Top Five Tips for More Effective Azure Resource Management

Azure resource management is a critical task for any one that uses Azure services. It requires careful planning, implementation and monitoring to ensure Azure is being used efficiently and cost-effectively. Unfortunately, many admins struggle with Azure resource management due to the complexity of Azure services and pricing models.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to make Azure resource management easier. Here are our top five tips for getting the most out of your Azure footprint:

1) Utilize automation tools – Automation tools such as Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates can help streamline the deployment process by enabling users to quickly deploy multiple resources in a single template. For ongoing automation take a look at what's included in our CloudOps cloud management platform under the hood.

2) Leverage analytics – Analyzing usage patterns across different services can help identify opportunities for optimization or consolidation of existing infrastructure or workloads. CloudOps includes analytics and gives you visibility of the health and cost of your resource all in one place.

3) Monitor costs closely – With Azure’s pay-as-you-go model, it’s important to keep track of all costs associated with each service or application so they don’t get out of control over time. CloudOps can help you do this with single pane of glass dashboards for your costs along with detailed breakdowns and recommendations to serve on your monthly spend.

4) Take advantage of discounts – Azure offers several discount programs such as Reserved Instances which provide significant savings on long term commitments when compared with on demand pricing.

As part of our support services we can help you evaluate the myriad of pricing options from PAYG to reserved instances.

5) Plan ahead – Azure offers several features to help plan and forecast usage such as Azure Cost Management which can provide detailed insights into past, present, and future costs. These insights can be used to adjust usage or budget accordingly.

By following these tips, organizations can make Azure resource management significantly easier while also saving money in the process. Azure resource management is not only about controlling costs but also about making sure resources are used efficiently and effectively.

Another more complete option is to implement cloud management with a certified partner who works with Azure day in and day out. You can get the expert knowledge you need on demand, learn more.

IG CloudOps can provide a cloud management service to help extend your existing teams knowledge, provide support and advice as needed and implement our CloudOps software to give a complete cloud management solution.