In an economic climate marked by rising interest rates, tightening enterprise budgets, and a fast-paced transition to the cloud, CTOs and CSOs are on the lookout for ways to optimize cloud operation costs. C2SEC's Extended Security Posture Management (XSPM) capabilities provide a comprehensive view of digital asset usage and posture, offering actionable insights for effective cloud cost optimization. This strategic approach is receiving strong positive feedback from customers across the spectrum, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
Real-World Savings: A Customer's Perspective
Before diving into the various scenarios where cost savings are possible, let's consider a real-world example from one of our customers:
Customer Testimonial from a High-Tech Startup CTO:
"As a fully cloud-native startup, efficiency in cloud resource utilization isn't just a goal—it's a necessity. C2SEC's platform was a game-changer for us, identifying underutilized Azure Kubernetes services and enabling us to cut our operational costs by over 20%. Perhaps more critically, C2SEC's insights helped us discover an unused VM that could have presented serious security risks, underscoring the inextricable link between cost optimization and a strong security posture."
Expanded Cost-Saving Scenarios Enabled by C2SEC:
Emboldened by the compelling feedback from our clients, we continue to refine our cost-saving measures within cloud infrastructures. Below, we delve deeper into a few examples of how the C2SEC platform can uncover and act on opportunities to reduce unnecessary cloud spend.
Streamlining Storage with Intent - Reducing Obsolete Storage: It's not uncommon for cloud platforms to retain storage volumes even after their associated VMs are deleted. This oversight leads to "orphan" disks—data storage without active use but still incurring costs. Our platform is designed to identify these overlooked assets swiftly, facilitating their removal and preventing wasteful expenditure.
Pruning Redundant Services for Efficiency - Pruning Unused App Services: Our vigilant monitoring extends to Azure App Service Plans incurring costs in the absence of active services. By detecting and removing these dormant plans, organizations can reclaim budget allocated to unused resources.
Database Rightsizing: Balancing Cost and Performance - Rightsizing Databases: The database is a cornerstone of cloud operations, yet it is often provisioned with more resources than necessary. Given that database costs can constitute over 20% of cloud operation expenses, there is substantial scope for optimization. Our platform assesses database utilization, recommending tier adjustments to align with actual demand—whether that involves scaling down underused CPU/IO capacities or shrinking oversized data storage allocations.
A Snapshot of Broader Cost Optimization Strategies
These scenarios represent just a sampling of the ways in which the C2SEC platform can streamline cloud costs. Each resource, from storage to computing power, is a potential avenue for both savings and security enhancements. By reducing the sprawl of underutilized resources, we not only cut costs but also simplify the attack surface, making for a more secure and manageable cloud environment. Summary
Optimizing cloud costs with C2SEC doesn't just trim budgets—it strengthens your security posture by simplifying the management of your cloud infrastructure and reducing the attack surface. By targeting underutilized or redundant resources, C2SEC empowers businesses to achieve a leaner, more secure, and cost-effective cloud environment.
For in-depth insights into how C2SEC can support your cloud cost optimization efforts, we invite you to explore our case studies. In the full white paper, additional examples and technical details can be provided to showcase the breadth of C2SEC's cost optimization capabilities.