How can we reduce our monthly AWS bill without sacrificing server performance?

All answers to this question.

Mark, the most common "silent killer" of cloud budgets is over-provisioned instances. I recommend starting with AWS Compute Optimizer; it uses machine learning to suggest the exact instance type you need based on historical usage. For data transfer, look into using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like CloudFront to cache content closer to users, which is often cheaper than raw egress from an S3 bucket. Also, implement "Instance Scheduling" to automatically shut down development and staging environments during non-working hours. This alone can save you up to 30% if your teams are primarily working in a single time zone.

   Answered 2025-09-18 by Brenda Foster

Have you looked into the Savings Plans or Reserved Instances, or are you still running everything on-demand?

   Answered 2025-09-20 by Steven Wright

• Steven makes a great point. On-demand is the most expensive way to run a cloud. If you have predictable baseline traffic, committing to a one-year Savings Plan can drop your costs by 40% or more. We recently switched our production database to a Reserved Instance and the ROI was visible within the first month. Just make sure you’ve right-sized before you commit to a long-term plan, otherwise, you're just paying for unused capacity at a slightly cheaper rate.

     Commented 2025-09-22 by Jeffrey Thomas

Tagging is everything. If you don't tag your resources by department or project, you can't hold anyone accountable for the cost spikes.

   Answered 2025-09-25 by Laura Bennett

• Absolutely, Laura. Tagging-based cost allocation is the first step in any mature FinOps journey. It turns "unexplained costs" into "departmental accountability."

     Commented 2025-09-26 by Mark Sullivan