Are you looking for some simple ways you can optimize the reservations (RIs) that you own? We’ve found these tips to work quite well to keep costs down and profits up.
1.) Be an “Unused RI” Hawk: Depending on your account size, the unused rate should be between .5 and .8 percent. If your number is above, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not doing something right.
Tip: You need to examine RI usage on a daily basis. I know it seems like a lot but client usage changes regularly. Experience has shown us that there is a 19 percent chance that a one-year reservation placed today will be an orphan at some point if left unmodified. Don’t forget that Amazon will charge you per hour whether you use the reservation or not. In short, constant monitoring prevents un-needed (and unwanted) expenses.
2.) Embrace Your Inner Salesperson: Don’t be afraid to sell RIs back into the marketplace.
Tip: I recommend discounting around 5 percent of the RI’s value so it sells quickly. Older m2 and c1 types are very difficult to sell so you may need to significantly discount them. Don’t forget you can resize Linux Unix reservations but you cannot any other type (e.g., Windows).
3.) Spread, Spread, Spread: Spread out where you place your RIs.
Tip: Leave a little cushion for each RI type in each zone so that you are not 100 percent fully utilized. That way, if a client turns off an instance, you will be much less likely to have an unused RI.
Keep in mind, Parquantix does all three of these tips for you automatically! If you’d like to learn how, please get in touch with us and find out how Parquantix can simplify the process for you (and double your profits).