Case Study
How UST's AWS tagging strategy enhanced cloud management and cut costs by 80%
A telecommunications giant grappled with inefficiencies and security risks stemming from 84,000+ untagged AWS assets. UST engineered a scalable, automated tagging solution that turned chaos into clarity. Our strategic approach slashed untagged assets by 70%, cut associated costs by 80%, and fostered a culture of cloud responsibility. The result? A leaner, more secure AWS environment poised for future growth and innovation.
OUR CLIENT
Founded nearly 30 years ago through mergers and restructuring, this multinational telecommunications holding company operates well-known cellular service providers across Europe and North America. Employing over 70,000 people globally, it serves nearly 115 million customers. The company’s expansive reach and commitment to innovation have positioned it as a key player in the telecommunications industry, continually adapting to the dynamic demands of technology and customer needs.
THE CHALLENGE
Untagged AWS assets create inefficiencies and security risks
The telecommunications company faced operational challenges due to 84,000+ untagged AWS assets, leading challenges with:
- Cost management: Difficulty in accurately allocating expenses to specific projects or departments
- Resource identification: Challenges in identifying the purpose and ownership of resources, leading to operational inadequacy
- Security and compliance: Compromised efforts in implementing effective access control and compliance measures
- Operational efficiency: Decline in efficiency due to inadequate automation and monitoring capabilities
- Governance and reporting: Complex and ineffective governance and reporting processes
These issues severely impacted project management, resource allocation, and overall cloud cost management. The lack of a systematic AWS cloud tagging strategy hindered the company's ability to maintain optimal cloud security and compliance.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Revolutionizing cloud management through strategic AWS tagging
UST developed a comprehensive tagging strategy using a combination of existing applications and custom solutions to address these challenges:
- Enhanced resource visibility for strategic cost management: Our CloudTrail S3-based tagging equips the client with detailed insights into resource utilization, enabling precise cost allocations and informed financial decisions that drive efficiency and reduce waste.
- Streamlined asset identification: Expanding Heimdall to include 13 new asset types has significantly improved the client's capability to quickly identify and manage resources, keeping operations agile and responsive to market dynamics.
- Automated tag management: We optimized PacBot for AWS resource management by introducing auto-fix capabilities for ten asset types and implementing a "wrong tag to right tag" feature for 11 asset types. These automations minimize manual interventions, freeing up teams to pursue strategic initiatives and enhancing productivity.
- Cultivated organizational awareness: Collaborative tagging efforts have ingrained a culture of compliance and accountability. Engaging multiple teams in the process ensures high security and governance standards, fostering an environment where compliance is everyone’s priority.
- Optimized resource utilization: We identified and addressed 3,000 unused assets through manual analysis and cleanup, improving resource management and driving significant cost savings.
The result was a powerful, scalable cloud tagging solution that supercharged the company's AWS resource management capabilities. The tagging strategy deployed was designed with scalability and reusability at its core. This allows the solution to be seamlessly adapted and expanded across different departments and global markets, ensuring that as the client's operations grow, the tagging infrastructure can scale accordingly without additional significant investments.
THE IMPACT
Achieving substantial improvements in asset management and cost optimization
UST's AWS cloud tagging strategy delivered these substantial improvements in untagged asset management and overall cloud optimization:
- 80% cost reduction for untagged assets
- Slashed costs associated with untagged assets by 80%, saving $1 million annually
- Deleted unused assets, recouping an additional $118,000
- 70% reduction in untagged assets
- Tagged or deleted 59,000 assets, achieving a 70% reduction in untagged resources
- Applied permanent fixes to 65% of assets, ensuring long-term tagging compliance
- Supercharged operational efficiency
- Enabled auto-fix in PacBot for 10 asset types, streamlining tagging processes
- Added 13 asset types in Heimdall, expanding tagging coverage
- Tagged 23,000 video stream assets, enhancing resource visibility
- Fortified cloud governance and compliance
- Implemented wrong-to-right tag feature for 11 asset types, improving tag accuracy
- Fostered organization-wide tagging awareness, cultivating a culture of cloud responsibility
- Eliminated 19,000 unused assets, optimizing resource utilization
Learn more about how UST can transform your cloud infrastructure. Improve your cloud cost management and security with our AWS resource tagging automation solutions. Contact our experts today.
Resources
https://www.ust.com/en/insights