# CostGuard ## Overview Finout’s CostGuard is a powerful tool for identifying areas within your infrastructure that are ripe for cost optimization. As cost optimization is always a high priority, CostGuard provides a comprehensive solution that is seamlessly integrated with the [MegaBill](https://docs.finout.io/user-guide/inform/megabill). With CostGuard, you can easily identify cost optimization opportunities and potential savings relevant to your virtual tags, different teams, environments, and cost centers, all in one centralized location. This makes it easier than ever to streamline your cost optimization efforts and achieve maximum savings. Moreover, CostGuard continuously scans your resources and costs, identifying potential cost-saving opportunities across various use cases for [Finout ](https://docs.finout.io/user-guide/optimize/costguard/finout-scans)and [Cloud Native](https://docs.finout.io/user-guide/optimize/costguard/cloud-native-scans) scans. With this feature, you have everything you need to optimize your costs. CostGuard recommendations are divided into three different use cases: | Idle | Almost every organization has resources that were provisioned but are no longer in use. Forgetting to switch off these **Idle** resources eats away at your tech budget. | | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Commitment | Identifying resources that are regularly in use helps to identify potential savings that can be had by signing up for savings plans. The **Commitment** to using a resource for a specific amount over the agreed period can safely be made based on the CostGuard scans. | | Rightsizing | Resources that are in use may be underutilized and exceed your current workload performance and capacity requirements. **Rightsizing** means that you can downsize these resources without compromising on your service levels. | Finout helps guard against resource wastage and provides you with quick access to potential savings. You can drill down into the various scan reports to view a list of resources that require adjustments to achieve the specific savings. CostGuard provides you with the information and confidence to optimize your resourcing and save money.
The CostGuard feature is available out of the box and generally requires no configuration. If you require additional scans, please contact support at . ## Using and Managing CostGuard Scans #### CostGuard Scan Filters
{% hint style="info" %} **Note**: You can open Costguard scans in a new browser tab directly from the Costguard scans list.\ Right-click the Costguard scan and select **Open in New Tab**, or use: * **Command + Click** on macOS * **Ctrl + Click** on Windows or Linux This allows you to compare multiple Costguard scans side by side or keep several Costguard scans open at the same time. {% endhint %} 1. **Filters**: Select the filters you want to see in the view. See [Filters](https://docs.finout.io/inform/megabill#filters) for more information.
2. **Cost Center**: Filter scans by cost center.
3. **Scan Source**: Select the scan sources you want to see in the view. You can choose from Finout Scans or Cloud Native Scans.
4. **Search**: Search scans with a free-text search.
#### How to View Potential Savings 1. Select **CostGuard**. 2. (Optional) Apply the required **Filters**.

Note: Management is available for admins and users with Edit CostGuard permission. See RBAC for more information.

3. (Optional) Select whether to view the type of potential savings: **Idle**, **Rightsizing**, or **Commitment**. 4. (Optional) Select the required **Group By** option.

Important: If you select a virtual tag with reallocation by filtering or adding a column, and the reallocation rule splits a resource into multiple values, the calculated waste and annual potential savings will be impacted.
Example: If you filter or group by virtual tag with reallocation, and the reallocation rule splits a resource into multiple values, the calculated waste and potential savings will be impacted. Example: Consider a Virtual Tag with three rules:

When filtering by Team 1 or Team 2, the Potential Savings and Waste % will be precise. However, when filtering by Shared, the reallocation may split a single resource across multiple values. This distribution can cause the Potential Savings and Waste % to exceed expectations.

5. To download a list of the potential savings, click and **Download CSV**. A list of the potential grouped monthly savings and the number of resources per group is downloaded. 6. To download a table of the monthly scans, in the **Scans** area, click **Download CSV**. A list of the monthly scans, with the scan names, cost centers, use cases, potential savings per scan, and number of resources per scan, is downloaded. 7. To view a specific scan, in the **Scans** pane, click on the scan report. #### CostGuard Management Enables you to manage and configure scans that align with your account’s interests, reducing noise and enhancing the relevance of scan results. {% hint style="info" %} **Note**: Management is available for admins and users with **Edit CostGuard** permission. See [RBAC](https://docs.finout.io/settings/role-based-access-control-rbac) for more information. {% endhint %} 1. In Finout, navigate to **CostGuard**.
2. Click ![](https://3858159242-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FWqjB2puKXPDR7L86FX2e%2Fuploads%2FPupwlRhamfnv85aP4aTe%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=f7da712f-42e3-4b7f-8730-6ae1888136c2) .
1. **CostGuard Settings**: 1. Set the threshold. This excludes low-savings resources by defining the minimum yearly savings needed to display them. 2. Click **Save**.\ The confirmation pop-up appears.
3. Click **OK**.\ The settings are saved. 2. **Manage Scans**: * Filter scans and select a single or multiple scans to activate or deactivate.
1. **Status**: Filter for Active or Inactive Scans. 2. **Cost Center**: Choose a cost center to filter by. 3. **Scan Source**: Choose one of the scan sources. See [Finout](https://docs.finout.io/user-guide/optimize/costguard/finout-scans) and [Cloud Native](https://docs.finout.io/user-guide/optimize/costguard/cloud-native-scans) scans for more information. 4. **Filter by Use Case**: Choose a use case. Refer to the CostGuard Overview for more information about use cases. 5. **Search** for individual scans. 6. **Activate or deactivate** scans individually or by bulk action.

Note: Inactive scans are hidden from all views; however, they continue to run in the background and can be reactivated at any time.

1. **Individual scans**: Activate or deactivate the toggle for a specific scan. 2. **Bulk action**: Activate or deactivate the toggle for multiple scans.
1. Mark the scans you want to disable.\ The bulk action bar appears.
2. Change the status.\ The selected scans are deactivated.
#### How to Optimize Kubernetes Resources The Finout CostGuard scans help you set the correct allocation of resources for Kubernetes. For detailed information on how Finout calculates the cost of a Kubernetes K8 pod, see [How Finout Calculates K8s Costs](https://docs.finout.io/kubernetes-integrations/kubernetes/how-finout-calculates-kubernetes-costs). The report allows you to perform a “what-if” analysis and view the costs and savings if you lower the requested memory or CPU to the maximum usage or by 10% (P90) or 20% (P80). 1\. Select **CostGuard**. 2\. Scroll down to the list of scans, and click the **Cost Center** column to locate the Kubernetes scans easily—The user identified the resource's recommendation as irrelevant. When applying this status, the resource's recommendation will be archived and removed from the table unless it is filtered.
3\. Click on a K8s scan, for example, K8s - StatefulSet.
4\. Click to select a report.
5\. The report covers the period of the last 14 days and includes: 1. Cost and waste for the resource over the period. 2. Breakdown of the Memory and CPU usage (Max, Average, and Min) versus the current request over the period. * To view the impact of reducing the requested memory by 10% (P90) or 20% (P80), click **P90** or **P80**. The **New waste** and **Potential savings** are updated. * To view the impact of selecting the maximum memory (as recorded in the past 14 days), click **Max**. The **New waste** and **Potential savings** are updated. * Similarly, to view the impact of changing the number of cores, click **Max P90** or **P80**. The **New waste** and **Potential savings** are updated. * To view the CPU/memory ratio for the resource, click the information icon.
* To copy the configuration with the selected changes, click **Copy** to copy the JSON snippet to the clipboard. ## Using and Managing Individual Scans
#### **View Cost Scans** The key information appears at the top of the scan report, with the detailed resource information listed in the table below. 1. Click **CostGuard**. 2. Select a scan in the **Scans** list.
3. (Optional) Apply the required **Filters**.\ ![](https://3858159242-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FWqjB2puKXPDR7L86FX2e%2Fuploads%2FMuTempxf4I7k9ENJ9Jk2%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=0c86de6a-ba41-46d2-9af8-d6083ba567f1) 4. (Optional) Click **Additional Columns**, select the dimensions you want, and click **Apply**.\ ![](https://3858159242-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FWqjB2puKXPDR7L86FX2e%2Fuploads%2FhbyruDFDjueJChGcfjxk%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=6b2e400e-e110-4c24-af46-1fdb7ef867e8) 5. To sort the resources table, click the column name you want to sort by. Click again to sort in reverse order. 6. To view resources with a specific status, click the required status button. For more information on statuses see [How to manage the resource status](#h_4fe7539969).
7. Apply any required column viewing options. These column viewing options do not affect the exported cost scan.
#### Export a Cost Scan You can export the cost scan with the applied filters, visible columns, selected resource status, and in the visible sort order. 1. Select **CostGuard**. 2. Select the required cost scan in the **Scans** pane. 3. (Optional) Apply the required **Filters**. 4. (Optional) Click **Additional Columns**, select the required columns, and click **Apply**. 5. To view resources with a specific status, click the required status button. 6. To sort the resources table, click on the required column name. Click again to sort in reverse order. 7. Click the download icon. A CSV file is downloaded. #### Create a Snapshot of a Cost Scan You can create a link to a scan report. The link is copied to the clipboard. 1. Select **CostGuard**. 2. Select the required cost scan in the **Scans** pane. 3. Click **Generate Report**. The link is sent to the clipboard. #### Manage the Resource Status You can manage the status of each of the resources, allowing you to track whether or not you are working on it, have dismissed it, or are done. A resource starts with a **New** status. This can be updated to **Working on it**, **Dismissed**, or **Done**. You can view a list of all the resources that you are working on. **CostGuard Statuses:** * **New** - This resource was identified today as applicable for the scan's recommendation, but the recommendation has not been implemented and remains unresolved. * **Working on it** - The recommendation for this resource is currently being implemented. * **Done** - The recommendation has been implemented for the resource. * The "Done" status applies only to the day it was marked. * If a recommendation is marked as Done and later determined by Finout to no longer meet the scan’s threshold, it will be automatically removed from CostGuard, like all other recommendations. * **Dismissed** - The recommendation for the resource was identified by the user as irrelevant. When applying this status, the resource's recommendation will be archived and removed from the table unless filtering by this status. * The "dismissed" status applies only to the day it was dismissed. * If a recommendation is dismissed and later determined by Finout to be incompatible with the scan's threshold, it will no longer be applicable and will automatically be removed from CostGuard, like all other recommendations. #### **Manage CostGuard Statuses:** 1. Select **CostGuard**. 2. Select the required cost scan in the **Scans** pane. 3. Select a resource and select a **Status** from the dropdown.
4. Select one or more resources and then click **Change status** and select the required status.
5. To view a list of all the resources that you are working on, click **To Do**.
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