Cloud costs are remain one of the highest concerns for companies year after year, as the recent Flexera state of the cloud report has shown. The Azure Cost Analysis tool, a component of the Azure Cost Management + Billing service, plays a crucial role in empowering users to effectively manage their Azure spending. Accessible through the Azure portal as a dedicated pane, this tool provides comprehensive insights into Azure costs, aiding users in understanding and optimizing their cloud expenditures.

In this blog, we’ll delve into three essential cost views offered by the Azure Cost Analysis tool, each offering unique perspectives to enhance users’ understanding of their Azure costs.

Accumulated Costs: This view offers an insightful overview of both current and forecasted costs for the month. It provides a high-level summary encompassing crucial details such as service names, resource locations, costs, and resource group names. By presenting this information in a consolidated manner, users gain a holistic understanding of their Azure spending trends and forecasts.

Services: Within this section, users gain access to a breakdown of costs categorized by services. Similar services, such as virtual machines, are aggregated, offering users a consolidated view of costs associated with each service category. This high-level perspective enables users to identify which Azure services are contributing the most to their overall costs, facilitating informed decision-making regarding cost optimization strategies.

Resources: The resource-centric view delves into granular details by breaking down costs on a per-resource basis. This feature proves invaluable for users seeking to pinpoint specific resources that are driving the highest costs within their Azure environment. By identifying these top-costing items, users can prioritize optimization efforts and take targeted actions to manage their Azure spending more effectively.

Summary

The Azure Cost Analysis tool equips users with the insights needed to navigate and optimize their Azure spending efficiently. By leveraging the accumulated costs, services breakdown, and resource-centric views, users can gain deeper insights into their Azure costs, identify cost drivers, and implement strategies to optimize their cloud expenditures effectively. Recognizing and understanding costs serve as the initial phase in cost management and reduction efforts, making the utilization of the cost analysis tool a valuable first step on this journey.