--- title: Learn How to Implement Cloud Governance Control and Manage Costs. description: Learn how cloud governance is more important than ever to manage and control costs. image: https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hubfs/calulate-growth-featured.jpg --- # Cloud Governance & Cost Management Posted by Phil DeVeau - January 18, 2021 ### Consumption is not as easily predictable, particularly when just getting started in Azure.  Failure to control costs can halt or stop your move to Azure.  - [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/cloud-governance-cost-management) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/cloud-governance-cost-management&title=&summary=&source=) - [**](https://twitter.com/home?status=) - [**](mailto:?&subject=https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/cloud-governance-cost-management&body=https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/cloud-governance-cost-management) ** ![header-picture](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hubfs/cost-management-3-header-web.jpg "header-picture") ### Moving to the Cloud Was Going to Save Me Money?!  Cloud costs are only somewhat predictable.  You used the Azure cost calculator and the numbers just do not match up.  At the rate things are going you are going to be over your budget in a few months.  Justifying an additional budget is also a costly affair, in that at the least, there will be increased scrutiny of the project.  Sound familiar?  You are not alone.  On premises, IT costs are predictable, licensing costs, equipment leases, on and offshore salaries.  While some Azure costs are fixed, most are based on some form of consumption.  Consumption is not as easily predictable, particularly when just getting started in Azure.  Failure to control costs can halt or stop your move to Azure.  ![Modern cloud governance includes cost management](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stock%20images/Back%20view%20image%20of%20businessman%20drawing%20graphics%20on%20wall-685347-edited.jpeg?width=300&name=Back%20view%20image%20of%20businessman%20drawing%20graphics%20on%20wall-685347-edited.jpeg)Let us explore a few reasons why costs might be growing.  The two largest reasons for cost overruns are closely related, the wrong tool for the right job.  When provisioning an Azure resource, you can easily purchase the problems of tomorrow today by selecting an overpowered product (SKU).  Selecting the most powerful App Service Plan available sounds great, I can provision the resource and give myself room and time to grow without having to scale the app plan in the future.  Akin to this is selecting an Azure resource that can solve the problem, but for which, you can solve with a less expensive resource.  The classic “Lift and Shift” is a fast strategy to Azure but can leave you with a more expensive virtual machine to maintain.  [![Azure Governance Playbook FREE DOWNLOAD](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/707613/12e14509-7f97-4632-9ac5-296ad0dc3b81.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/707613/12e14509-7f97-4632-9ac5-296ad0dc3b81) One of the least intrusive, but effective, solutions for helping to control costs is to create an Azure Budget.  Budgets have several options including targeting subscriptions, resource groups, resource types, and more.  Once a budget has been set there, when thresholds for the budget are exceeded, can take actions such as send an email, call a webhook, even run an automation routine.  One example might be to create a budget for a dev subscription, with notifications at 70% usage, firing an automation to shut down virtual machines at 90%, and disabling the subscription at 120% of budget.  - Are you costs higher than expected? - Are environments stagnating in the same subscription? - Are you dreading an inevitable “down and to the left” conversation from a bloated Azure budget?  [D](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/playbook-for-modern-enterprise-and-cloud-governance)[ownload the Azure Governance Playbook](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/playbook-for-modern-enterprise-and-cloud-governance) today to learn how to better manage costs and keep your project and team on track for success!  Topics: [Cost Control](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/topic/cost-control) [![Modern Enterprise & Cloud Governance Playbook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/707613/e1a05ffb-2e33-417f-8064-4014f1877e61.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/707613/e1a05ffb-2e33-417f-8064-4014f1877e61) --- ### Recent Posts By Michael Spenny - 18 January, 2021 #### Collaborative Cloud Governance: Auditability & Visibility [![read more](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/IMG-TurboSodium/Sodium%20v2/blog/arrow-recent-blog-post.png "read more")](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/collaborative-cloud-governance-auditability-and-visibility) By Michael Spenny - 18 January, 2021 #### How Does the Cloud & Azure Transform Traditional Governance? [![read more](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/IMG-TurboSodium/Sodium%20v2/blog/arrow-recent-blog-post.png "read more")](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/how-does-the-cloud-azure-transform-traditional-governance) By Michael Spenny - 18 January, 2021 #### DevOps Enables Modern Governance [![read more](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/685080/IMG-TurboSodium/Sodium%20v2/blog/arrow-recent-blog-post.png "read more")](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/devops-enables-modern-governance) --- ### Sign-up for Governance Blog Updates # ![Partners Awards List - 2021](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PoY%20Award%202021/Partners%20Awards%20List%20-%202021.png?width=748&name=Partners%20Awards%20List%20-%202021.png) # All About Modern Governance InCycle's Modern Governance blog is the result of almost 20 years of industry experience and is ideal reading for medium and large organizations that are trying to navigate cloud adoption and are struggling to design and implement modern governance for either a team, business unit or across the enterprise. The blog is comprehensive and addresses various stakeholders, including operations, security, application development, accounting, and audit. The goal of the blog is to showcase modern governance drivers, new challenges that arise, and to provide actionable guidance for practitioners to complete a modern governance transformation. ### Azure Governance Playbook FREE guidance and tools to complete governance transformation. [![Learn More!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/707613/d0b6969d-3645-4839-ae95-84acb7ca61a2.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/707613/d0b6969d-3645-4839-ae95-84acb7ca61a2) ### Posts by Topic - [Cost Control (5)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/tag/cost-control) - [Security (5)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/tag/security) - [Structure & Responsibilities (5)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/tag/structure-responsibilities) - [Visibility (5)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/tag/visibility) - [Implementation & Adoption (4)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/tag/implementation-adoption) ### Most Popular Posts ### Blog Archive - [January 2021 (23)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/archive/2021/01) - [February 2021 (1)](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/enterprise-azure-governance/archive/2021/02) - [**](https://twitter.com/incyclesoftware?lang=en) - [**](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/incycle-software) - [**](https://www.facebook.com/InCycleSoftware/) ### About us At InCycle, we believe there is always a better way and today, that includes the cloud. [![InCycle Microsoft Partner](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Incycle%202017%20website%20resources/logo-InCycle-New-white.png?width=200&name=logo-InCycle-New-white.png "InCycle Microsoft Partner")](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/) ### Learn more - [Why Incycle?](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/why-incycle) - [Success Stories](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/customer-success-stories) - [Events](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/events) - [Careers](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/careers) - [About](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/about-incycle-software)   ### 1-800-565-0510 [info@incyclesoftware.com](mailto:info@incyclesoftware.com)  ### ![Microsoft GitHub Verified Partner](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GitHub%20Verified%20Partner%20-%20white-SQUARE.png?width=256&height=57&name=GitHub%20Verified%20Partner%20-%20white-SQUARE.png) ![Data & AI Solutions Partner](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Data%20%26%20AI%20Solutions%20Partner.png?width=125&height=144&name=Data%20%26%20AI%20Solutions%20Partner.png) ![Digital & App Innovation Solutions Partner](https://blogs.incyclesoftware.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Digital%20%26%20App%20Innovation%20Solutions%20Partner.png?width=125&height=144&name=Digital%20%26%20App%20Innovation%20Solutions%20Partner.png)   © 2025 InCycle Software [Privacy policy](https://www.incyclesoftware.com/privacy) ** ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=302756&fmt=gif) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=302756&fmt=gif)