Understanding and Reducing Cloud Waste

While it’s true that the cloud can bring significant efficiency and cost savings, without the right approach, broadcasters and media companies are at risk of what’s become known as cloud waste.

So, what do we mean by cloud waste? Put simply, it’s about the inefficiencies and unnecessary expenses that arise when cloud resources are not managed properly. For many businesses they are operating without the visibility of what this wasted expenditure is costing them, which undermines the very benefits that prompted the shift to the cloud in the first place. Without careful oversight, there’s the potential that broadcasters might find themselves paying for resources that are either underutilised or entirely unnecessary.

Common pitfalls leading to cloud waste

This concept of identifying and minimising waste to be more cost efficient is of course nothing new. Broadcasters went through the same process with their on-prem based operations. The key difference with cloud-based infrastructure is that you don’t have the same visibility. In a traditional on-prem facility, you can see the resources that aren’t in use as well as any unused workstations that may be running. Whereas in the cloud or hybrid environment, unless your attention is focused in the right areas, you could easily end up with over-provisioned resources, idle services, and data storage that exceeds actual needs. Without meticulous planning, clear oversight and effective resource management tools, cloud usage can easily lead to inflated expenses and diminished returns. Let’s look at this in a bit more detail.

Over-provisioning

First let’s consider over-provisioning. We all know that one of the key benefits of the cloud is the ability to quickly scale up operations when required. This could be when a particularly demanding or time sensitive project comes along needing an extra 25 instances to carry out editing tasks. There’s no doubt that the cloud provides the flexibility needed to manage these situations well, but it’s important to not allocate any more resources than are needed to handle peak loads.

Idle resources

Another pitfall is having idle resources. While being able to quickly spin up and spin down resources is a massive advantage, if those workstations are left running when editors are not actively working, charges are still stacking up. Running instances continuously, even when they are not in use, leads to wasted expenditure. For maximum efficiency, resource usage needs to be optimised so that workstations are not running during idle times. Instances should be closed as soon as they’re no longer required.

Suboptimal storage

Unsurprisingly, data storage is another factor that can also contribute in a big way to cloud waste. If cloud storage is being paid for that is not being used or that does not match the needs of the data, such as the use of costly nearline storage for data that could be archived, unnecessary costs are being incurred. Each organisation’s needs are different, so selecting the right storage platforms to meet those needs is essential to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Strategies to minimise cloud waste

While cloud waste is a very real risk that has some major consequences, it’s not too difficult to manage and avoid. Let’s look now at what broadcasters and media companies can do to avoid it.

As mentioned, visibility is crucial for efficient cloud resource management. To be cost efficient, media companies need to implement comprehensive monitoring and resource management tools so they can monitor, track and manage resource use in real-time. This will help to identify over-provisioned and idle instances so that resources can be quickly adjusted to match actual needs. This will prevent paying for excess capacity.

Virtual workstations should be managed to ensure they are only active when needed, aligning resource usage with actual work hours and avoiding idle time costs. By using enhanced scheduling and automation, media companies can ensure that their cloud systems are only available when needed. Automation can help ensure that resources are provisioned dynamically based on demand. Instances can be automatically created during specified hours that match editors working patterns, and if a resource is idle, it can be set to automatically close.

With storage, it largely comes down to choosing the right storage platforms to meet your data needs. Whether your data is frequently accessed or archived for long-term storage, select storage tiers that match your usage patterns to avoid overpaying. Remember that storage requirements can also change over time, so it’s important to keep revisiting storage to check whether it still meets your needs. Additionally, workflows need to be optimised to avoid unnecessary egress fees because transferring data back and forth to the cloud can be costly. For example, media companies can avoid hefty fees associated with data transfer out of the cloud by editing in the cloud.

Make the cloud work for you

It’s common sense that if you only consume what you need, and only pay for what you consume, you’re going to be operating efficiently. With the right knowledge, tools and strategies, it’s possible to harness the benefits of cloud-based workflows while at the same time keeping costs in check.

By implementing effective monitoring, identifying inefficiencies, automating resource management and scheduling, and ensuring storage is aligned to needs, broadcasters can significantly reduce cloud waste. These practices not only help in controlling costs but also ensure that the shift to the cloud delivers on its promise of efficiency and flexibility.

At 7FiveFive, we’ve got the products, technical expertise and industry knowledge needed to help you work in the most efficient way possible. We offer not only expert guidance and advice to deliver service-led system integration for the broadcast industry, but also provide a solution to help you connect, configure and manage multiple cloud and hybrid editing and workstation environments with maximum efficiency. 7fivefive’s Lens solution can help you to closely monitor and adjust your spending in the cloud so that you can make the cloud work for you.

To find out more about how 7fivefive can help you to ensure that you don’t fall victim to cloud waste, get in touch today.