Blogs
Attaining a Security SPD
In the second article in our Security SPD series, Michael Brooke offers tips to help partners gain the insight track from start to finish.
A clear way to control cloud costs
The spectacular growth of public cloud services shows little sign of easing. The intent for small to medium sized businesses to adopt cloud and/or pursue a multi-cloud strategy into 2025 is surging across the region.
There’s never been a better time for partners to be on the front foot when it comes to controlling and optimising cloud costs for their customers. Crayon has decades of experience in helping its largest clients to achieve total IT cost optimisations, and that expertise is now available to our partners.
Crayon’s channel team can tap into our global pool of more than 400 consultants worldwide, all of whom live and breathe optimisation as a discipline.
We’ll work with you to gain a full understanding of your customers’ existing cloud software and infrastructure. By building a picture of their cloud operations, we’ll enable you to proactively identify where the estate you have under management (or would like to have) could be better optimised.
Cloud cost optimisation disciplines and services provide a competitive edge. Offering a cloud cost optimisation assessment supports new business opportunities and builds increased trust with existing customers.
Leverage our proven capabilities and help your customers to strategically reinvest savings into technology projects that drive increased value for them, and you.
Cloud Cost Optimisation Assessment
A proven method for discovering hidden savings opportunities and increasing the value of cloud investments.
Complexity in the cloud is a fact of life. It’s the price to be paid for the agility and flexibility it offers. Yet, partners and customers alike can wrestle with the increased costs that come with expanded cloud use.
Our services are geared toward making sense of what drives increased costs. We do the heavy lifting on the deep analysis, so you can be proactive with recommendations and solutions that are easily understood, even by your most non-technical of customers.
A Crayon Cloud Cost Optimisation Assessment is a tried and proven process for reviewing the overall cost-effectiveness of a cloud environment.
Assessments cover resource allocation, data storage, billing models, and governance policies. Analysis of cloud billing data, usage patterns, and cost drivers is used to identify and position recommendations to create savings, reduce wastage and improve the value of the cloud environment.
What we do
Evaluate their resources
Even customers with the best service partners can end up purchasing more computing power in the cloud than they need. We’ll work with you to identify where there may be hidden costs piling up, including orphaned resources no longer used or needed by services. These include unattached disks, unused public IP addresses and load balancers, all of which can lead to increased cost and security risk.
Rightsize their applications
It’s not hard for Reserved Instances (RI) to accumulate, especially in customer environments where there are a high number of applications with steady usage. Left unmonitored, too much RI capacity at the wrong price can result in underutilised instances. Our services identify SKUs/plans to match actual usage patterns of your workloads to avoid over-provisioning and under-utilisation of instances.
Review cloud storage
Under or over provisioning of cloud storage can be a challenge for businesses of all sizes. Whether your customers need less or more, we can help you to identify the best options to control unit pricing, including where multi-vendor solutions could better optimise outcomes on Azure or AWS. We consider storage options for different types of data such as leveraging cold or archive tiers or enabling compression to reduce costs.
Consolidate small agreements
The nature of cloud consumption makes it easy for licences and subscriptions to be purchased by customers directly, often on small agreements with the same vendor. Leverage our licensing expertise to start a conversation about consolidation led savings.
Optimise licensing
Not all licenses qualify for Hybrid Benefits, and it can be a complex process to understand and execute properly for your customers. We’ll identify investments where there may be dual-rights usage, any regional price differences or move to free tier options that could provide additional efficiency and cost benefits. If you are an ISV or SaaS partner, we’ll check that available Dev/Test options are being fully utilised.
Automate and Improve
Every partner knows a customer that has cloud resources working unnecessary overtime. Show your customers how effective estate management can save them money, and you could expand your opportunities to bring more under management. Our assessment considers where scheduling and auto-scaling could be leveraged to automate starting, stopping, or scaling instances appropriately, whether optimal use is made of reserved instances and spot instances, or alternative services such as Content Distribution Networks.
Implement Cloud FinOps foundations
Assessments offer partners a low-risk way to get the cost optimisation conversation started with customers and leaves you with a clear set of actionable recommendations.
Beyond this, we can support partners in the following areas:
Implement recommendations
Right-size resources, consolidate and co-host resources as identified, apply for reserved instances, tweak SKUs and plans, add auto-scaling rules, implement automation, deploy new services or migrate to alternative cloud services.
Resource migration
Migrate resources to new subscriptions (Azure only) to leverage dev/test pricing and Cloud Service Provider (CSP) reseller rates.
Governance and policies
Enable budgets, monitoring, cost alerts, dashboards, tagging strategies, and policies to enforce cost compliance.
Together, we can help establish the foundations for the addition of well-rounded, sustainable, and profitable Cloud FinOps service offerings in your business.
Advanced Cost Optimisation
Delivering customer outcomes beyond the cloud environment
Successfully proving the value of cloud cost optimisation can lead to opportunities to expand services to the whole IT estate. Crayon has a range of additional IT Cost Optimisation services that can be brought to bear for our partners and their customers.
These include specific offerings that can be tabled ahead of Enterprise Agreement renewals and a range of flexible engagement terms, including gain-share models.
If you have an active opportunity beyond the cloud environment, get in touch to explore where we may be able to support.
FAQs
An ideal customer looks like this:
- Spends $5k – $30k/month on cloud resource consumption but there is no maximum size to optimise
- Can therefore expect that fees associated with the assessment are recouped within several months (assuming 20% savings)
- Azure, AWS, or both
How it works with Crayon:
- We run a workshop with the customer
- We investigate customer environment identifying cost optimization opportunities via manual and automated processes
- We provide a detailed action plan: actionable recommendations for cost savings and optimization
- We can implement recommendations as an additional activity/fee
We connect your tenants to a dashboard that analyses their cloud spend, and our internal experts run in-depth reviews of utilisation and consumption patterns. We then present findings to you, along with a detailed set of actionable recommendations for cost savings and optimisation.
Engagement beyond that point is up to our partners. We can provide strategic counsel on positioning recommendations to your customers, work with you to implement agreed changes and help you to develop continued GTMs to expand your footprint in this service arena.
1-2 weeks, depending on environment size.
Price point varies but average including partner markup is sub $20k. Average margin is 20%. To understand the long-term revenue potential beyond the assessment itself, get in touch with your Crayon rep or complete the inquiry form on this page, and we’ll be in touch.
Set up a time to discuss Crayon Services
Register your details to book a time to speak to one of our experts on how Crayon Services can help you.
Thanks for contacting Crayon. A team member will reach out to you soon.
Related Reading
Blogs
Microsoft Security SPD
In the first of a 3-part series, Michael Brooke explains why the buying signals from the market make Security SPD attainment worth a close look for partners.
Training
Project Online Retirement
The sun is setting on Microsoft Project Online, with Microsoft announcing it will be fully retired on September 30, 2026. Get the need-to-know information to plan for this change and position alternatives with your customers.
Press Release
Nitro Partner Awards 2026: Crayon earns multiple honours
Crayon wins 2026 Nitro APAC Reseller of the Year, with team leaders honoured for supporting partners and accelerating digital document adoption.
Press Release
CRN Asia Channel Leaders
Crayon's Warren Nolan and Harith Ramotheram have earned recognition in the 2026 CRN Asia Channel Leaders list for driving partner growth and innovation in our region.
Blogs
Copilot for All
Learn how Microsoft’s strategic Copilot for All framework combines with Crayon’s inhouse AI expertise to drive practice development and revenue growth for partners.
On Demand Webinars
Data Protection Webinar
Watch the on‑demand webinar on turning data risk into revenue. Learn how partners use data protection maturity models to drive recurring revenue and customer trust.
On Demand Webinars
Accelerate Your Security Practice with Microsoft SPD
Join our team for a business and technical deep dive into the Microsoft Security SPD and why attaining it is great for business.
Business
AvePoint Partner onboarding content
AvePoint Partner onboarding content packs are now available from Crayon to help fast track confidence and success for your team.
On Demand Webinars
Copilot Partners: Unlock your opportunities
Our latest On-Demand webinar provides a practical, execution focused walk through the full Copilot partner journey, from early adoption to advanced scenarios.
Training
Modern Work Solution Partner Designations Webinar
In our latest webinar, our in-house Modern Work experts Jye Wong and Ksenia Turner will run you through a practical refresher on Solution Partner Designations; what they are, why they matter and how to get started.
Guides and eBooks
Data Protection Playbook #3
As SMBs mature in the Data Protection lifecycle, they need help to optimise spend, reduce the compliance burden and ensure results align to business objectives. The third installment of our Data Protection Playbook series provides practical guidance for partners on how to address emerging pressure and connect ongoing investment to measurable business value.
Training
Copilot Agents: Level up from chatbots
Copilot Agents: what are they and how do they differ from AI assistants and chatbots? Our in-house Copilot expert Ksenia Turner explains the use cases and service opportunities for partners.
Blogs
Proving Data Protection Compliance
Fragmented data protection systems and processes create compliance proof-gaps for SMB customers. Scott Hagenus, Director, Cybersecurity here at Crayon explains.
Guides and eBooks
Data Protection Playbook #2
How can partners help their SMB customers to move from silos of security and continuity to a more cohesive, measurable and insurable data protection framework? The second edition in our Data Protection Playbook series maps out their journey, and yours.
Blogs
Data Protection Partner Playbooks for SMB Customers
As cybersecurity and continuity converge in platforms and in practice, partners need new playbooks to address modern Data Protection standards. Our in-house cybersecurity pre-sales lead, Michael Brooke explains why.
Insights
Data Protection Resource Round-Up
Data Protection priorities are shifting for SMBs. Ramp up your ability to respond with curated insights, articles and resources to help you guide every customer conversation with confidence.
Insights
M365 Copilot Hub
All the latest insights, articles and resources on M365 Copilot, curated into one place.
Partner Spotlight
Crayon Expertise: Why Bigfish is hooked
Bigfish Technology saved AU$20,000 on its annual Microsoft licensing after one call with Crayon and has since built a strong partnership that enabled Bigfish to get access to Crayon’s expertise and vendor ecosystem.
Blogs
Data Protection for SMBs
From rethinking backup to governance frameworks and behavioural analytics, what's involved in building a complete Data Protection strategy for SMB customers?
Insights
Microsoft’s Channel Evolution
We explore the evolution of Microsoft's channel strategy over the past ten years, and what can be learned by viewing it through a Value Cycle lens.
Guides and eBooks
The Microsoft Fabric Partner Guide
The Microsoft Fabric Partner Guide curates our recent articles, videos and resources to accelerate Crayon partner learning.
Insights
Cybersecurity Resource Round-up
Support your cybersecurity game plans with our top picks of new and updated risk and resilience resources.
Case Studies
Crayon helps MID achieve up to 40% cost savings
Explore how Crayon worked with Independent Software Vendor, MID to migrate them to the cloud and gain significant cost savings in return.
Case Studies
Crayon provides iPulse Systems with cloud-first business partnership
Case Studies
Wise partners with Crayon for ISV growth
Learn why Wise trusts Crayon to support its growth with expertise in cloud economics, DevOps consultancy, and Microsoft audit procedures.
Case Studies
Devicie CEO tunes in to Crayon partnership
