# Best practices ## How do you reduce the cost? * Azure advisor cost tab is a good place to start * Auto shutdown on dev/qa resources * Utilize cool/archive storage where possible * Reserved instances * Configure alerts when billing exceeds an expected level * Use policy yo restrict access to certain expensive resources * Auto scaling resources * Downsize when resources over-provisioned * Ensure every resource has an owner (tags) * Spot Pricing - Ability to use VM when nobody is using it for a discounted price, but when someone pays in full you get kicked of --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.arkannis.net/cloud/azure/courses/az900-course/manage-azure-costs/best-practices.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.