What Is Cloud Waste?

Date First Published: 27th March 2024

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

CONTENTS

Examples Of Cloud Waste
Minimisation

Learn about what cloud waste is in this article.

Cloud waste refers to unused cloud services, which result in unnecessary spending. This often happens when home users or businesses overestimate what services they will need, leading to them purchasing more than necessary.

Cloud-based services provide an efficient way to manage resources and storage over a network. However, it is important for individuals and businesses to review their cloud subscriptions on a regular basis to ensure that they are not wasting money on services they do not need. It has become a concern for individuals and businesses that subscribe to SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS cloud services from cloud providers.

Examples Of Cloud Waste

Examples of cloud waste include:

Unused apps in a cloud software suite - Not all purchased features may be used by the user. This can lead to some users wasting money on paying for features they will never use.
Underused cloud computing services - Users may not be using all cloud computing resources from the cloud provider.
Underused server bandwidth - Users may be paying for much more bandwidth each month than they actually need, causing them to waste money on paying for excess bandwidth.
Unnecessary cloud security features - Users may be paying for more cloud security features than they need, causing them to be oversecured.

Minimisation

Cloud waste can cause individuals and businesses to spend more money than necessary on cloud services. To minimise cloud waste, it is best to regularly monitor usage. Most cloud providers have their own tools that give an analysis of resources running in an environment and actual usage. Using these tools can allow teams to understand whether they are underusing resources or if they will benefit from switching to a plan with fewer resources.

To help reduce cloud waste, cloud computing platforms like AWS and Google Cloud provide usage-based billing, meaning that customers only pay for what they have used in each billing period and will not pay for more resources than they are using.