Background
The global banking company has more than 17,000 employees, reaches ca. €7 billion in annual sales, and is represented on all continents. One of its key strategic pillars is to future-proof banking for generations to come, so optimising its cloud control is integral for its long-term spending and drive for innovation.
Challenge
Given the size of the bank, significant cloud computing resources were required to handle its operations. At the same time, its Azure environment was not set up in the best and most cost-efficient way for its needs. This resulted in the bank’s Azure cloud costs being higher than expected.
Wanting to identify cost savings, the global bank knew it required a better understanding of Azure cost management tools. It also needed advanced reporting ability so it could get a detailed picture of department-specific spending. The bank wanted to encourage accountability and provide its departments with the tools for better optimisation.
“As a large organisation, our cloud costs were often hard to predict. We were concerned that we were overprovisioning and under-using in certain departments. At the same time, those departments didn’t have the necessary knowledge or resources to take control of their own Azure allocations, compounding the problem.”
IT Manager, Global bank
Solution and Outcome
To get the bank’s cloud costs under control, Insight used its proven optimisation and governance methodologies, which included performing a Cloud Cost Analysis using data provided by the bank. As a result of the analysis, Insight was able to produce a report with suggestions for improvements.
Insight’s recommendations allowed the global bank to save costs in the short and long-term, totalling €3.7 million annually. The recommendations identified how the bank could reduce its Azure spend with immediate reductions. And, at the same time, it outlined how the Azure governance process could drive further future cost savings for the bank.
In addition to Insight’s recommendations, the bank now has a better understanding of the best practises and cost management tools available to them. It has the knowledge and ability to fully harness the native Azure Operation and Governance tools, including Azure Cost Management, Advisor, and Reservations, which allowed for a further €377,000 of savings opportunities.
The improved governance and understanding of the Azure management tools also provides the bank with the reporting that it needs for its departments – they can now account for and estimate their required cloud spend.
Why Insight?
When working with its clients, Insight takes a consultancy approach to fully understand their needs and business practices. In the case of the global bank, this allowed Insight to pinpoint exactly which areas of its cloud governance and financial operations needed improvement to reduce its costs.
As the global bank’s trusted partner for Microsoft licensing and cloud solutions, the bank was confident that Insight had the expertise to rein in its cloud costs, while making its departments more knowledgeable and self-sufficient.
