Azure Start Stop VM 2 cost

Question

I want to make use of Azure Start Stop VM 2 tool to reduce the VM cost. These VMs are running RPA BOT on a scheduled time and can be shutdown after bot has completed its execution.

I am thinking to make use of Azure monitor and based on the CPU utilization, Azure VM can be set to shutdown/deallocated and help save cost.

These Azure Windows 10 VM are hosted in west US region and I want to POC this approach of shutting down the VM and start it before the next bot execution.

What is the cost of provisioning this Azure Start Stop VM 2 service? How may I try this approach and see the results before implementing it in actual environment?

Regards,

Samir

Answer 1

Hi Samir

The Start/Stop VMs during off-hours feature start or stops enabled Azure VMs. It starts or stops machines on user-defined schedules, provides insights through Azure Monitor logs, and sends optional emails by using action groups. The feature can be enabled on both Azure Resource Manager and classic VMs for most scenarios.

The feature provides a decentralized low-cost automation option for users who want to optimize their VM costs. You can use the feature to:

• Schedule VMs to start and stop.
• Schedule VMs to start and stop in ascending order by using Azure Tags. This activity is not supported for classic VMs.
• Autostop VMs based on low CPU usage.

Here is the procedure for low cpu usage

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/automation/automation-solution-vm-management-config#cpuutil

Cheers