COST04-BP01 Track resources over their lifetime
Define and implement a method to track resources and their associations with systems over their lifetime. You can use tagging to identify the workload or function of the resource.
Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: High
Implementation guidance
Decommission workload resources that are no longer required. A common example is resources
used for testing: after testing has been completed, the resources can be removed. Tracking
resources with tags (and running reports on those tags) can help you identify assets for
decommission, as they will not be in use or the license on them will expire. Using tags is an effective way to track resources, by labeling the resource with
its function, or a known date when it can be decommissioned. Reporting can then be run on
these tags. Example values for feature tagging are feature-X testing to identify the purpose
of the resource in terms of the workload lifecycle. Another example is using LifeSpan or TTL for the resources,
such as to-be-deleted tag key name and value to define the time period or specific time for decommissioning.
Implementation steps
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Implement a tagging scheme: Implement a tagging scheme that identifies the workload the resource belongs to, verifying that all resources within the workload are tagged accordingly. Tagging helps you categorize resources by purpose, team, environment, or other criteria relevant to your business. For more detail on tagging uses cases, strategies, and techniques, see AWS Tagging Best Practices.
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Implement workload throughput or output monitoring: Implement workload throughput monitoring or alarming, initiating on either input requests or output completions. Configure it to provide notifications when workload requests or outputs drop to zero, indicating the workload resources are no longer used. Incorporate a time factor if the workload periodically drops to zero under normal conditions. For more detail on unused or underutilized resources, see AWS Trusted Advisor Cost Optimization checks.
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Group AWS resources: Create groups for AWS resources. You can use AWS Resource Groups to organize and manage your AWS resources that are in the same AWS Region. You can add tags to most of your resources to help identify and sort your resources within your organization. Use Tag Editor add tags to supported resources in bulk. Consider using AWS Service Catalog to create, manage, and distribute portfolios of approved products to end users and manage the product lifecycle.
Resources
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