Part 1: Build an Azure Cloud Cost Lab

Build a cloud-model scorecard and Azure cost recommendation with live evidence.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

A cheap-looking technology plan can become expensive when it ignores busy seasons, always-on service, or work the team must maintain. Decision-makers need evidence that connects price to the way the business actually operates.

In this project, you will act as the cloud consultant for PeakTrail Outfitters. You will create an evidence-backed Azure adoption recommendation using live estimates from Azure Pricing Calculator plus access findings from Microsoft Cost Management.

What You'll Build

You will open a manager-ready brief whose scorecard and live pricing evidence lead to one defensible Azure recommendation.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A cloud-model scorecard you can use to explain why public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud best fits PeakTrail's constraints.
Live pricing evidence that shows how a 200-hour estimate compares with continuous 730-hour operation.
A decision brief saved as PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt plus an exported calculator workbook that you can present as one evidence pack.
Secret Mission: Revise the recommendation when a stricter data-location rule combines with a sudden traffic surge.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need access to a Windows computer plus an Azure account with an active subscription. The lab creates no Azure resources or purchases.

Before We Start

PeakTrail Outfitters needs your recommendation for a seasonal storefront while its legacy inventory system stays on-premises during phase one. The decision must balance storefront uptime with affordable governance under the small team's security and operational limits.

Set Up the Lab and Verify Access

PeakTrail's recommendation needs an evidence trail that a technical manager can review. A consistent brief gives every later decision a clear home.

Windows Notepad stores that brief. The Azure portal reveals whether your role can support Microsoft Cost Management.

In this step, get ready to:

Create the local decision brief.
Prepare the evidence structure with two Azure browser tabs.
Verify your Azure cost access.

Create the decision brief

The decision brief keeps PeakTrail's evidence in one reviewable file. You will save it before collecting any Azure observations.

Press the Windows key to open the search bar.
Type Notepad.
Select Notepad from the results.

✔️ Notepad opens

You will see a blank Notepad page ready for the decision brief.

ⓧ Notepad is unavailable

Windows Notepad can be installed from the Microsoft Store before you continue.

Press the Windows key to return to the search bar.
Type Microsoft Store.
Select Microsoft Store from the results.
Search for Windows Notepad.
Select Windows Notepad.
Use the installation control on the product page.
Return to the Windows search bar after the installation finishes.
Select Notepad from the search results.

You will see a blank Notepad page after the installation completes.

Notepad still unavailable?

Confirm that the Microsoft Store finished the installation. A managed Windows device might require administrator approval for Store applications.

Help me resolve a Windows Notepad installation problem.

Select File in Notepad.
Select Save As.
Select Desktop in the Save As dialog.
Select New Folder.
Enter AzureCloudCostDecisionLab as the folder name.
Press Enter to create the folder.

You will see the new AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder on your Desktop.

Open the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder.
Enter PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in the File name field.
Select Save.

You will see PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Notepad's title bar. Your evidence pack now has a local home.

File saved somewhere else?

Open Save As again to check the selected location. The file must sit inside the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder on your Desktop.

Help me locate my PeakTrail decision brief.

Organize the decision evidence

A fixed report structure prevents live observations from getting lost. Each heading gives one decision topic a clear home.

Return to PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Notepad.
Add the report structure by copying the headings below:

Executive recommendation

Cloud definition

Scenario constraints

Cloud-model scorecard

Pricing evidence

Cost drivers

Cloud benefits

Service models and shared responsibility

Cost Management evidence

Risks and next actions

How does this structure help?

The first three headings frame PeakTrail's recommendation.
Cloud-model scorecard holds the model comparison.
Pricing evidence through Service models and shared responsibility connect cost evidence to architecture choices.
Cost Management evidence preserves the governance findings.

Select File in Notepad.
Select Save.
Scan the brief from Executive recommendation to Risks and next actions.

You will see all ten headings in the saved brief.

Missing a report heading?

Confirm that every heading appears on its own line. Compare the spelling with the reference block before saving again.

Help me compare my decision brief headings with the required structure.

Live pricing evidence comes from the Azure Pricing Calculator. A separate Azure portal tab keeps the access check within reach.

Switch to your browser.
Open the Azure Pricing Calculator in a new tab.

You will see the calculator ready for a new estimate. Leave it open without adding a product configuration.

Keep sign-in details private

Microsoft's sign-in page handles your Azure credentials. This project never asks you to paste those credentials into the decision brief.

Open the Azure portal in a separate browser tab.
Sign in through Microsoft if the portal prompts you.

You now have the Azure Pricing Calculator plus the Azure portal in separate tabs. The calculator still contains no estimate configurations.

Cannot open an Azure tab?

Confirm that your browser has an internet connection. For the portal, use the Microsoft account linked to your active Azure subscription.

Help me diagnose an Azure browser access problem.

Verify your Azure cost access

Azure role-based access control determines what your account can view or configure. Checking your own assignment prevents the recommendation from assuming permissions you do not have.

Switch back to the Azure portal tab.
Search for Subscriptions in the portal search bar.
Select Subscriptions from the results.
Select your active subscription.
Select Access control (IAM).
Select the Check access tab.
Select Check access.
Choose your own account in the access check.

You will see your Azure role plus the scope where that assignment applies. These details define the access boundary for your later Cost Management check.

How do you classify your access?

Your role defines what you can do. Its scope defines where those permissions apply.

Owner at the active subscription maps to Can view and configure costs. It provides full access to cost data and cost configuration for that subscription.
Contributor or Cost Management Contributor maps to Can view and configure costs. These roles can manage cost configuration such as budgets and exports.
Reader or Cost Management Reader maps to Can view costs only. These roles cannot create budgets, exports, or shared views.
An assignment without permission to view cost data maps to Cost Management access not available.
This resource means the assignment applies to the active subscription you checked. It does not confirm access to other subscriptions or higher billing scopes.

Record the displayed role here: your Azure role.
Record the displayed scope without copying a subscription ID: your assignment scope.
Record one of the three capability results here: your Cost Management capability result.
Return to PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Notepad.
Place the cursor below Cost Management evidence.
Add your access evidence by copying the lines below:

Azure Cost Management access evidence
Check location: Azure portal, active subscription, Access control (IAM), Check access
Observed role: [[AZURE_ROLE="your Azure role"]]
Observed assignment scope: [[ASSIGNMENT_SCOPE="your assignment scope"]]
Capability result: [[COST_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITY="your Cost Management capability result"]]

Permission interpretation: [[AZURE_ROLE="your Azure role"]] at [[ASSIGNMENT_SCOPE="your assignment scope"]] gives me [[COST_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITY="your Cost Management capability result"]]. This result determines whether I can view cost data and manage cost configuration at that scope.
Decision impact: I will use this access boundary for the later Cost Analysis and budget checks. I did not change any Azure role assignments.
Privacy note: I excluded subscription IDs, billing account IDs, and actual spending data.

How should you interpret this evidence?

For an Owner result at This resource, the evidence confirms full access to cost data and cost configuration for the active subscription. You can inspect Cost Analysis and manage subscription-level budgets or exports.

The scope keeps that conclusion precise. It does not prove access to a billing account, management group, or another subscription.

The privacy note makes the brief safe to review. Your role and capability are useful evidence without exposing subscription IDs or spending data.

Select File in Notepad.
Select Save.

Before the final check, consider whether the brief will reopen with all ten headings plus the three access details intact.

Close Notepad.
Press Windows logo key + E to open File Explorer.
Select Desktop.
Open the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder.
Open PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You will see all ten report headings. Under Cost Management evidence, you will also see your role, assignment scope, plus one approved capability result.

Access evidence missing after reopening?

Confirm that you reopened the file inside the Desktop's AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder. A second copy with the same filename can make your latest changes look missing.

Help me find the saved copy that contains my Azure access evidence.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Strong start. Your brief now contains the report structure plus your own Azure access evidence.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full code

Compare your reopened decision brief with this reference:

Executive recommendation

Cloud definition

Scenario constraints

Cloud-model scorecard

Pricing evidence

Cost drivers

Cloud benefits

Service models and shared responsibility

Cost Management evidence
Azure Cost Management access evidence
Check location: Azure portal, active subscription, Access control (IAM), Check access
Observed role: [[AZURE_ROLE="your Azure role"]]
Observed assignment scope: [[ASSIGNMENT_SCOPE="your assignment scope"]]
Capability result: [[COST_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITY="your Cost Management capability result"]]

Permission interpretation: [[AZURE_ROLE="your Azure role"]] at [[ASSIGNMENT_SCOPE="your assignment scope"]] gives me [[COST_MANAGEMENT_CAPABILITY="your Cost Management capability result"]]. This result determines whether I can view cost data and manage cost configuration at that scope.
Decision impact: I will use this access boundary for the later Cost Analysis and budget checks. I did not change any Azure role assignments.
Privacy note: I excluded subscription IDs, billing account IDs, and actual spending data.

Risks and next actions

What does this reference confirm?

The reference preserves the required heading order. It places your access evidence directly below Cost Management evidence.

Confirm the local AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder exists.
Confirm the Azure Pricing Calculator remains open without an estimate configuration.
Confirm the Azure portal remains on your active subscription's Check access page.
Confirm the brief contains your Azure role.
Confirm the brief contains your assignment scope.
Confirm the brief contains one approved Cost Management capability result.

Your decision lab is ready. Next, you will score the cloud models against PeakTrail's constraints.

Score the Cloud Models

Your access evidence is recorded in the decision brief. The next goal is a provisional cloud-model recommendation for PeakTrail Outfitters.

A cloud-model choice can look convincing before cost evidence is tested. Consumption can change the price.

Availability requirements can rule out a cheaper option. Operational responsibility determines how much work remains with PeakTrail.

In this step, get ready to:

Record PeakTrail's scenario constraints.
Score all three cloud models against eight criteria.
Mark the provisional winner with supporting evidence.

Record the decision criteria

Cloud computing delivers computing services over the internet. That definition gives PeakTrail a shared starting point for comparing delivery models.

Switch back to your existing decision brief in Windows Notepad.
Under Cloud definition, write that cloud computing delivers computing services over the internet.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You should now see a concise definition under Cloud definition.

PeakTrail's Fixed Constraints

The storefront requires month-long availability.
Campaign traffic is seasonal.
The legacy inventory system stays on-premises during phase one.
The IT team is small.
Customer data requires consistent security and governance.

Transfer all five constraints from the reference into Scenario constraints.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You should see five business constraints under Scenario constraints. Each constraint now gives the scorecard a specific requirement to test.

Build the scorecard

A public cloud uses infrastructure maintained by a cloud provider. A private cloud dedicates its resources to one organization.

A hybrid cloud connects public and private environments. Your scale uses 1 for a weak fit through 3 for a strong fit.

Under Cloud-model scorecard, add columns for each criterion plus public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.
Add rows for on-premises dependency, variable demand, capital expenditure, operational control, security, governance, availability, scalability, and management effort.

Scorecard Reference

Use these scores to keep the comparison tied to PeakTrail's stated constraints. Copy each rationale as the one-sentence evidence for its score.

Public cloud:

On-premises dependency: Score 1 because a public-only design conflicts with the phase-one legacy requirement.
Variable demand: Score 3 because public capacity can expand for seasonal campaigns.
Capital expenditure: Score 3 because PeakTrail can consume services without purchasing new datacenter hardware.
Operational control: Score 1 because the cloud provider controls the underlying infrastructure.
Security and governance: Score 2 because cloud controls are available while legacy data placement remains unresolved.
Availability: Score 3 because public cloud capabilities can support continuous operation when PeakTrail designs for resilience.
Scalability: Score 3 because capacity can be added or removed as demand changes.
Management effort: Score 3 because the provider maintains the physical infrastructure.

Private cloud:

On-premises dependency: Score 3 because dedicated private infrastructure fits the legacy inventory requirement.
Variable demand: Score 1 because owned hardware must be sized before seasonal demand arrives.
Capital expenditure: Score 1 because PeakTrail must purchase and maintain the hardware.
Operational control: Score 3 because PeakTrail controls the dedicated environment.
Security and governance: Score 3 because PeakTrail can apply its own controls within a dedicated environment.
Availability: Score 2 because continuous operation is possible while the small IT team must maintain the resilient design.
Scalability: Score 1 because additional capacity can require new hardware.
Management effort: Score 1 because PeakTrail remains responsible for hardware maintenance.

Hybrid cloud:

On-premises dependency: Score 3 because the legacy inventory system can remain in PeakTrail's private environment.
Variable demand: Score 3 because public capacity can handle seasonal customer demand.
Capital expenditure: Score 2 because PeakTrail retains existing private infrastructure while limiting new hardware purchases.
Operational control: Score 3 because PeakTrail can choose where each workload runs.
Security and governance: Score 3 because sensitive workloads can remain private under policies that cover both environments.
Availability: Score 3 because public capacity can support the storefront while the private inventory system remains connected.
Scalability: Score 3 because the customer-facing workload can add public capacity during campaigns.
Management effort: Score 2 because operating two environments adds coordination despite the provider managing public infrastructure.

Complete the scorecard by transferring every score and rationale from the reference.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You should see eight criteria with three model scores in every row. Each score should have one sentence that connects it to PeakTrail's situation.

Choose the provisional recommendation

The scorecard gives hybrid cloud the strongest fit for the current constraints. The conclusion remains provisional until live cost evidence tests its assumptions.

Under the scorecard, add a sentence explaining that private cloud offers control while retaining hardware responsibility.
Add a sentence explaining that private cloud retains maintenance responsibility.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

Your private-cloud conclusion should now show the operating burden behind its control advantage.

Add a sentence explaining that public cloud supports rapid provisioning.
Add a sentence explaining that public cloud supports consumption-based spending.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

Your public-cloud conclusion should now connect fast access to capacity with pay-for-use spending.

Write Provisional recommendation: Hybrid cloud beneath the scorecard with one sentence explaining that it keeps the legacy inventory system private while using public cloud capacity for customer-facing demand.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

Before you reopen the brief, which model do you expect the scorecard to support?

Close the decision brief in Windows Notepad.
Reopen AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt from the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder in Windows Notepad.
Read the completed scorecard aloud.
Confirm that every cloud model has eight scores.
Confirm that every score has a one-sentence rationale.
Confirm that hybrid cloud is marked Provisional recommendation.

The reopened brief should show eight scored criteria for each model. Every score should have one sentence of evidence.

Hybrid cloud should be labeled Provisional recommendation. Its rationale should preserve the private legacy system while directing customer-facing demand to public cloud capacity.

Missing a Clear Winner?

Check that every row contains a score for all three models. Confirm that your evidence addresses PeakTrail's five constraints.

Help me review my PeakTrail cloud-model scorecard for missing scores or unsupported rationales.

✔️ My scorecard is complete

Your brief now contains an evidence-based provisional recommendation. Hybrid cloud carries the legacy constraint while preserving room for seasonal public capacity.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the final state

Confirm the original report headings remain in AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.
Confirm the recorded Azure role remains in the brief.
Confirm the recorded assignment scope remains in the brief.
Confirm the recorded Cost Management capability result remains in the brief.
Confirm Cloud definition states that cloud computing delivers computing services over the internet.
Confirm Scenario constraints contains all five PeakTrail requirements.
Confirm Cloud-model scorecard contains all eight criteria.
Confirm public cloud has a score from 1 to 3 with one-sentence evidence for every criterion.
Confirm private cloud has a score from 1 to 3 with one-sentence evidence for every criterion.
Confirm hybrid cloud has a score from 1 to 3 with one-sentence evidence for every criterion.
Confirm the brief documents private-cloud hardware responsibility.
Confirm the brief documents private-cloud maintenance responsibility.
Confirm the brief documents public-cloud rapid provisioning.
Confirm the brief documents public-cloud consumption-based spending.
Confirm hybrid cloud is labeled Provisional recommendation with the required workload-placement rationale.
Confirm the Azure Pricing Calculator tab remains open with no estimate configurations.
Confirm the active subscription's access-check page remains available with your recorded role evidence.

That is the first defensible decision in your evidence pack. Next, you'll test whether its cost assumptions can support the storefront's availability requirement.

Compare Storefront Cost Baselines

Your provisional hybrid recommendation now needs live cost evidence. The Azure Pricing Calculator lets you test anticipated usage without deploying an Azure resource.

Price can make a Virtual Machines design look convincing before its operating hours are tested. This step checks whether the lower estimate can satisfy PeakTrail's month-long availability requirement.

In this step, get ready to:

Build a 200-hour storefront cost baseline.
Compare the baseline with a 730-hour continuous configuration.
Export the live estimate as an Excel workbook.

Create the 200-hour baseline

A reproducible estimate records the configuration behind its totals. This evidence lets a reviewer understand why the displayed cost can change.

Switch back to the Azure Pricing Calculator tab from earlier.
Use the product picker to find Virtual Machines.

You'll see the Virtual Machines tile in the product results.

Add the Virtual Machines product tile to the estimate.

You'll see a Virtual Machines configuration with its displayed default product settings.

Enter PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline as the configuration name.

You'll see the new name identify the configuration in the estimate.

Keep every displayed default product setting unchanged.
Set monthly usage to 200 hours.

You'll see the estimate recalculate for 200 monthly usage hours.

Why record the displayed settings?

Azure Pricing Calculator totals depend on the selected configuration plus its usage quantity. Recording both makes the estimate traceable without hardcoding a price that can change.

Under Pricing evidence in Windows Notepad, add an entry named PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline that records the displayed region, operating system, tier or size, currency, upfront cost, monthly cost, and today's date.
Save PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

Good start. Your baseline now has enough detail for someone else to understand the live estimate.

Can't see the baseline?

Confirm the Virtual Machines product tile is present in the estimate.
Check that the configuration name matches PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline.
Check that monthly usage shows 200 hours.

Help me check my Azure Pricing Calculator baseline without changing its displayed default product settings.

Test the availability requirement

A monthly estimate supports the recommendation only when its usage assumption fits the business requirement. PeakTrail needs the storefront available throughout the month.

Before the check, consider whether 200 hours can cover a storefront that must remain available throughout the month.

Compare the displayed 200 usage hours with the month-long availability constraint in your brief.

The 200-hour design falls short of the continuous service requirement. That shortfall is the intended result of this check.

Why the lower estimate loses

A high availability design must maintain the uptime required by the workload. A lower estimate cannot justify a configuration that leaves part of the month uncovered.

Under Cost drivers, explain that region, size, operating system, tier, features, and usage quantity change an estimate.
Under Pricing evidence, label the 200-hour design Rejected for the storefront because it does not meet continuous availability despite its lower cost.

You'll now see both the cost factors and the availability rejection documented in the brief.

Save PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

The Clone action duplicates a product configuration for a controlled comparison. Keeping the product settings fixed isolates monthly usage as the changed assumption.

Select Clone on the PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline configuration.

You'll see a second configuration with the same displayed product settings.

Enter PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous as the cloned configuration name.

You'll see the cloned configuration identified separately from the baseline.

Before changing the usage, consider how the monthly estimate should respond when every product setting stays fixed.

Leave every other displayed product setting unchanged.
Change monthly usage to 730 hours.

You'll see the 730-hour estimate rise above the 200-hour estimate. The comparison exposes the cost of meeting continuous operation with the same configuration.

Under Pricing evidence, add an entry named PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous that records the displayed region, operating system, tier or size, currency, upfront cost, monthly cost, and today's date.
Save PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You have now isolated usage as the cost difference. The higher estimate is backed by a configuration that matches the storefront's continuous-service requirement.

Is the continuous estimate not higher?

Check that PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline shows 200 monthly usage hours.
Check that PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous shows 730 monthly usage hours.
Confirm every other displayed product setting matches across both configurations.

Help me identify why my 730-hour Azure Pricing Calculator estimate is not higher than my matching 200-hour estimate.

Export and verify the evidence

Exporting the current estimate creates an Excel workbook with the live calculator values. The workbook preserves planning evidence outside the browser session.

Under Pricing evidence, add a sentence stating that the calculator values are planning estimates rather than an invoice.
Save PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You'll see the planning-status note beside the live calculator evidence in your brief.

Switch back to the Azure Pricing Calculator tab.
Select Export to download the current estimate.

Your browser downloads an Excel workbook containing the current estimate.

Open your browser's downloads list to locate the exported workbook.

You'll see the exported Excel workbook in the downloads list. The calculator may choose a filename different from PeakTrail-Azure-Pricing-Calculator-Estimate.xlsx.

Workbook missing from downloads?

Check whether your browser blocked the download.
Allow the download if your browser requests permission.
Select Export again after allowing the download.

Help me troubleshoot an Azure Pricing Calculator export that is missing from my browser downloads list.

Before the final check, consider which two configuration names should remain visible and how their estimates should compare.

Return to the Azure Pricing Calculator tab.
Confirm PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline uses the displayed default product settings with 200 monthly usage hours.
Confirm PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous uses the same settings with only monthly usage changed to 730 hours.
Compare the displayed estimates to verify that the 730-hour estimate is higher.
Switch back to PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Windows Notepad.
Confirm the brief contains both sets of displayed values, the cost-driver explanation, the rejection decision, and the planning-estimate note.
Return to your browser's downloads list.
Confirm the exported Excel workbook remains listed.

You'll see both named configurations with the 730-hour estimate higher than the 200-hour estimate. Your brief and downloaded workbook now preserve the evidence behind that comparison.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

That's the cost trap exposed. Your evidence now shows why the cheaper 200-hour estimate cannot support PeakTrail's month-long storefront requirement.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the evidence

Confirm the calculator contains a Virtual Machines configuration named PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline with displayed default product settings and 200 monthly usage hours.
Confirm the calculator contains a clone named PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous with only monthly usage changed to 730 hours.
Confirm the 730-hour estimate is higher than the 200-hour estimate.
Confirm the brief records the displayed region, operating system, tier or size, currency, upfront cost, monthly cost, and today's date for both configurations.
Confirm the brief names region, size, operating system, tier, features, and usage quantity as cost drivers.
Confirm the brief marks the 200-hour design Rejected for the storefront because it cannot provide continuous service.
Confirm the brief states that calculator values are planning estimates rather than an invoice.
Confirm the browser downloads list contains the exported Excel workbook.

Your cost baseline now reflects the storefront's real availability requirement. Next, you'll compare pricing approaches and connect them to reliability, cloud benefits, and operating responsibility.

Resolve Pricing and Responsibility Trade-Offs

Your 730-hour estimate in the Azure Pricing Calculator now proves that continuous operation costs more than the rejected 200-hour design. The next decision is how PeakTrail should pay for steady storefront demand and seasonal spikes.

Separating the stable baseline from unpredictable campaign demand resolves the earlier availability and predictability failure. You will compare consumption pricing with commitment-based pricing before defining who manages each part of the solution.

In this step, get ready to:

Compare the available pricing choices for continuous operation.
Connect six cloud benefits to specific PeakTrail trade-offs.
Define the service-model and responsibility boundaries.

Compare the pricing choices

Pricing choices depend on how stable the expected usage is. This comparison stays inside the calculator, so no purchase occurs in this step.

Switch back to the Azure Pricing Calculator browser tab from earlier.
Locate the configuration named PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous.
Inspect the available pay-as-you-go choice for that configuration.
Record the displayed pay-as-you-go estimate under Pricing evidence in your decision brief.
Inspect the available one-year reserved instance choice for the same configuration.
Record the displayed one-year reserved instance estimate or Not offered for this configuration.
Inspect the available savings plan choice for the same configuration.
Record the displayed savings plan estimate or Not offered for this configuration.

Why Compare These Pricing Models?

Pay-as-you-go pricing suits variable or short-term workloads because charges follow usage. A one-year reserved instance can suit a predictable production baseline when that choice is available.

A savings plan can also suit consistent usage when offered. PeakTrail's uncertain campaign spikes still need the flexibility of consumption pricing.

Return to PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Notepad.
Add a pricing recommendation that uses consumption pricing for uncertain campaign bursts.
Add a condition that limits commitment-based pricing to a stable measured baseline.
Read the three pricing entries to confirm each contains a displayed estimate or the unavailable status.

Your pricing evidence now distinguishes flexible burst spending from a possible baseline commitment. That distinction makes the recommendation depend on measured demand.

Missing a Pricing Choice?

Some configurations do not offer every pricing choice. Record Not offered for this configuration instead of changing the configuration from its existing settings.

If the available choices are unclear, help me inspect this calculator configuration without changing its product settings.

Connect cloud benefits to trade-offs

Cloud benefits strengthen the recommendation when each one maps to a PeakTrail action. Every action also needs a cost or complexity consequence.

Document redundancy for high availability with extra service cost or design complexity as the trade-off.
Document adding or removing capacity for scalability with usage cost or monitoring effort as the trade-off.
Document fault-aware design for reliability with testing or recovery complexity as the trade-off.
Document usage evidence and forecasts for predictability with measurement effort as the trade-off.
Document consistent controls for security and governance with policy administration as the trade-off.
Document managed platforms plus centralized cost views for manageability with service cost or platform constraints as the trade-off.

Count the findings under Cloud benefits to confirm all six benefits are present.
Check every finding for a scenario-specific PeakTrail action.
Check every finding for a cost or complexity trade-off.

You should see six findings that connect a cloud benefit to an action and its consequence. The section now shows the operational price of each benefit.

Missing an Action or Trade-Off?

Check each finding for two parts. Name what PeakTrail does first, then state the cost or complexity that comes with that choice.

If a finding still feels abstract, help me turn this cloud benefit into a PeakTrail action and trade-off.

Set the shared-responsibility boundary

Cloud service models change how much of the technology stack Microsoft manages. Shared responsibility keeps PeakTrail accountable for the customer-side controls that remain.

What Changes Across Service Models?

An IaaS storefront gives PeakTrail more control over the workload stack. PeakTrail also manages the operating system, network configuration, patching, and workload configuration.
A PaaS-first storefront moves the operating system, middleware, and managed runtime to Microsoft. PeakTrail focuses on application code, data, and access controls.
SaaS suits ready-made business capabilities where the provider manages almost the entire application stack. PeakTrail still manages its data and access settings.
Serverless suits intermittent campaign processing because event-driven work can scale with demand. PeakTrail still owns the processing logic and its data controls.

Compare an IaaS storefront with a PaaS-first storefront under Service models and shared responsibility.
Reserve SaaS for ready-made business capabilities.
Reserve serverless for intermittent campaign processing.
State that PeakTrail owns its data, identities, access, endpoints, and configurations.
State that Microsoft manages more of the underlying stack from IaaS toward PaaS and SaaS.
Update the provisional cloud-model choice to retain the hybrid recommendation.
Support the updated choice with private placement for the legacy inventory system.
Support the updated choice with public cloud services for customer-facing demand.

Before the final check, make a prediction about which evidence now makes the hybrid recommendation defensible.

Return to the completed decision brief in Notepad.
Read Pricing evidence to confirm it compares all three available pricing approaches.
Read Cloud benefits to confirm it contains six actions with trade-offs.
Read Service models and shared responsibility to confirm it covers IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, serverless, and retained PeakTrail responsibilities.
Read the updated cloud-model recommendation to confirm the hybrid choice uses the new pricing and responsibility evidence.

You should see a pricing recommendation, six cloud-benefit findings, and a responsibility boundary across all four service approaches. That's the trade-off analysis complete: the hybrid choice now rests on cost, operations, and workload placement evidence.

Does the Recommendation Still Feel Provisional?

Check that the final hybrid recommendation cites the continuous storefront requirement, the private inventory constraint, and the uncertain campaign demand. Add any missing evidence from the sections you completed in this step.

If the evidence does not connect cleanly, help me trace my PeakTrail evidence into one hybrid cloud recommendation.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Your decision brief now resolves the continuous-operation limitation with pricing, cloud-benefit, service-model, and responsibility evidence.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the final state

Confirm PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous has been inspected for pay-as-you-go, one-year reserved instance, and savings plan choices.
Confirm each pricing choice has a displayed estimate or Not offered for this configuration recorded in the brief.
Confirm uncertain campaign bursts use consumption pricing in the recommendation.
Confirm commitment-based pricing is limited to a stable measured baseline.
Confirm the brief contains six cloud-benefit actions with cost or complexity trade-offs.
Confirm the service-model comparison covers IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and serverless.
Confirm PeakTrail retains responsibility for data, identities, access, endpoints, and configurations.
Confirm the hybrid recommendation reflects the pricing and responsibility evidence.

Your hybrid recommendation now has a defensible operating model. Next, you will test its governance controls against Microsoft Cost Management evidence from your subscription.

Validate Cost Controls and Publish the Brief

Your hybrid cloud recommendation now reflects the business evidence from the earlier steps. The final test is whether PeakTrail can govern the design after adoption.

Microsoft Cost Management connects planning evidence to actual subscription usage. Its scope and role checks reveal which controls PeakTrail can use.

In this step, get ready to:

Inspect subscription-scope Cost Analysis evidence.
Document the available cost-governance controls.
Publish the completed PeakTrail recommendation.

Inspect subscription cost evidence

Cost Analysis shows actual usage at the selected scope. Your access result determines whether the brief can include live evidence or must document a permissions gap.

Return to the Azure portal tab from earlier.
Enter Cost Management + Billing in the portal search bar.
Select Cost Management + Billing from the results.
Select Cost analysis.
Select the Scope control.
Select your active subscription.

✔️ I have access and cost data

Your subscription exposes actual usage evidence. Keep sensitive identifiers and spend amounts out of the brief.

Select the Services smart view.
Record the displayed date range under Cost Management evidence.
Record the top contributor without copying sensitive details.
Inspect the Group by control.
Inspect the Add filter control.
Record how the view supports grouping or filtering.

Your brief now contains subscription-scope evidence from the Services smart view.

ⓧ I have access but no cost data

Your role can reach Cost Analysis. The selected scope currently has no usable cost data to summarize.

Record the exact no-data result under Cost Management evidence.
Record that you checked the active subscription scope.
Identify Cost Management Reader as the least-privilege view-only role to request if broader viewing access is required.

Your brief now distinguishes an empty cost view from a missing planning estimate.

ⓧ Cost analysis is unavailable

Your current role does not expose the required subscription-scope view. That access gap belongs in the recommendation evidence.

Record the exact access result under Cost Management evidence.
Record the subscription scope you attempted to inspect.
Identify Cost Management Reader as the least-privilege view-only role to request.

Your brief now states the permission needed for a future cost review.

That access assessment gives your recommendation an honest governance baseline.

Need help with Cost analysis access?

Cost Management requires read access at the selected scope. Confirm that the scope matches the active subscription from your earlier access check.

Help me interpret my Cost Analysis access result.

Map cost-control capabilities

A cost estimate supports planning. Cost controls turn that plan into ongoing reporting and accountability.

Keep the Cost Management area set to your active subscription scope.
Review the available options in the left navigation to identify which controls your role exposes.

How the controls fit together

Cost Analysis turns actual usage into reporting evidence.
Budgets define planned spending thresholds for accountability.
Budget alerts notify stakeholders when actual or forecast thresholds are reached. They do not stop resources or consumption.
Anomaly alerts flag unexpected spending patterns for investigation.
Scheduled alerts deliver recurring cost information to the right people.
Tags connect costs to workloads or owners for governance.
Exports create reusable cost data for external reporting.

Complete the Cost Management evidence section by recording one PeakTrail use for each control above.
Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.

You should now see seven named controls in the section. Each control should have a clear governance purpose.

Budget creation depends on your assigned role. This inspection creates no budget because you cancel before submission.

✔️ I can inspect budget creation

Select Budgets.
Select Add.
Inspect the scope, filters, reset period, and amount fields.
Inspect the alert fields presented by the budget workflow.
Select Cancel before creating the budget.
Record the inspected fields under Cost Management evidence.

You inspected the workflow safely. No budget now exists at the subscription scope.

ⓧ I have view-only access

Your access supports cost review without budget creation. That boundary is useful governance evidence.

Record that budget creation is unavailable at your current scope.
Record which cost-analysis capabilities remain visible.
Identify Cost Management Reader as the least-privilege view-only role.

Your brief now separates view-only analysis from configuration permissions.

Publish and verify the brief

The executive recommendation must turn every piece of evidence into a clear adoption decision. A technical manager should be able to identify the workload placement, operating approach, pricing fit, and first governance action.

What the recommendation must settle

The selected model is hybrid cloud.
The legacy inventory workload remains in PeakTrail's private environment.
The customer-facing workloads use the public cloud.
A PaaS-first approach reduces infrastructure management for the storefront.
Selective serverless processing supports intermittent campaign work.
Consumption pricing fits uncertain bursts. Commitment-based pricing fits a stable measured baseline.
The monitored cost factors reflect the calculator evidence and workload design.
The first Cost Management control has a named owner or next action.

Switch back to AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt in Notepad.
Write a concise final recommendation under Executive recommendation using every decision in the callout above.
Read the completed executive recommendation from top to bottom.

You should see a complete path from the hybrid model to the first Cost Management action. Every recommendation should connect to evidence already recorded in the brief.

Save AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.
Close the brief in Notepad.

Before the final check, picture which required evidence the reopened brief and downloads list should show.

Select File in Notepad.
Select Open.
Select AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.
Return to your browser's downloads list from earlier.
Confirm the exported Azure Pricing Calculator workbook is still listed.

The reopened brief should contain the live calculator values, Cost Management evidence, final hybrid decision, pricing recommendation, and named next actions. The exported workbook should remain available in your downloads list.

You have turned the PeakTrail analysis into a reviewable evidence pack.

✔️ My evidence pack is complete

Your completed brief and exported calculator workbook now support the same Azure adoption recommendation.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the final evidence

Confirm AzureCloudCostDecisionLab/PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt opens with all prior evidence intact.
Confirm the brief records the subscription-scope Cost Analysis result.
Confirm the brief documents Cost Analysis, budgets, budget alerts, anomaly alerts, scheduled alerts, tags, and exports.
Confirm the executive recommendation selects hybrid cloud.
Confirm the recommendation keeps the legacy inventory workload private.
Confirm the recommendation places customer-facing workloads in the public cloud.
Confirm the recommendation covers PaaS-first delivery, selective serverless processing, consumption pricing, commitment pricing, monitored cost factors, and the first cost control.
Confirm the exported calculator workbook remains in your downloads list.

Secret mission

Respond to a Board-Level Constraint Change

Revisit PeakTrail's hybrid recommendation after the board requires customer records to stay in the private environment for 12 months. Write a change memo of no more than 120 words for a 72-hour campaign surge.

Clean Up Your Resources

Choose whether to keep your local evidence pack, close the lab for now, or remove the files. This lab created no Azure resources or purchases, so there are no ongoing project costs.

Resources you used:

The local AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder containing PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.
The exported PeakTrail-Azure-Pricing-Calculator-Estimate.xlsx workbook in Downloads.

Keep everything running

No action is needed. Choose this if you want to review or extend the PeakTrail recommendation later.

Retain the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder in its current location.
Retain PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt with its board constraint change memo.
Retain the exported calculator workbook in Downloads.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Close the lab tools while preserving your evidence files. Your recommendation remains ready for another session.

Switch back to the brief in Notepad from earlier.
Save PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt.
Close Notepad.
Close the Azure Pricing Calculator browser tab.
Close the Azure portal browser tab.
Leave the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder in its current location.
Leave the exported calculator workbook in Downloads.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove the local evidence pack only if you no longer need it. This cleanup affects your files without changing your Azure subscription.

Return to the location holding AzureCloudCostDecisionLab by using the Windows file browser.
Remove the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder using the Windows delete action.
Return to Downloads in the same file browser.
Remove PeakTrail-Azure-Pricing-Calculator-Estimate.xlsx using the Windows delete action.
Remove the exported Excel workbook instead if the calculator used a different downloaded filename.
Confirm the AzureCloudCostDecisionLab folder is absent from its previous location.
Confirm the exported calculator workbook is absent from Downloads.

No Azure resources or budgets require deletion because the lab created none.

Nice Work!

You did it! You've built a portfolio-ready Azure cloud and cost evidence pack for PeakTrail Outfitters.

What you learned:

Created an evidence-based cloud-model scorecard. Selected a hybrid cloud recommendation that keeps the legacy inventory system private. Matched public capacity to seasonal storefront demand.
Built live pricing evidence in the Azure Pricing Calculator. Tested PeakTrail-200-hour-baseline against PeakTrail-730-hour-continuous. Exposed why the lower estimate failed the continuous-availability requirement. Exported the calculator workbook as reusable evidence.
Published a governed recommendation around PeakTrail's cloud benefits. Mapped shared responsibility across the selected service models. Verified Microsoft Cost Management access at subscription scope. Identified proactive controls for ongoing cost governance.
Secret Mission: Added a board constraint change memo to PeakTrail-Azure-Decision-Brief.txt. Kept customer records in PeakTrail's private environment for 12 months. Chose consumption-based scaling for the 72-hour demand spike.

Ready to quiz yourself?