For so many UK businesses, cloud investment has become essential for daily operations. Cloud hosting offers the infrastructure flexibility and scale needed to remain competitive, support remote teams, run online stores, and improve internal systems.
That said, simply moving to the cloud doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, global cloud spending is predicted to hit £543 billion ($679 billion) this year. However, about 32% of that spend is wasted because of poor management and underutilised resources. Many organisations are paying huge sums but not seeing returns they expect.
You might wonder how to get real value from your cloud investment. It comes down to how you use and optimise your tools, as well as your provider and support you have.
Here are six practical tools and tips to get the most out of your cloud budget, and how an expert cloud hosting provider like Blackbox Hosting can help you get there.
1. Cloud Cost Management Tools: Track and Analyse Cloud Spend
One of the greatest challenges for businesses regarding cloud computing is cost savings, with 82% of organisations ranking costs as their top cloud concerns. There are tools like AWS Cost Explorer or Azure Cost Management that help visualise spending, but they often leave more confusion about what to do with that data, than answers.
Blackbox Hosting takes the guesswork out of the picture. We provide tailored cost reporting and clear, transparent pricing, which is up to 50% lower than public cloud providers.
We’re here to help you understand where your money’s going and where you can cut back. Our team actively searches for underused resources, recommends ways to right-size, and fine-tunes your setup to get the best cloud computing ROI. We also provide regular check-ins that keep you in control, month after month.
2. Expert Cloud Audits: Right-sized Resources for Your Needs
Overprovisioned cloud resources can drain your budget. A study by Gartner estimates that rightsizing alone could help you make cloud computing cost savings of up to 40%.
At BlackBox, we conduct expert cloud audits and examine your workloads, virtual machines, storage, and bandwidth, recommending tailored changes to get your setup running leaner and smarter. Whether scaling down over-provisioned resources or reallocating capacity for better performance, BlackBox helps you avoid wastage and make the most of your cloud investment.
3. Automation Tools: Scale and Streamline Workflows
Automation is a growing requirement across all industries, helping businesses cut down on manual tasks and increase team productivity.
At BlackBox Hosting, automation is built into the service. We handle routine jobs like backups, scaling, patching, and updates, so your team doesn’t have to be occupied with busywork. This also helps reduce the risk of human error, improve efficiency, and free up your people to focus on innovation.
You can start small, like automating your backups, and then build up to more complex workflows over time.
4. BlackBox Migration Support: Consolidate Workloads for Savings
Due to different features and offerings, many businesses end up juggling multiple cloud platforms, legacy systems, and third-party apps, not realising the hidden costs behind these processes. IDC research revealed that consolidating workloads can reduce cloud spend by 20-30% and improve performance by up to 25%.
BlackBox Hosting offers smooth migration services, removing the hassle of moving and consolidating workloads into one streamlined environment.
Our expert team scopes, plans, and carries out the migration, reducing complexity, improving cloud ROI, and boosting reliability. We have a record of 99.999% uptime, so you don’t have to worry about disruption.
5. DRaaS, Veeam Backup: Protect ROI with Backup and Resilience
Even the slickest cloud setup isn’t immune to problems. The risks of outages or cyberattacks are more real than you’d think. The average cost of one hour of downtime is £240,000 ($300,000), and ransomware recovery can set businesses back by an average of £1.48 million ($1.85 million).
BlackBox offers Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) and Backup as a Service (BaaS), all backed by ISO-certified, carbon-neutral UK data centres.
Our robust security includes regular testing, round-the-clock monitoring, and expert support, meaning your business stays resilient and ready for anything without worrying about hidden fees or last-minute scrambles. Get in touch with us today to learn more about these services.
6. Expert Support and Training: Boost ROI with Team Upskilling
While cloud training platforms like AWS Training can help your team with upskilling, not every company has the time or resources to invest heavily in training.
With BlackBox, you get access to experts who will offer you proactive advice, troubleshooting, and optimisation guidance. Think of us as an extension of your own team, keeping your cloud environment running smoothly without the cost of maintaining a big in-house department.
Partner With a Trusted, Sovereign Private Cloud Provider
Cloud investment holds massive potential to help your business grow. But to unlock the real value, you need more than just technology. You’ll also need a trusted partner like BlackBox Hosting.
With a partner like us, you get strategy, continuous improvement, and fixed, transparent pricing. We help UK businesses turn cloud potential into real ROI improvements and savings.
Want to make your cloud work harder for your business? Call us on +44(0)203 740 7840 or contact us today. We’re ready to help you maximise your cloud ROI with no hassle.
