Session Abstract

Many organizations move to Azure expecting flexibility, scalability, and predictable costs. Yet year after year, the Azure bill keeps growing and budgets are getting exceed before the first week ends. Often without a clear explanation. We take a realistic look at why Azure costs increase even when environments seem unchanged. Spoiler: it’s usually not caused by price increases allone and it’s rarely a single service. We explore the most common hidden cost drivers seen in Azure environments, including data growth, logging and monitoring consumption, backup and retention policies, networking charges, and “small” or "historical" architectural decisions that quietly add up. We’ll also cover recent developments in Azure Cost Management and FinOps such as improved cost analysis, better anomaly detection, commitment-based discount and the growing importance of cost governance instead of ad-hoc optimization. Rather than focusing on cost cutting tricks this session shows how to design Azure environments that remain financially sustainable at scale. As an attendee you will leave use with practical insights, design considerations and governance principles to regain control over their Azure spend without sacrificing performance or security. And yes, we will share our own practices that give us tears when it happens but now, we can laughter about.

Johannes Muller

Johannes Muller is a passionate IT professional and public speaker with a strong affinity for Microsoft technologies. He thrives in dynamic environments that embrace and adapt to emerging technologies ideally before they turn into empty buzzwords. In today’s fast-paced digital world, staying current with industry trends and translating them into meaningful, real-world solutions is what drives him. Johannes believes there is always a way to reach your goals. Even when technology (or budgets) seem determined to test your patience. He is often described as knowledgeable, open-minded, and forward-thinking, with a sharp eye for both today’s demands and tomorrow’s challenges. Committed to continuous learning and self-improvement, Johannes constantly looks for smarter, more engaging ways to approach complex topics without losing the human side of technology. It is a privilege for him to share his knowledge, experience, and personal perspective on modern IT with his audience, aiming to leave people inspired, better informed and reassured that technology can be powerful, practical, and even enjoyable.