Sign Up for Azure

The first step in using Azure Cost Management is signing up for an Azure account. If you already have an account, you can skip this step. To sign up, go to the Azure website and follow the instructions to create an account. You will need to provide your payment details at this point.

Enable Cost Management

Once you have an Azure account, you need to enable Cost Management. To do this, log in to the Azure portal and navigate to the Cost Management + Billing section. From there, select Cost Management, and then click on the green ‘Try it for free’ button. This will start the process of setting up Cost Management for your organization.

Connect Your Azure Subscription

The next step is to connect your Azure subscription to Cost Management. To do this, go to the Cost Management + Billing section of the Azure portal, select Cost Management, and then click on the ‘Connect your subscription’ button. This will allow you to access your subscription data within Cost Management.

Understand Cost Management Terminology

Before you start using Cost Management, it’s crucial to understand its terminology. There are several key terms that you need to know, including:

+ Resource group: A collection of resources that share the same lifecycle, permissions, and policies.

+ Cost center: A way to group resources together for accounting and financial purposes.

+ Budget: A financial plan that helps you track your spending and avoid unexpected costs.

Set Up Cost Analysis

The Cost Analysis feature of Cost Management allows you to visualize your Azure costs and usage data. To set up Cost Analysis, go to the Cost Management + Billing section of the Azure portal, select Cost Management, and then click on the ‘Cost analysis’ tab. From there, you can customize your views and create cost-based budgets.

Set Up Alerts

Cost Management also allows you to set up alerts for spending and usage thresholds. To set up alerts, go to the Cost Management + Billing section of the Azure portal, select Cost Management, and then click on the ‘Alerts’ tab. From there, you can create alerts based on cost or usage data, and choose how you want to be notified.

Monitor Usage and Costs

Once you’ve set up Cost Management, it’s essential to monitor your usage and costs regularly. You can do this by reviewing the dashboards and reports available in the Cost Management + Billing section of the Azure portal. Pay attention to any areas where you are overspending or underutilizing resources, and take action to optimize your cloud usage.

You might find these FREE courses useful

• Engineering Project Management: Scope
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• Introduction to Budgets in Microsoft Azure Cost

Optimize Your Cloud Costs

The final step in using Azure Cost Management is optimizing your cloud costs. This involves finding ways to reduce your usage or switch to lower-cost resources where possible. Use the cost recommendations and optimization tools available in Cost Management to identify areas where you can save money without sacrificing performance.

In conclusion, using Azure Cost Management requires signing up for an Azure account, enabling Cost Management, connecting your Azure subscription, understanding its terminology, setting up Cost Analysis and alerts, monitoring usage and costs, and optimizing your cloud costs. By following these steps, you can keep your cloud computing expenses in check and improve your organization’s financial performance.