Using the Azure Cost Explorer for Cloud Block Store

How to Estimate Azure Pricing?

Azure provides a free cost management tool that allows to estimate and calculate the cost for new Azure resources deployment. The tool is configured to get Azure products and services pricing in real-time, and can help customize the cost of your deployment plan through one dashboard.

Before start estimating the cost, Use the Cloud Block Store Support Matrix for Azure to get familiar with the major Azure services that construct a single Cloud Block Store. 

You can enter the components in the table below into the Azure Pricing Calculator to get an estimated static cost of a specific CBS model and capacity point. For more accurate comparison of CBS total cost versus the native Azure storage costs, please consult with the Pure Storage account team or Pure Storage account partner to leverage the CBS TCO tool which factors in important factors like data reduction, thin provisioning, etc. 

*  Every model has different capacity point differs in disk size, provisioned IOPS, and provisioned throughout. Get back to CBS on Azure Architecture Matrix to get the correct sizing. 

To start estimating using Azure Cost Calculator, follow the below: 

1. Go to Azure Cost Calculator, (make sure to login with an Azure account in order to save and reuse previously saved estimation).
   
   
2. Use the table above and search for the products and then apply the configuration. (Full CBS V10 model example under appendix A).
   Note: Make sure all the products are under the same designated region of your choice. Every Azure region has different set of prices. 
   
   

3. Add Support (IF not included already into your account), and if you have program/offer select it that as well.  
4. Check the end of the page to see the estimated cost. 
5. Lastly, you can export the estimation to an excel sheet, save it, or share a link with others. 
   
   

How to Manage Azure Cost? 

For cost management, Azure provides free and always-on cost analysis and monitoring features as part of the Azure portal. It helps to understand your spending by providing visualized insights for the ongoing service utilization. It also helps optimize the cost by identifying anomalies in spending patterns.

This section shows how to use Azure Cost Management, to better understand your Cloud Block Store underlying resources spending. 

1. Go to CBS Managed Application, then click on Managed Resource Group. 
   
2. On the lift panel, under Cost Management, select Cost Analysis. 
   
   
3. The dashboard (shown on the screenshot below) visualized the all the services cost under the scoped managed resource group, with the default view as Accumulated Costs. You can also find customized donut charts showing breakdown of spending for Service, Location, and Resource. 
   
   
4.  You can also switch between built-in views to get better insights. (Screenshot below shows tabular cost views, part of Cost analysis preview). 
   
   
5. For more information, please check Explore and analyze costs with cost analysis.

Appendix A