Lab environments play a pivotal role in IT, serving as a secure playground for testing, experimenting, and honing skills without jeopardizing production systems. However, the challenge often lies in the cost associated with cloud lab setups, which can deter individuals due to the initial requirement of a credit/debit card and the potential financial burden. While most cloud providers offer an initial free trial window for specific resources, cost management remains essential. In this guide, I’ll share valuable insights and strategies to help you optimize your lab environment’s expenses and make your cloud experimentation more budget-friendly.
Subscription Budget Alerts
Budget Alerts in Azure Labs are an invaluable tool for keeping a tight rein on your project expenses. With these alerts, you can set specific cost thresholds, and if your lab is projected to exceed them, you’ll receive timely notifications. This proactive approach is vital because it empowers you to closely monitor your cost projections. Such insights are essential for identifying potential cost overruns, ensuring that you don’t end up with unexpected and unnecessary expenses. When you receive an alert, it’s a clear signal that you should review your lab resources and consider taking action, such as deleting or stopping resources that are no longer needed. This way, you can maintain control over your budget and allocate resources efficiently.
- Login to your Azure account https://portal.azure.com
- At the top search for Subscriptions and select
- Select your Subscription
- Select Budgets under Cost management
- Select “+Add“
- Fill out the following:
- Name: Budget-<Budget Amount>Dollar-Alert
- Reset Period: Monthly
- Creation Date: Leave at default
- Expiration Date: However long you want o set it to
- Amount ($): Your budget amount
- Select Next
- Fill out the following:
- Alert Condition:
- Type: Forecasted
- % of budget: 50
- I suggest being notified at least half of your budget so you have time to react.
- Alert Recipient: Add all of your email accounts including work emails
- Alert Condition:
- Leave the rest as default
- Select Create
Delete Unused Resources Promptly
When I was first introduced to Azure, a helpful coworker shared a valuable trick with me that I’ve incorporated into my Azure management routine ever since. Azure provides the convenient feature of allowing you to delete all resources at once, which can be particularly advantageous in lab environments. I strongly recommend making it a practice to delete all resources at the conclusion of each lab session to prevent any unnecessary charges. Cultivating this habit will significantly reduce your lab costs over time, ensuring that you only pay for the resources you genuinely need, and helping you stay within your budget.
- Login to your Azure account https://portal.azure.com
- At the top search for All resources and select
- Check the box next to Name to select all resource
- Select Delete
- Enter “delete” to confirm deletion
- Select Delete (Follow any instructions prompted to you)
- CAUTION: Only do this in your lab environment
