Title
AWS re:Invent 2022 - The nonstop way to find AWS-recommended savings opportunities (PRT086)
Summary
- The speaker, acting as the CTO of ESW Capital, shares insights from managing 40,000 AWS accounts.
- Cost savings on AWS are not always intuitive; the largest expenses are not necessarily the easiest to save on.
- Resizing instances is complex and not the most straightforward way to save money.
- Application modernization is challenging, akin to open-heart surgery on legacy applications.
- The speaker introduces the 10, 30, 50 rule for AWS cost savings.
- 10% savings can be achieved through simple, non-disruptive fixes like enabling AWS Intelligent Tiering for S3 and switching from GP2 to GP3 EBS volumes.
- 30% savings can be realized by leveraging AWS managed services for databases, caches, and full-text search engines.
- 50% savings can be achieved by rethinking the core value proposition of products and leveraging cloud APIs to build scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solutions.
- The speaker highlights the use of AWS services like Aurora, DynamoDB, Cognito, AppSync, and Amplify to achieve significant cost savings.
- CloudFix is introduced as an automation tool that implements AWS recommendations and uses AWS Change Manager for secure change implementation.
- Cost savings and efficiency in the cloud is an ongoing process due to the constant evolution of AWS services and business needs.
Insights
- The complexity of AWS cost optimization is underscored by the need to understand various aspects of AWS services and their pricing models.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of non-disruptive changes that can lead to significant cost savings without affecting application performance.
- The use of AWS managed services is recommended as a strategy to reduce total cost of ownership and operational overhead.
- The concept of "bin packing" with Aurora demonstrates an innovative approach to database cost optimization by maximizing resource utilization.
- The speaker's approach to application modernization focuses on leveraging cloud-native services to reduce code complexity and infrastructure management.
- CloudFix is presented as a solution that automates the implementation of cost-saving measures while maintaining security and control over AWS account changes.
- The ongoing nature of cloud cost optimization is highlighted, suggesting that businesses must continuously adapt to new AWS features and pricing changes to maintain efficiency.