Flexibility Without Waste: Rethinking Your Microsoft Azure Computing Commitment Strategy
- The InfraEdge
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 13
The InfraEdge | CloudLattice Publication
This article explores how enterprise teams can reduce Azure spend by 30–50% through a flexible, well-scoped Reserved Instance strategy that aligns with real-world infrastructure behavior—without sacrificing agility or overcommitting budget.
If you are already using Microsoft Azure to host computing infrastructure, this article may be of help. This is with the assumption that you do not have capacity within your environment to host your own workloads, or there is a net benefit regarding savings on Microsoft licensing.
When it comes to Azure Reserved Instances (RIs), cost control does not have to come at the expense of agility. With the right strategy, you can manage long-term commitments without boxing in your teams or overcommitting budget.
Why Most RI Strategies Overcommit
Reserved Instances are powerful. By committing to specific VM types or services for one or three years, you can save up to 72% over pay-as-you-go pricing (Microsoft docs).
But here is what often happens:
Teams buy RIs based on peak usage instead of normalized trends
Subscriptions are scoped too narrowly, reducing coverage flexibility
Workloads change, but the RI strategy does not
These patterns lead to waste. Capacity sits unused, costs go up, and confidence in RI planning goes down.
Flexibility Is Built In (If You Know Where to Look)
Azure actually offers more adaptability than many realize:
Shared scope reservations allow RI discounts to be applied across multiple subscriptions in a billing context
Size flexibility within VM families enables some workload variation without invalidating RI coverage (reference)
Exchange and cancellation options exist under certain conditions, especially for newer RI types
The problem is not lack of options—it is lack of planning.
Want to Cut Your Azure Spend by 30–50%?
Download our Reserved Instance Optimization Guide and discover proven strategies Fortune 500 teams use to unlock hidden savings.
What Agile RI Strategy Looks Like
At CloudLattice, we help clients implement RI models that flex with their business:
Shared Scopes: Maximize reservation ROI across environments and teams
Quarterly Rebalancing: Review usage data every 90 days to shift coverage or decommission idle capacity
Real-Time Dashboards: Visualize RI performance, usage anomalies, and gaps across subscriptions
Forecasting Support: Align RI purchases with expected workload changes, not just past consumption
This is not about buying more. It is about managing better.
Designed for the Real World
We understand that architecture, not theory, drives results. That is why our approach includes:
Reviewing your VM deployment patterns with Azure Resource Graph
Identifying size-flexible families and RI-compatible SKUs
Providing scope recommendations tailored to your billing structure
Automating alerts and reports using Azure Monitor and Cost Management APIs
Our goal is to help you make fewer, better RI decisions — decisions that stand up to change.
About CloudLattice
We are a new firm, and we are building with intention. We do not lead with logos—we lead with real technical knowledge and practical tools. Our services are grounded in cloud engineering experience, not just cost theory.
If you are uncertain of your current approach to Reserved Instances, let’s talk.
We’ll help you reduce spend without sacrificing agility.
A Note on Trust:
The practices, frameworks, and examples described in this publication reflect the expertise and methodology developed by CloudLattice. While these services have not yet been implemented under the CloudLattice brand, they are grounded in years of hands-on experience in enterprise cloud architecture, automation, and governance. We are engaging with forward-thinking organizations ready to apply these models.
