AWS › EC2 & Compute
How should an organization design a comprehensive EC2 rightsizing and cost optimization strategy combining instance type selection, pricing models, and automation?
AdvancedAnswer
A comprehensive strategy typically involves continuously monitoring actual CPU, memory, and network utilization using CloudWatch to identify over provisioned instances, using Compute Optimizer or Trusted Advisor recommendations to right size instance types based on genuine usage patterns, strategically combining Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for steady state baseline capacity with Spot Instances for fault tolerant burst workloads, and automating instance scheduling to stop non production instances outside of business hours, together compounding into significant cost savings without sacrificing necessary performance or availability.
aws compute-optimizer get-ec2-instance-recommendations --instance-arns arn:aws:ec2:us-east-1:123456789012:instance/i-1234567890abcdef0Real-world example A large enterprise combines Compute Optimizer recommendations for rightsizing, a mix of Savings Plans for baseline capacity and Spot Instances for batch workloads, and automated scheduling that stops development instances every night, together reducing their overall EC2 spending by a substantial percentage without any negative impact on production performance.