Reducing cloud expenditure without considering architecture may simply shift the problem toward performance, reliability or security. Optimization therefore requires a balanced view of the platform.

Optimization within a healthy architecture

The Well-Architected Framework (WAF) provides a structure for evaluating workloads and making decisions that connect cost, operations and risk.

A savings opportunity is truly sustainable when it maintains service levels and supports business priorities.

Useful questions for a WAF review

  • Does provisioned capacity reflect actual demand?
  • Are there unused, oversized or unowned resources?
  • Do savings decisions introduce operational or resilience risks?
  • Can the organization measure achieved benefits?

A priority-based roadmap

Applying WAF alongside FinOps practices helps move from one-off cost reductions to a more mature and predictable cloud management approach.