Automated VM shutdown and startup

Automated VM shutdown and startup is an excellent way to save money on dev/test workloads for virtual machines as well as workloads that are predictable. There are approximately 730 hours in a month. If you shut down one virtual machine for Saturday and Sunday, that will reduce the billable hours by 26%. That 26% is a straight saving achieved by automated VM shutdown. Auto shutdown based on schedules has been around for quite some time, but the lack of auto startup features has limited its adoption – until now...! Azure now offers the ability to stop and start a VM at a scheduled time of the day.

To configure auto stop and start for a virtual machine, do the following:

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Navigate to https://portal.azure.com and sign in to your organization’s account.
3. In the top search bar, search for Virtual Machines and select the highlighted service.
4. From the list of virtual machines, select the...