Top Cloud Computing Trends: Cloud Cost Control

by Jay Chapel | Jun 27, 2017 | Cloud Management | 0 comments

Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) just released a new report on the top cloud computing trends for hybrid cloud, containers, and DevOps in 2017. With this guide, they aim to provide recommendations to enterprises on how you can implement products and processes in your business to meet the top priority trends.

First Priority Among Cloud Computing Trends: Cost Control

Of the 260 companies interviewed in EMA’s study, 42% named “cost control” as their number one priority. Here at ParkMyCloud, we weren’t surprised to hear that. As companies mature in their use of the cloud, cost control moves to the top of the list as their number one cloud-related priority.

EMA has identified a few key problems that contribute to the need for cloud cost control:

• Waste – inefficient use of cloud resources
• Unpredictable bills – cloud bills are higher than expected
• Vendor lock-in – inability to move away from a cloud provider due to contractual or technological dependencies

Related to this is another item on EMA’s list of cloud computing trends: the demand for a single pane of glass for monitoring the cloud. This goes hand-in-hand with the need for cost control, as well as concerns about governance: if you can’t see it, you don’t know there’s a problem. However, it’s important to keep in mind that a pane of glass is only one step toward reaching a solution. You need to actually take action on your cloud environment to keep costs in control.

How to Implement Changes to Control Costs

To actually implement changes in your environment and control costs, EMA has provided a starting recommendation:

Consider simple tools with large impact: Evaluate tools that are quick to implement and help harvest “low-hanging fruit.”

In fact, EMA provided a list of its top 3 vendors that it recommends as a Rapid ROI Utility – among which it has included ParkMyCloud.

EMA recommends these top tools, particularly the “rapid ROI tools,” as a good starting point for controlling  cloud costs – as each of the tools can easily be tried out and the results can be verified in a brief period of time. (If you’re interested in trying out ParkMyCloud in your environment, we offer a 14-day free trial, during which you get to pocket the savings and try out a variety of enterprise-grade features like SSO, a Policy Engine, and API automation for continuous cost control.)

 

Download the report here to check out the full results from EMA.