Preface

Enterprises’ usage of the cloud doesn’t appear to be slowing down. In fact, it seems to only be accelerating. The growth of the cloud has enterprises seeking demand for cloud skills in not only the use of its technology, but in its operations as well. Many enterprises understand that the cloud offers benefits such as the ability to test and develop software quickly, the ability to innovate by offloading the undifferentiated heavy lifting to a cloud provider, and the ability to reach customers globally to essentially expand into new markets.

One benefit of the cloud that enterprises are often enticed by is its cost savings. However, some shake their head at this so-called benefit, arguing that it’s more costly to operate in the cloud. At first glance, this might be true if you look at a cost comparison from a certain perspective. But when you’re able to tell the whole story in the context of an enterprise’s business goals, then there’s a lot more to unpack. This book will help you do just that. It will unpack both the tactical ways to optimize on cloud costs, and the strategic approaches that ensure your business is leveraging the full value of the cloud.

This book’s focus will be cost optimization in AWS. Although you can adopt some high-level strategies for any public cloud provider, the tactical aspects will be centered on AWS.