Growing Kubernetes Usage Requires Cost Optimization Strategy

Kubernetes container orchestration solutions facilitate distributed computing environments by ensuring that critical applications can operate in a variety of cloud- and premises-based environments with no loss of functionality. However, research suggests companies may be wasting millions of dollars per year on over-provisioned and poorly managed Kubernetes instances.

Millions of developers now use Kubernetes to package applications for use across hybrid cloud environments. In fact, studies show that more than half of organizations using containers run Kubernetes to orchestrate their apps, and nearly a third operate 50 or more Kubernetes clusters. But that rapid growth has led to unexpected costs.

According to a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) study, 68 percent of organizations confirm their Kubernetes costs are rising. About half of those say costs are increasing by 20 percent or more annually. Surprisingly, most of those surveyed aren’t entirely sure how much they are spending — 69 percent said they do not monitor Kubernetes spending.

Wasted Resources, Needless Costs

Self-service deployment features play a role in rapid proliferation and rising costs. While this feature allows developers to accelerate application deployment, the tendency to allocate the maximum amount of storage, CPU and memory to avoid performance problems can create wasted resources and unnecessary costs.

On average, 69 percent of allocated CPU and 18 percent of memory go unused, according to another study. The company further estimates that rightsizing resources could save companies between $2 million and $10 million per year, depending on the number of Kubernetes clusters they are using.

Ongoing economic uncertainty and budget constraints make Kubernetes cost management a business priority. For many companies, that means pulling numbers from cloud provider bills, plugging them into spreadsheets and trying to calculate Kubernetes costs. However, this inefficient manual process isn’t always accurate and doesn’t provide much in the way of real-time insight.

Selecting the Right Tools

These challenges have led to a rise in third-party Kubernetes cost monitoring and management tools such as Kubecost, CloudZero, Anodot, Cloudability and Cloudyn. These tools provide increased visibility into Kubernetes clusters and make it easier to monitor spending and eliminate wasted resources. Here are some of the important features to look for in a Kubernetes cost management tool:

• Increased visibility. A cost management tool should create a granular view of costs based on namespace, workload and nodes so you can see exactly how each application impacts costs. This also allows administrators to accurately charge back costs to specific teams or departments within the company.
• Cost allocation. The solution should link costs to specific utilization and performance information, making it easier to rightsize cluster allocations without negatively impacting performance.
• Real-time alerts. Without real-time alerts to cost spikes, organizations cannot investigate and respond in a timely manner. Waiting for the monthly bill can lead to billing surprises that can wreck your budget.
• Resource quotas. Management dashboards should make it simple to implement resource quotas that limit the amount of storage, CPU and memory each team or user can consume, which can help prevent overspending.
• Savings recommendations. In addition to providing visibility into Kubernetes spending, leading solutions generate actionable recommendations for cost reductions. For example, management reports might include customized suggestions for configuration changes that can reduce waste and spending without impacting application performance.

The ability to orchestrate containerized applications across a variety of operating environments makes Kubernetes a critical element of any hybrid cloud strategy. However, cost-effectively managing increasing numbers of Kubernetes clusters can be a daunting task for organizations without the right tools or expertise. Technologent has proven expertise in designing and implementing hybrid cloud solutions, including Kubernetes clusters. Let us show you how to optimize your spending without impacting performance.