☁️ Keep Calm and Cut the Azure Bill: 9 Cost-Saving Tactics That Actually Work

Azure Cost Optimization

Let’s face it — Azure is powerful, flexible, and downright awesome. But if left unchecked, your Azure bill can quickly become a soul-crushing, finance-wrecking monster.

So what do we do?
We optimize — not with vague hopes, but with specific, actionable strategies.

Here’s what we actually do in the real world to help keep Azure lean, clean, and mean (in a good way).

1. 🪑 Reservations Management — Make Long-Term Friends

Azure says, “Commit for a year or more, and I’ll give you a discount.”

I say: “Yes, but only if it makes sense.”

👉 You should analyze:

• Azure Advisor recommendations
• VM usage patterns
• Recommended quantity for Reserved Instances (RIs)
• Savings plan opportunities

This helps us figure out which workloads are stable enough to commit to, and where RIs or savings plans will actually save money.

2. 💤 Auto Start/Stop (VMs) Policy — Because Dev VMs Don’t Need to Party 24/7

If your Dev/Test/QA VMs are running all weekend, you’re not optimizing — you’re overfunding a nap.

👉 You can identify non-production VMs based on naming conventions like:

• -dev, -test, -tst, -qa, etc.

Then you should evaluate usage trends and define start/stop policies, ensuring these VMs only run when needed.

3. 🔻 Downscale Disk Optimization — Stop Paying for Disk Drama

Premium SSDs are great — unless they’re sitting there with the performance of a potato.

👉 You can review:

• Disk IOPS metrics (read/write under 200/sec)
• Storage SKU and disk size
• Exclude OS disks (they get a pass)

This lets us downscale disks without compromising performance, just by using smarter SKUs.

4. 🛠 App Service Plan Optimization — Empty Plans, Full Bills

App service plans with zero apps deployed are like paying rent on a vacant apartment.

👉You can identify:

• Plans with no active apps
• Pricing tiers not in the free/basic/dynamic categories

Then you can shut them down or consolidate, because no apps = no justification.

5. 🧹 Unused Resources Assessment — The Cloud Spring Cleaning You Forgot About

Your Azure environment is full of unused stuff. And Azure, like a hoarder, charges for all of it.

👉 You can dig out:

• Unattached disks (just chilling)
• Orphaned public IPs (floating alone)
• Old snapshots (the ghost of VMs past)
• VHDs with available lease states (sitting in your storage account like abandoned luggage)

Each item gets reviewed and either reused, archived, or deleted.

6. 🐌 SQL Database Downscale — Big Database, Small Workload?

SQL Databases are notorious for being over-provisioned. Many of them are running with horsepower meant for production while handling traffic from a single developer testing login logic.

👉 You can review:

• SQL Server process memory % and CPU % (last 30 days)
• Filter out Basic, DTU, Gen4, and serverless SKUs

If CPU and memory use are both under 30%, it’s a candidate for downsizing.

7. 🧍‍♂️ VM Rightsize — No Need to Go XL on Everything

Some VMs are like gym memberships — oversized, underused, and expensive.

👉 You can analyze:

• VMs with CPU < 30% and memory < 50%
• Exclude A-series, B2ms, and baby-sized VM SKUs
• Ignore stopped VMs — they’re not costing you right now

I then recommend more appropriate VM sizes, tailored to the actual workload.

8. 📁 File Share Optimization — Right-Sizing Your Shared Storage

Over-provisioning file shares is a silent killer of budgets. Azure doesn’t mind, but your finance team might.

👉 You can check:

• Provisioned quota vs actual data stored
• Look for shares using < 50% of capacity

Once flagged, these can be resized or reviewed for archiving options.

9. 🛡 Backup Redundancy — Not Every Dev VM Needs GRS

Geo-redundant storage (GRS) for backups is great… for production. But for test/dev VMs?

👉 We identify:

• VMs that are non-production (based on name)
• Backup configurations using GRS or RA-GRS
• GRS storage consumption (in GiB)

Then you can consider switching to LRS (locally redundant) — saving money without losing what matters.

🎯 The End Game: Pay Less, Do More

Azure isn’t trying to rob you, but it will charge you for everything unless you’re intentional.

By following these 9 cost-saving tactics, you can:

• Reduce waste
• Improve cloud hygiene
• Make your CFO slightly less angry

🚀 Final Thought

This isn’t about being cheap. It’s about being smart. Azure cost optimization isn’t a one-time thing — it’s a culture. A way of thinking. A lifestyle, even.

One where every byte is questioned, every disk is challenged, and every VM earns its keep.

I can help you save costs for your Microsoft Azure Environments!

Reach out to me at abhibothera.github.io.

About me:

Azure Wizard | 7x Microsoft Azure Certified | Solutions Architect | Azure DevOps | AVD | Security | Former Research Scholar at Georgia Tech