Cloud Architects and FinOps Teams
Conducting a quarterly cloud infrastructure cost audit to reduce DevOps overhead
Use cases
About
The Build Farm AWS Cost Reduction mind map is a technical optimization framework designed for DevOps engineers and cloud architects managing large-scale CI/CD infrastructure. This template covers 21 specific nodes focused on reducing cloud spend across three primary infrastructure pillars: EC2 instance typedel, EBS volume management, and public IP allocation. By mapping out migration paths from legacy x86 families like m1/m3 to modern m6 instances, and highlighting the transition to ARM-based Graviton processors (c6g/c7g), this Xmind template provides a clear roadmap for achieving significant compute savings. It also details storage optimization strategies, such as the gp2 -> gp3 (20% price reduction) transition, ensuring that build farms remain cost-efficient without sacrificing performance. This cheat sheet serves as a visual audit tool for identifying un-used Public IP addresses and orphaned volumes that contribute to unnecessary monthly billing.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
DevOps Engineers
Planning a migration from legacy x86 build nodes to ARM-based Graviton instances
System Administrators
Cleaning up orphaned AWS resources after a major project completion or migration
How to use this template
Step 1
Download and open the file
Download the .xmind file and open it in Xmind desktop or the web browser to view the full cost reduction hierarchy.
Step 2
Audit your current AWS resources
Compare your existing EC2 and EBS inventory against the suggested migration paths like gp2 -> gp3 to identify immediate saving opportunities.
Step 3
Update with custom tags
Use Xmind markers or labels to tag nodes that have been completed or require further investigation by your engineering team.
Frequently asked questions
The template identifies specific upgrade paths for instance families, such as moving from t1/t2 to t3 or adopting ARM-based Graviton instances like m6g, which typically offer better price-performance ratios than older x86 models.
As noted in the gp2 -> gp3 (20% price reduction) node, switching to gp3 allows you to provision performance independently of storage capacity, resulting in immediate cost savings of up to 20%.
The template suggests using AWS Trusted Advisor to find volumes with no IO within 14d and checking for resources with no-tag/no-name to safely decommission orphaned storage.
Yes, you can fully edit all nodes in Xmind to reflect your specific AWS region's pricing or to add custom instance families used in your unique build farm environment.
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