisation overwhelming.

Azure's flexibility stands out immediately. Scale resources up during peak demand, down during quiet periods, and only pay for what you use. Security is built-in with compliance for UK-specific requirements. Integration with existing Microsoft investments like Microsoft 365 and Active Directory creates immediate value through seamless connectivity.

However, the pay-as-you-go pricing model requires active management to prevent costs spiralling unexpectedly.

The Azure Optimisation Challenge

Azure's flexibility becomes a double-edged sword. It's easy to spin up resources for testing, then forget to shut them down.

Development environments run 24/7 when only used during business hours. Virtual machines sized for peak load run underutilised most of the time. Storage accumulates forgotten snapshots and backups.

These inefficiencies compound quickly. A few over-provisioned VMs, some forgotten test environments, and suddenly your Azure bill is 30-40% higher than necessary.

Common Azure Waste Scenarios

Virtual machines often get provisioned for anticipated peak requirements rather than actual average usage. A VM sized for maximum load sits underutilised 80% of the time, yet you're paying continuously.

Development and test environments frequently run 24/7 when genuinely needed perhaps 40 hours weekly. The remaining 128 hours represent pure waste. Auto-shutdown policies typically save 60-75% with zero impact on productivity.

Storage costs creep up through snapshot accumulation. Without retention policies, daily snapshots accumulate indefinitely, consuming substantial storage unnecessarily.

Orphaned resources—detached disks, unused public IPs, forgotten network interfaces—continue generating charges despite providing zero value.

Key Optimisation Areas

Right-sizing virtual machines: If CPU and memory utilisation consistently stays below 40%, downsize to the next smaller tier. This often reduces costs by 30-50% without performance impact.

Reserved instances: Offer 40-72% discounts for production workloads running continuously. Commit to one or three years and capture substantial savings.

Auto-shutdown policies: Configure VMs to shut down at 7pm weekdays and remain off weekends. Captures 60-75% savings on non-production environments.

Storage tier optimisation: Move infrequently accessed data to cheaper tiers. Archive storage costs 90% less than hot storage for data accessed rarely.



Real-World Impact

Organisations implementing systematic Azure optimisation typically achieve 30-40% cost reduction within 90 days.

Example: A software company spending £9,200 monthly reduced their bill to £4,900 through right-sizing, reserved instances, auto-shutdown, and storage optimisation. Annual saving: £51,600.

Getting Started

Week 1: Identify and delete unused resources—orphaned disks, unattached IPs, forgotten test VMs. Typically saves several hundred pounds monthly.

Week 2: Implement auto-shutdown for dev/test environments. Two hours setup for ongoing 60-75% savings on those resources.

Week 3: Review Azure Advisor recommendations for right-sizing and reserved instances.

How Qwantro Helps

Azure optimisation requires both technical expertise and understanding of Microsoft's pricing structures.

Qwantro provides:

• Comprehensive cost reviews identifying specific opportunities
• Implementation of optimisation recommendations
• Ongoing governance and monitoring
• Transparent CSP pricing delivering 8% discount on Azure consumption

This combination typically delivers 35-45% total reduction in Azure costs.

Organisations getting maximum value treat optimisation as ongoing discipline rather than periodic crisis response. Regular reviews, clear ownership, and expert guidance ensure Azure remains a business enabler rather than budget drain.

Your Azure environment almost certainly contains optimisation opportunities. The question is whether you'll capture those savings proactively or allow them to leak away month after month.

Book Your Free Azure Cost Review