Stop Cloud Waste Before It Starts: How Griffin Technology Solutions Helps You Cut Azure Costs with Power Automate

The cloud makes it incredibly easy to spin up virtual machines, databases, and storage accounts with just a few clicks. The downside? These resources often remain active long after they’re needed. This cloud sprawl—the unchecked growth of unused or underutilized cloud resources—quietly inflates monthly expenses for businesses across all industries.

According to HashiCorp’s State of Cloud Strategy Survey 2024, the leading drivers of cloud overspending include a lack of cloud management skills, idle or underused resources, and overprovisioning. Together, these issues cause organizations to exceed their cloud budgets by an estimated 17%.

At Griffin Technology Solutions in Houston, TX, we help businesses regain control of their cloud environment through automation, optimization, and proactive governance.

Why Cloud Resource Management Matters

Cloud waste is more than an inconvenience—it’s a direct financial drain. While many companies struggle to keep cloud costs within budget, automation offers a highly effective path toward financial control and operational efficiency.

For example, VLink implemented an automated shutdown policy for all non-production cloud environments. Any development or test system not tagged as “Production” shut down automatically outside of business hours (8 AM–6 PM). This simple Azure automation reduced their non-production cloud spend by 40%, freeing budget for innovation and growth.

This is the power of automation—and it's something Griffin Technology Solutions helps Houston-area businesses achieve every day.

3 Power Automate Workflows That Instantly Reduce Azure Waste

Finding unused or forgotten cloud resources can feel like looking for ghosts. With Microsoft Power Automate, the hunt becomes automatic and continuous. Below are three workflow strategies we implement to help you eliminate unnecessary spending.

1. Automate the Shutdown of Idle Development VMs

Development and test VMs are among the most common sources of Azure waste. Teams often create VMs for short-term projects, then forget they exist—leaving them running (and costing money) indefinitely.

Using Power Automate, you can build a scheduled workflow that:

• Runs daily

• Queries Azure for VMs tagged as “Environment: Dev”

• Checks CPU utilization for the past 72 hours

• Automatically shuts down any VM with <5% usage

This automation does not delete anything; it simply turns off idle machines, reducing unnecessary compute charges. Developers can restart them anytime—but you no longer pay for wasted runtime.

2. Identify and Report Orphaned Storage Disks

When VMs are deleted, many organizations forget to remove their associated storage disks. These “orphaned” disks linger in the background, quietly generating monthly storage fees.

Power Automate can help by:

• Running a weekly scheduled task

• Listing all unattached managed disks

• Generating a detailed cost report with disk names, sizes, and estimated monthly charges

• Emailing the report automatically to your IT or finance team

This creates a clear cleanup checklist, making it easy to reclaim wasted storage spend.

3. Terminate Temporary Resources Automatically

Many short-term projects require temporary storage containers, databases, or other resources. But unless expiration dates are enforced, these temporary items become permanent expenses.

To prevent that, you can:

• Tag all temporary resources with a “Deletion Date”

• Create a daily Power Automate workflow that scans for expired resources

• Automatically delete any resource where the current date matches or exceeds the tag

This proactive approach eliminates human oversight errors and ensures your cloud stays clean, efficient, and cost-effective.

Protect Your Cloud: Test and Validate Your Automations

Automating cloud cleanup is powerful—but it must be done safely. Before enabling resource deletion, we recommend:

• Running all workflows in “report-only” mode during initial testing

• Sending alert emails instead of deleting resources for the first few weeks

• Adding manual approval steps for high-risk actions

These safeguards ensure your automation works for you—not against you.

Take Control of Your Azure Spend with Griffin Technology Solutions (Houston, TX)

These Power Automate workflows are just the beginning. By combining tagging policies, automated governance, and ongoing cost optimization, your organization can dramatically reduce waste and regain control of cloud spending.

If you're ready to stop overspending and start optimizing your cloud environment, Griffin Technology Solutions in Houston, TX can help.

Contact us today to implement these workflows and maximize your Microsoft Azure investment.