A Practical Cloud Cost Optimization Playbook

Cloud waste is rarely one big mistake — it's a hundred small defaults left unchanged. The fix is systematic, not heroic.

Start with visibility: tag everything and attribute cost to teams and features. You can't optimize what you can't see.

Then right-size: most workloads are over-provisioned. Match instance types to real usage, adopt autoscaling, and move steady workloads to savings plans.

Finally, automate: idle environments should shut down on a schedule, and infrastructure should be codified so cost-aware defaults are baked in from the start.