The Right-Sizing Recipe: Azure Advisor Cost Optimization Masterclass
Stop building tools. Start using the FREE ones Microsoft already gave you. A comprehensive guide to Azure Advisor's cost recommendations with actionable steps.
Advisor workflow quick start
Structured quick-reference sections for prerequisites, installation, usage, and troubleshooting.
How to access Azure Advisor (Cost)
- 1Open the Azure Portal and search for "Advisor".
- 2Go to the Cost tab to view cost optimization recommendations.
- 3Filter by subscription / resource group if you need a focused review.
- 4Export findings or use PowerShell for repeatable reviews and reporting.
https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Expert/AdvisorMenuBlade/CostMonthly Advisor workflow
- 1Review all cost recommendations, then isolate high-impact items first.
- 2Validate recommendations with app owners (performance, uptime, commitment constraints).
- 3Implement low-risk quick wins (idle resources, unattached assets, obvious right-sizing).
- 4Track savings and suppress already-addressed recommendations to keep the queue clean.
| Focus area | Typical recommendation | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Right-sizing | Oversized VM / database SKUs | Ongoing compute savings |
| Commitments | Reserved instance / savings plan opportunities | Discounts on predictable usage |
| Idle resources | Unused or underutilized assets | 100% avoidable waste |
| Governance hygiene | Follow-up tracking / suppression | Prevents noisy repeat reviews |
PowerShell quick commands
Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category CostGet-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category Cost | Where-Object {$_.Impact -eq "High"}Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category Cost | Export-Csv -Path "advisor-recommendations.csv" -NoTypeInformationDisable-AzAdvisorRecommendation -ResourceId "/subscriptions/..."Prioritization guidance
Recommended review order
| Priority | Type | Validation needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-impact idle/unused resources | Minimal; confirm dependency/ownership |
| 2 | Right-sizing recommendations | Performance and capacity checks |
| 3 | Commitment/RI recommendations | Usage consistency and finance approval |
| 4 | Lower-impact hygiene items | Batch with monthly maintenance |
- Advisor is a recommendation engine, not an auto-remediation tool. Validate before actioning changes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating all recommendations as equally important instead of sorting by impact.
- Applying right-sizing without validating workload patterns and peak usage.
- Ignoring suppressed/already-completed recommendations, which creates review noise.
- Skipping a monthly cadence and letting recommendations pile up.
Table of Contents
- What Is Azure Advisor?
- Accessing Azure Advisor
- Understanding Cost Recommendations
- The Chef's Step-by-Step Recipe
- Step 1: Run Your First Analysis
- Step 2: Prioritize by Impact
- Step 3: Validate Recommendations
- Step 4: Take Action
- Step 5: Track Your Savings
- Advanced Tips: Getting More from Advisor
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Real-World Success Story
- The Monthly Advisor Ritual
- Quick Reference Commands
What Is Azure Advisor?
Azure Advisor is Microsoft's free built-in recommendation engine that analyzes your Azure resources and provides personalized best practices across five categories:
- Cost - Save money on your Azure resources
- Security - Protect your resources
- Reliability - Ensure business continuity
- Operational Excellence - Improve efficiency
- Performance - Optimize speed and responsiveness
It's already analyzing your environment. You just need to look at it. No setup, no configuration, no premium subscription required.
Accessing Azure Advisor
1Method 1: Azure Portal
- Navigate to portal.azure.com
- Search for"Advisor" in the top search bar
- Click on"Advisor" service
- Select"Cost" from the left menu
2Method 2: Direct Link
Go directly to:
https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Expert/AdvisorMenuBlade/Cost3Method 3: PowerShell
# Get all cost recommendations across subscriptions
Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation | Where-Object {$_.Category -eq"Cost"} | Format-TableUnderstanding Cost Recommendations
Azure Advisor provides several types of cost recommendations. Here are the most impactful ones you'll encounter:
Right-size or shutdown underutilized VMs
30-50% per VM
Identifies VMs with low CPU utilization over 7 days. Move to smaller SKU or shutdown if unused.
Delete or reconfigure idle network gateways
$140-730/month per gateway
Finds VPN/ExpressRoute gateways with no traffic that are costing money for nothing.
Buy reserved instances to save vs pay-as-you-go
40-72% vs pay-as-you-go
Identifies consistent VM usage patterns that would benefit from 1 or 3-year commitments.
Optimize spending on Azure SQL databases
20-40% per database
Detects underutilized databases or opportunities to move to better pricing tiers.
Eliminate unprovisioned ExpressRoute circuits
$50-6,000/month per circuit
Finds ExpressRoute circuits that aren't connected to anything but still billing.
Configure autoscaling for App Service Plans
20-60% during off-peak hours
Identifies static App Services that could benefit from dynamic autoscaling.
The Chef's Step-by-Step Recipe
Follow this proven 5-step process to turn Azure Advisor recommendations into real cost savings.
Run Your First Analysis (5 minutes)
- Open Azure Advisor → Cost tab
- Set filters:
- Impact: High (start with big wins)
- Subscription: Select the subscriptions you want to analyze
- Resource Group: Leave blank to see all
- Click"Download as CSV" to export all recommendations
Do this monthly. Set a calendar reminder for the first Monday of every month. Make it a habit, like reviewing your bank statement.
Prioritize by Impact (10 minutes)
Sort recommendations by Potential yearly savings (descending)
Quick wins to tackle first:
- Idle VPN gateways ($1,680-8,760/year each)
- Underutilized large VMs ($2,000-10,000/year each)
- Unprovisioned ExpressRoute circuits ($600-72,000/year each)
- Reserved Instance opportunities ($500-5,000/year)
Start with anything saving >$100/month. These are your"low-hanging fruit." Don't overthink it—just pick the biggest numbers and validate them.
Validate Recommendations (15 minutes)
For VM Right-Sizing:
- Click the recommendation
- Review the"Usage Details" chart
- Verify CPU is consistently low (not just a temporary dip)
- Check Max CPU to ensure no spikes above 80%
- Look at the past 30 days, not just 7
For Network Gateways:
- Verify the gateway truly has no connections
- Check if it's being used for DR/backup scenarios
- Confirm with network team before deletion
Azure Advisor is smart, but YOU know your workload. Always validate before acting. A"low CPU" VM might be waiting for batch processing at month-end.
Take Action (30 minutes)
To resize a VM using PowerShell:
# Get the VM
$vm = Get-AzVM -ResourceGroupName"MyResourceGroup" -Name"MyVM"
# Stop the VM (required for resizing)
Stop-AzVM -ResourceGroupName"MyResourceGroup" -Name"MyVM"
# Resize the VM
$vm.HardwareProfile.VmSize ="Standard_D2s_v5"
Update-AzVM -VM $vm -ResourceGroupName"MyResourceGroup"
# Start the VM
Start-AzVM -ResourceGroupName"MyResourceGroup" -Name"MyVM"Or use the Portal:
- Navigate to the VM
- Select"Size" under Settings
- Choose the recommended size
- Click"Resize" (VM will restart)
Always resize non-production VMs first to test the new size. Confirm the application still performs well before touching production.
Track Your Savings (5 minutes)
After implementing recommendations:
- Go back to Azure Advisor
- Click"Postpone" or"Dismiss" on implemented recommendations
- Add a note about what you did and the date
- Export a new CSV to track month-over-month progress
Create a simple tracking spreadsheet:
| Month | Recommendations | Implemented | Monthly Savings | Annual Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | 15 | 8 | $1,240 | $14,880 |
| Jan 2025 | 12 | 5 | $680 | $8,160 |
Advanced Tips: Getting More from Advisor
1. Use Azure Resource Graph for Bulk Analysis
Query all high-impact cost recommendations across subscriptions at once:
# Get all high-impact cost recommendations
$query = @"
AdvisorResources
| where type == 'microsoft.advisor/recommendations'
| where properties.category == 'Cost'
| where properties.impact == 'High'
| extend
resourceName = properties.impactedValue,
savings = properties.extendedProperties.savingsAmount,
currency = properties.extendedProperties.savingsCurrency
| project resourceName, properties.shortDescription.problem, savings, currency
| order by savings desc
"@
Search-AzGraph -Query $query2. Set Up Advisor Alerts
Create alerts when new high-impact recommendations appear:
- Azure Advisor → Alerts
- Create alert rule
- Condition:"Advisor Recommendation Created"
- Filter: Category = Cost, Impact = High
- Action: Email your team
This catches new waste as it appears, not just monthly reviews. You'll get notified when someone spins up an oversized VM or forgets to delete a gateway.
3. Use Workbooks for Visualization
Create a custom Azure Workbook to visualize:
- Total potential savings over time
- Recommendations by category
- Implementation rate
- ROI of optimization efforts
Template available at: cloudcostchefs.com/tools/advisor-workbook
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Ignoring"Low" impact recommendations
Even $10/month adds up across 50 resources. Low-hanging fruit is still fruit. Don't leave money on the table.
Mistake 2: Implementing all recommendations blindly
Some VMs have periodic high usage. Always validate with actual usage patterns over at least 30 days, not just 7.
Mistake 3: Not tracking what you've done
You'll forget what you implemented. Document everything for audit trails and to prove ROI to leadership.
Mistake 4: Only checking once
New recommendations appear as workloads evolve. Monthly reviews are essential. Set it and forget it doesn't work for cost optimization.
Mistake 5: Dismissing Reserved Instance recommendations
"We might migrate" is not a reason to skip 60% savings. 1-year RIs are flexible enough for most scenarios and pay for themselves in 6-8 months.
Real-World Success Story
50-person SaaS Startup
Starting Point:
- Azure Spend: $12,000/month
- Advisor Recommendations: 47
Actions Taken:
- Resized 12 underutilized VMs: $840/month saved
- Deleted 3 idle VPN gateways: $420/month saved
- Purchased Reserved Instances for 8 production VMs: $1,200/month saved
- Configured autoscaling for 5 App Services: $380/month saved
The Monthly Advisor Ritual
Set a recurring calendar event:
"First Monday - Azure Cost Checkup"
30-minute routine:
Do this every month and you'll save thousands annually. It's that simple. 30 minutes of focus = $2,000-5,000 in savings per month for most organizations.
Quick Reference Commands
Get all cost recommendations:
Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category CostGet high-impact only:
Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category Cost |
Where-Object {$_.Impact -eq"High"}Export to CSV:
Get-AzAdvisorRecommendation -Category Cost |
Export-Csv -Path"advisor-recommendations.csv" -NoTypeInformationSuppress a recommendation (after implementing):
Disable-AzAdvisorRecommendation -ResourceId"/subscriptions/..."Ready to Start Saving?
Azure Advisor is FREE and already analyzing your environment. All you need to do is look at it and take action.
What to do next
Pick the path that fits where you are right now.