How-To
EtherInsights: AI-Augmented Cloud Cost Optimization
I had a chance to meet with Ryan Mangan, CEO of EfficientEther, a startup company based in the UK, to get a demonstration of the latest version of EtherInsights.
EtherInsights is a Microsoft 365 and Azure cost optimization tool with an AI-first development model. This means it was designed from the ground up to take advantage of AI rather than have AI bolted on to it like many legacy products have recently done.
[Click on image for larger view.]
In talking with Ryan, pictured above, a few things that stood out to me about the tool were its ease of use and the fact that it is inexpensive enough for SMBs, but it can and does support enterprises and managed service providers (MSPs).
Cost Savings Opportunities
Ryan started the demo by bringing up the home dashboard and showing how it identifies unused resources and the potential savings that can be achieved by using its recommendations.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Licensing is a considerable expense, and Ryan jumped right in and demonstrated how the product can be used to save these costs. He brought up a dashboard that identified users with licensed products but who had not recently used them. Not only did it identify these unused licenses, but it also showed the cost associated with them.
[Click on image for larger view.]
He then discussed other savings the product can uncover, such as unused virtual machines and storage savings.
[Click on image for larger view.]
One dashboard showed users' OneDrive storage usage and inactive accounts, which can be deleted to recover the cost of having them.
[Click on image for larger view.]
He showed how it can even uncover unused public IP addresses.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Clicking on the icon to the right of an unused resource provides step-by-step AI-augmented guidance on reclaiming it, which I will explore in more detail later.
Windows 10 WILL EOL
Windows 10's End-of-Life is one of IT's biggest headaches this year. In recognition of this, EtherInsights not only manages cloud resources but can also be used on PCs and laptops. It can identify devices still running Windows 10 and tell you if they are compatible with and upgraded to Windows 11.
[Click on image for larger view.]
I have written quite a bit about how many Windows 10 devices are still out there. I like that the dashboard has a countdown timer for Windows 10 EOL to constantly remind people that the end will soon be upon us.
Environmental, Social, and Governance Information
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a framework for evaluating and measuring a company's sustainability and ethical practices. It helps investors and other stakeholders understand how a company manages environmental risks, addresses social issues, and governs itself responsibly. While it is a checkbox item for most CEOs and CTOs, gathering ESG information about IT resources can be complex and problematic.
[Click on image for larger view.]
EtherInsights has ESG reporting built in and includes initial CO₂-equivalent insights for Microsoft 365. Ryan pointed out some difficulties in obtaining this information regarding cloud computing, where the data center may have already implemented net-zero energy policies. He said that this is something they are working on, and they will have expanded sustainability dashboards coming shortly.
An AI-First Product
As mentioned above, EtherInsights was initially designed to work with AI. This AI-first focus means that EtherInsights leverages cutting-edge AI technologies to provide actionable information using another of their technologies, EtherAssist. This approach streamlines the process and enhances the overall functionality of the tool. Ryan demonstrated how the platform can automatically identify cost-saving opportunities and optimize resource usage, and then how EtherAssist gives more information about them. This is the true power of the product for businesses looking to maximize their Microsoft 365 and Azure investments and how to optimize these resources, which can be quite expensive.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Diving deeper into its suggestion gives more details about the savings.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Only after I finished talking to him did I look down at my desk and realize he was the author of Mastering Azure Virtual Desktop, which I was reading. This explains Ryan's intimacy with the intricacies of Azure and Microsoft 365.
[Click on image for larger view.]
Cloud computing can be a significant line item for many businesses, and having a single dashboard that shows a cost breakdown is nice, having one that shows unused resources is nicer, but having an AI assistant to help you resolve issues can be a game-changer for businesses. I have seen non-AI cloud cost dashboards developed and implemented in larger companies, but most smaller businesses don’t have the expertise and time to create and manage their own, let alone integrate them with AI. As this product is a web-based subscription service, you do not need to install additional products on the systems you are monitoring or create a management platform, and it is priced and built so that smaller companies and organizations can afford it..
More information about EtherInsights and EfficientEther's other products can be found here.
About the Author
Tom Fenton has a wealth of hands-on IT experience gained over the past 30 years in a variety of technologies, with the past 20 years focusing on virtualization and storage. He previously worked as a Technical Marketing Manager for ControlUp. He also previously worked at VMware in Staff and Senior level positions. He has also worked as a Senior Validation Engineer with The Taneja Group, where he headed the Validation Service Lab and was instrumental in starting up its vSphere Virtual Volumes practice. He's on X @vDoppler.