Creating cloud resources is easy. Cleaning them up is not.
In Azure, virtual machines, storage, and databases can launch in minutes. However, many of them stay online long after they are needed. This problem is called cloud sprawl.
Cloud sprawl wastes money every day. According to HashiCorp’s State of Cloud Strategy Survey 2024, the biggest causes of cloud waste are idle resources, overprovisioning, and lack of visibility.
The good news is simple. You can stop cloud sprawl with automation.
Cloud waste is not just an IT problem. It is a budget problem.
Many companies exceed their cloud budgets by 17% or more each year. Often, no one notices until costs spike.
For example, one organization reduced non-production cloud costs by 40%. They did this by shutting down development systems outside business hours. Nothing was deleted. Systems simply powered off when unused.
As a result, they saved money immediately and redirected funds to growth.
Manual cleanup fails for one reason: people forget.
Projects end. Teams move on. Resources stay online.
Automation solves this problem. It finds waste every day and takes action without reminders. Microsoft Power Automate makes this possible with simple workflows.
Development VMs cause the most waste.
Teams create them fast. Then they forget them.
You can stop this with a daily automation.
Here’s how it works:
Power Automate checks Azure for VMs tagged Environment: Dev
It reviews CPU usage
If usage stays below 5% for 72 hours, the VM shuts down
Nothing breaks. Developers can restart systems when needed. However, you stop paying for idle compute.
Deleted VMs often leave disks behind. These disks still cost money.
You can find them automatically.
A weekly flow:
Scans for unattached managed disks
Collects size and estimated cost
Sends a report to IT or finance
Now you see hidden costs clearly. Then you decide what to delete.
Temporary resources should not live forever.
Instead, set clear expiration rules.
Best practice:
Tag resources with a Deletion Date
Run a daily automation
Delete resources after that date
This removes human error. It also enforces financial discipline.
Automation needs guardrails.
First, run workflows in report-only mode. Send alerts instead of deleting resources. Then review results for a few weeks.
Next, add approvals for high-risk actions. For example, large disk deletions may require review.
This approach keeps automation safe and predictable.
Cloud sprawl does not fix itself. However, automation fixes it fast.
With Power Automate, you:
Stop paying for idle resources
Reduce surprise cloud bills
Gain clear visibility
Protect your budget
Most importantly, you stay in control.
If you are ready to reduce waste and optimize Azure spending, contact us today. We help businesses automate cloud cleanup without disruption.