Benefits of Azure Reserved Instances

As a public cloud platform, Azure offers one of the most robust, scalable, and flexible Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings. Its virtual machine (VM) solution offers the flexibility of working with a range of workloads with several operating systems and can be created quickly with existing images from Microsoft and its partners. With the introduction of Azure Reserved Instances (Azure RI), active customers with long-term Azure VM commitments have added advantages to their Azure VM subscriptions. It is emerging as the preferred choice over the pay-as-you-go cloud computing option. Let us take a look at the benefits of Azure Reserved Instances.

What Are Azure Reserved Instances and How Do They Work?

Azure RI are virtual machines that have been reserved for long-term subscribers on a 1-year or 3-year contract on Microsoft Azure’s Public IaaS cloud for dedicated use. This results in savings of up to 80% on virtual machines. While Azure RIs use the same technology as any other Azure VM, they are especially well suited for applications and workloads that have predictable usage patterns.

These instances lend greater operational flexibility, save costs, and simplify budgeting and forecasting. There are flexible management options for Azure RI which can be assigned at enrolment and subscription level and managed at an organizational or individual department level.

Advantages of Azure Reserved Instances

Azure RI provides users the same capabilities as regular Azure VMs at significantly lower costs. While this does require an upfront commitment, it does not lock users in a rigid, unchangeable predicament and offers the flexibility to make ongoing adjustments or even cancellations without much fuss. Let us look at the advantages of Azure Reserved Instances in detail.

Deep Savings

Azure RI was introduced to save subscription costs. While it must be acknowledged that it is difficult to linearly extrapolate the spending on cloud computing services owing to the wide range of services and the growth trajectory of organizations themselves, even a ball-park estimate would suggest that an Azure RI subscription results in much greater savings than its corresponding pay-as-you-go subscription. The price difference is even starker for users opting for Azure RI with Azure Hybrid Benefit. Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHB) is a scheme in which users with existing on-premises Windows Server and/or SQL Server license pay a reduced rate on Azure Virtual Machines. With Azure Hybrid Benefit, users save around 40% on the D2 instances on a 1-year reservation with AHB and over 60% on a 3-year reservation with AHB.

Flexibility & Simplicity

It is easy to purchase and managed Azure RI. All you need to do is, specify the Azure region, type of virtual machine, and the term (1 or 3 years) to get started. Regardless of the term for reserving virtual instances, subscribers can easily exchange or cancel their subscription at any time. When you are exchanging your Azure RIs, it can be done across regions and series based on your application and workload requirements. Similarly, it is easy to cancel any Azure RI at any time and return the instances to Microsoft for the remaining duration at a nominal termination fee.

Businesses whose requirements change dynamically can automate Azure RI management when they have a hard time committing to a specific VM size ahead of time. This process results in the application of designated RIs to other VM sizes within the same group and region. Not only can businesses save more with this arrangement, but they will also be spending less time managing instances and more on core business activities.

Reservation and Prioritization

Azure RIs offer advanced settings for VM management with the option for capacity priority. Organizations that prefer capacity priority over size flexibility get greater control over data center capacity for their deployments. This ensures that there is greater reliability, availability, and predictability of VM performance.

Aside from the capability of prioritization, another important feature is the flexibility in the assignment of Azure RI subscriptions. While the floating assignment of VM subscriptions at the enrollment level benefits a company’s overall Azure enrollment, assignment at the subscription level might have better cost benefits. The flexibility in reserved instances assignment lends flexibility to organizations in handling conflicting situations.

Apps4Rent Can Help You Procure and Manage Reserved Instances

Apps4Rent is a Tier 1 Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider that can help you take full advantage of Azure Reserved Instances for your business. Not only will our experts help you acquire them at promotional prices, but we will also help you to effectively manage your deployments and maximize your savings. We provide free assistance 24/7/365 to our Azure services subscribers via phone, chat, and email. Contact our sales team to know more about our Azure offerings today.