Enhancing Cloud Efficiency and Cost Savings for a Leading US Specialty Discount Retailer

A prominent US-based retailer renowned for its affordable products, rapid growth, and success in the retail space faced challenges with managing their Azure cloud environment efficiently. The retailer, a multibillion-dollar company, needed a robust strategy to optimize cloud costs and enhance data management capabilities. 

The Retailer’s primary challenge was the escalating costs associated with their Azure cloud environment and their Azure Databricks usage. Their Azure spend had more than doubled in less than three years, surpassing $4 million annually. The rapid growth and competing operational priorities limited efficiencies. Although the client leverages data for advanced analytics and AI solutions, the rapid growth has brought inefficiency into the platform.

Ensono’s approach to solving the Retailer’s cost challenges involved a comprehensive strategy focused on optimization. So that the client could make informed decisions on its best path forward, Ensono’s tailored strategy quantified projected financial benefits and estimated work effort to implement each component, including.

• Implement Databricks’ native code framework to process data more efficiently, enhancing computational resource utilization and reducing unnecessary spend
• Resize and adjust VMs and compute resources to match real-world usage, incorporating Spot Instances to leverage lower-cost computing options
• Enhance data management through Unity Catalog, streamlining governance
• Incorporate effective backup strategies with compression to keep storage costs in check
• Optimize job clusters and compute pools in size and operation to ensure they meet demand without excess capacity
• Right-sized API management services based on accurate metrics analysis
• Leveraged enterprise agreements for software licensing instead of costlier pay-as-you-go options
• Spot Instances and Decommissioning: Recommends using Spot Instances with decommissioning for cost-effective computing

The Retailers’ collaboration with Ensono is pivotal in giving them a way to reduce their cloud consumption and Azure Databricks costs. The initial consultation addressed immediate opportunities for these savings, and the next phase of the project will execute the changes the Retailor selects from the series of recommendations identified by Ensono.

• Projected savings of over $5 million over the next five years with a 25% reduction in Azure expenses per year
• The return on investment has a period of only 4 months
• Enhance data management through Unity Catalog, streamlining governance