Cut your cloud bill without giving us access to your account
You don't need to hand over IAM access, database credentials or your code to find real savings. We start with your bill, then work through screen-sharing sessions where your team stays in control. Most of the savings need no code change and no downtime.
| Step | You share | Code change | Downtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bill review | Your bill | None | None |
| 2. Index tuning | Screen share | None | None |
| 3. Query & schema | Screen share | Your choice | Planned |
| 4. Architecture | A conversation | Your choice | Planned |
"To cut our cloud costs, they'll need access to our account."
It's the most common reason companies put off a cost review. Handing a third party IAM access to production, or to your database and code, is a real security and compliance concern. You don't need to. Most of the savings can be found without it.
A cost review needs admin access to our AWS or GCP account.
The first round of savings comes from your bill alone. Most of those recommendations need no architecture change and no downtime.
Database savings mean rewriting our application.
Most database savings come from adding the right indexes, with no code change. We find them over a screen share while you keep control.
Savings without the security trade-off
No IAM access
We never ask for IAM users, access keys or roles in your AWS or GCP account.
Starts with your bill
Your invoice or a billing export is enough to find the first round of savings.
You keep control
Database and query work happens over screen share. Your team drives, and we advise.
No code change to start
The first two steps change configuration and indexes, not your application code.
No downtime for most changes
Bill-based changes and index additions are planned so users don't notice.
Online or in person
Sessions run online, or at your office depending on where you are.
Each step earns the next
Bill review
Share the bill. We send back savings that need no architecture change.
Index tuning
Screen-share sessions find the indexes that let your database shrink.
Query & schema
Recommendations on queries and schema. Code changes are your call.
Architecture review
You walk us through the architecture, and we share recommendations.
What happens at each step
Bill review: share your bill, nothing else
Send us your AWS or GCP bill, a Cost Explorer export or a billing report. From that alone we find the first round of savings: commitments and Savings Plans, idle and oversized resources, storage tiers, snapshots, data transfer and pricing models.
Database cost: the right indexes, no code change
Databases are often the biggest line on the bill, and they're usually oversized to make up for slow queries. We find the queries doing the damage and recommend indexes that fix them, so the database can run on a much smaller instance. This is where it pays to work with architects and developers, not just billing specialists.
Query and schema optimisation
Next we look at how queries and the schema work together: rewrites, better data types, partitioning, archiving and caching. Some of these need code changes, and whether to make them is entirely your call. We walk through each recommendation with your team over a screen share.
Architecture review
Your team walks us through the architecture, and we share recommendations on scaling, cost and resilience. It's a conversation, not an audit of your account.
r8.16xlarge down to r8g.xlarge, just by adding indexes
A client's database was running on an r8.16xlarge instance to keep up with its slow queries. Over a few screen-sharing sessions, with the client in control the whole time, we found the missing indexes. Once they were added, the same workload ran on an r8g.xlarge: one-sixteenth of the instance size.
No code changes, no database credentials and no access to their AWS account.
See results before you commit to more
If there's money to be saved, the first three steps will show it on your bill. Each step builds the confidence to take the next one, and you can stop at any point.
All sessions can happen online, or in person depending on where you are. Our fee is 20% of the verified savings, so if the first steps don't reduce your bill, you don't pay.
Frequently asked questions
Do you really not need access to our AWS or GCP account?
Correct. The first step only needs your bill or a billing export. Database and query work happens over screen share, with your team at the keyboard. We never ask for IAM users, keys, roles, database credentials or source code.
What exactly should we share for the bill review?
Any of these works: the monthly invoice PDF, a Cost Explorer or GCP billing CSV export, or a Cost and Usage Report. A breakdown by service and by resource or tag gives the most detailed recommendations.
Will adding indexes cause downtime?
Usually not. Indexes are added using online methods, such as online DDL in MySQL or CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY in PostgreSQL, and scheduled for low-traffic periods. We check each one against your write load before you apply it.
How do you see our queries without database access?
During a screen share, your team runs read-only commands we suggest, such as slow-query reports, query statistics and EXPLAIN plans. We read the output with you and recommend changes. Nothing leaves your control.
What does it cost?
The bill review is free. For changes you implement, our fee is 20% of the verified savings, so if your bill doesn't go down, you don't pay.
Can the sessions be in person?
Yes. Sessions can be online or in person, depending on where you're located.
Often paired with
Cloud cost reduction
We right-size, set up commitments, remove waste and tune architecture. We charge 20% of what we save you, and nothing if we don't.
Learn more arrow_forwardDatabase query & performance optimisation
We find and fix the slow queries, missing indexes and schema problems that hold back your product and inflate your bill.
Learn more arrow_forwardApplication architecture guidance
Architecture reviews, scaling plans and written design decisions, so you build the right thing the first time.
Learn more arrow_forwardShare your bill for a free review.
An engineer, not a salesperson, will reply within one business day. Database health checks are free for qualifying production workloads.