Question #1956
A company operates a web application on Amazon EC2 instances within an Auto Scaling group. The instances are memory-optimized and utilize Amazon EBS volumes for storage. The company aims to identify cost-saving opportunities across their EC2 instances, Auto Scaling group configurations, and EBS volumes. Which approach provides the MOST operationally efficient solution to meet these requirements?
Use AWS Cost Explorer to analyze spending patterns. Manually correlate the data to identify optimization opportunities for EC2 instances, the Auto Scaling group, and EBS volumes.
Enable AWS Trusted Advisor checks for cost optimization. Review recommendations for EC2 instances, Auto Scaling group settings, and EBS volumes separately.
Configure AWS Compute Optimizer to generate cost optimization recommendations for the EC2 instances, Auto Scaling group, and EBS volumes.
Use AWS Compute Optimizer for EC2 instance recommendations. Create an AWS Cost and Usage Report to identify optimizations for the Auto Scaling group and EBS volumes.
Explanation
Option C is correct because AWS Compute Optimizer is specifically designed to analyze historical usage patterns and provide automated recommendations for optimizing EC2 instances (right-sizing), Auto Scaling groups (optimal configurations), and EBS volumes (right-sizing and volume type adjustments). This eliminates manual analysis and ensures all three components are addressed cohesively.
Other options are less efficient:
- A requires manual correlation of Cost Explorer data, which is time-consuming.
- B relies on Trusted Advisor checks, which are generic and do not provide tailored recommendations for Auto Scaling groups or EBS volumes.
- D splits the optimization process between Compute Optimizer and a manual Cost and Usage Report analysis, reducing operational efficiency.
Key Points:
1. Compute Optimizer automates recommendations for EC2, Auto Scaling, and EBS.
2. Operational efficiency is achieved by minimizing manual effort.
3. Trusted Advisor and Cost Explorer lack the granularity and automation needed for this scenario.
Answer
The correct answer is: C