How small leaks create big expenses

Ever catch yourself wondering why your AWS bill keeps climbing, even when nothing major has changed? You’re not alone. There’s a subtle culprit at play - what we call “low signals.” These are the small, easy-to-miss costs that silently accumulate until they become a significant drain on your cloud budget.

State of cloud waste

Let’s talk real numbers. According to Flexera’s 2024 State of Cloud report, organizations lost an astounding $157 billion to cloud waste in 2023. That means 28% of all cloud spending - more than a quarter of every dollar spent - essentially vanished into thin air. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a wake-up call.

Understanding the silent drains

Think of cloud waste like a leaky faucet. Each drop might seem insignificant, but leave it running long enough, and you’ll flood the house. Here’s where the leaks typically happen:

Development and Testing resources gone rogue

Development environments are often the biggest offenders. That EC2 instance you spun up for a quick test? It’s still running three months later, quietly costing $30-50 monthly. Those EBS volumes from your last proof of concept? They’re still attached, each adding $1-5 to your monthly bill. Even something as simple as forgetting to release an Elastic IP costs you $3.60 every month.

Storage time capsule

Storage is particularly sneaky because it grows so gradually. Those snapshots you took “just in case”? They’re costing $0.05 per GB-month. Old AMIs, forgotten S3 buckets full of test data, and log groups keeping records way beyond compliance requirements - they all add up. It’s like paying rent for a storage unit full of things you’ll never use again.

Networking’s hidden costs

The cloud’s networking layer harbors its own set of forgotten expenses. Unused VPC endpoints might only cost $0.01 per hour, but that’s still $7.30 per month each. Interface endpoints for services you no longer use? They’re still billing you, month after month.

A Day in the Life of Cloud Waste

Let’s look at a scenario that plays out in organizations every day:

Meet a typical 10-person development team. Each developer inadvertently leaves behind:
- 2 t3.2xlarge instances running ($150/month each)
- 1 r6g.2xlarge instance for "that one test" ($280/month)
- 3 unattached 500GB gp3 volumes ($50/month each)
- 2 unused Elastic IPs ($3.6/month each)
- 1 forgotten NAT Gateway ($32/month)
- 5 snapshots from previous deployments ($25/month total)
- 2 load balancers from abandoned test environments ($18/month each)
- 1 RDS instance that's no longer needed ($250/month)

Per person impact: $1,030.2/month
Team total: $10,302/month
Yearly waste: $123,624

What makes this scenario particularly challenging is that these resources often scatter across multiple AWS regions. It’s like trying to find spare change in every room of your house - it’s everywhere, but never where you expect it to be.

Breaking the Cycle

Solving this problem isn’t just about cutting costs - it’s about building better cloud hygiene habits:

1. Make Monitoring a Habit: Just like checking your phone’s battery level, regular resource monitoring should become second nature.
2. Tag Everything: Think of tags as labels on moving boxes - they tell you what’s inside and who it belongs to.
3. Schedule Regular Clean-ups: Set aside time each month to review and clean up resources, just like you would for any other maintenance task.
4. Embrace Automation: Let technology do the heavy lifting of identifying unused resources.

How unusd.cloud Makes a Difference

At unusd.cloud, we’ve built a platform that catches these sneaky expenses before they balloon into budget-busters. Our approach is straightforward:

• We scan every AWS region automatically, leaving no stone unturned
• Provide clear, actionable cost analysis
• Keep you informed with regular reports
• Work without agents or complex setup
• Connect with your team through Slack and Microsoft Teams
• Handle multi-account AWS setups seamlessly
• Monitor over 16 different AWS resource types (usual suspects)

Start with our free tier and see for yourself. Most teams find they can save 15-25% on their cloud costs after their first scan.

Taking Action

Ready to tackle cloud waste? Here’s how to start:

1. Begin with One Account: Pick a single AWS account as your testing ground
2. Define Clear Ownership: Make sure every resource has someone responsible for it
3. Set Up Automated Cleanup: Create rules to automatically handle unused resources
4. Watch the Trends: Keep an eye on how your optimization efforts pay off

Don’t let these small costs add up to big problems. Visit unusd.cloud to start finding and eliminating these expensive “low signals” today.

Remember, cloud cost optimization isn’t just about saving money - it’s about building better practices that help your organization grow sustainably in the cloud.