The Cloud Cost Optimization Playbook: Save 30-50% in 90 Days

Most organizations overspend on cloud by 30-50%. Here's the systematic approach to right-sizing.

By Richard Ewing·December 15, 2025

The 30-50% Problem

Gartner estimates that through 2026, 60% of organizations will overspend on cloud by at least 30%. The causes: over-provisioned instances, abandoned resources, wrong pricing models, and no cost accountability.

The 90-Day Playbook

Days 1-30: Visibility. Tag everything. Implement cost allocation by team. Set up daily cost alerts. Identify top 10 cost drivers.

Days 31-60: Quick wins. Right-size obvious over-provisioned instances (typically 20-30% savings). Delete orphaned resources. Convert steady workloads to reserved/committed use.

Days 61-90: Optimization. Implement auto-scaling. Move dev/staging to spot instances. Negotiate enterprise discounts. Set up FinOps review cadence.

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The Cloud Cost Optimization Playbook: Save 30-50% in 90 Days

The 30-50% Problem

The 90-Day Playbook

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Richard Ewing