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FAQ

PerfectScale for Commitments​

How does PerfectScale for Commitments differ from Flexsave?​

PerfectScale for Commitments is DoiT's customer-owned commitments offering alongside Flexsave for Compute. Flexsave delivers managed savings with minimal operational work, while PerfectScale for Commitments lets you optimize your own commitment strategy using advanced FinOps tools for control, visibility, and automation.

Flexsave applies Savings Plans from DoiT's inventory, so DoiT holds the commitments and carries unused commitment risk. PerfectScale for Commitments purchases commitments in your cloud provider account(s), so you own the commitments and your organization carries unused commitment risk.

Flexsave for Compute is available on AWS only. On Google Cloud, PerfectScale for Commitments is the DoiT path for managing customer-owned Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) with recommendations, laddering, and approvals.

If Flexsave is active, why would I consider self-managed commitments?​

Flexsave for Compute is low-effort and DoiT carries unused commitment risk, but customer-owned Savings Plans can deliver deeper discounts when a portion of your AWS spend is stable and predictable. The tradeoff is lock-in: you own the commitment for the 1- or 3-year term.

Use Commitment Simulator to compare self-managed Savings Plan costs against your Flexsave baseline and decide whether the extra savings justify that risk. If you move ahead, PerfectScale for Commitments helps you plan, approve, and ladder purchases over time.

Who owns commitments purchased through PerfectScale for Commitments?​

PerfectScale for Commitments purchases commitments in your cloud environment. On AWS, each onboarded payer account has a Commitments purchasing account where Savings Plans for that payer are bought. On Google Cloud, CUDs are purchased on the Cloud Billing account itself. Those commitments are owned by your organization, billed to your payer or billing account, and are not DoiT-owned commitments.

Can I cancel a commitment after purchasing it?​

Almost never. Cloud commitments are a long-term obligation: the committed hourly rate is due for the full 1- or 3-year term.

AWS allows Savings Plan returns under strict conditions. The plan must have an hourly commitment of $100 or less, be returned within 7 days of purchase and within the same calendar month, and you have a limit of 10 returns per management account per calendar year. Outside of those conditions, there is no way to reduce or exit a commitment. Google Cloud spend-based CUDs are binding for the selected term. Treat every purchase as a lock-in.

Which cloud providers does PerfectScale for Commitments support?​

PerfectScale for Commitments supports AWS and Google Cloud. For details on supported commitments and types, see Supported commitments and types. Azure commitments are on the roadmap.

How does Commitment Simulator relate to PS4C recommendations?​

Commitment Simulator replays one billing month to show the full cost curve and historical optimal point. Optimize and execute commitment plans uses a rolling 60-day analysis, your current inventory, commitment policy, and laddering for forward-looking purchase plans. Use Commitment Simulator to explore a safe range; use PS4C recommendations to operationalize ongoing purchases.

Does PerfectScale for Commitments purchase commitments for me?​

Yes, when configured. After set up, you can review laddered purchase plans in Optimize and execute commitment plans and optionally enable auto-purchase with approval notifications.

How is the PerfectScale for Commitments fee calculated?​

See Understand PerfectScale for Commitments fees. Yes. When configured, after set up, you can review laddered purchase plans in Optimize and execute commitment plans and optionally enable auto-purchase with approval notifications.

How does PerfectScale for Commitments reduce risk?​

The platform is built to manage uncertainty. Teams can choose a risk posture (Conservative, Balanced, Max Savings), set commitment ceilings, and use paced buying strategies. Drift detection continuously checks whether actual usage still matches commitments and highlights when action is needed.

What are laddering and pacing?​

Laddering spreads commitments over time instead of making one large purchase. PerfectScale for Commitments can recommend incremental step-ups over several weeks, helping teams start saving quickly while staying flexible as workloads evolve. See Understanding laddering.

Commitment Simulator​

How is Commitment Simulator different from native cloud provider recommendations?​

Native tools such as AWS Cost Explorer provide a recommended hourly commitment with limited visibility into how that number was derived or how costs change at other commitment amounts.

Commitment Simulator shows the entire cost landscape, a full curve from zero commitment to maximum, the exact point where savings peak, and where overcommitment begins and costs start rising again. This applies to both AWS Savings Plans and Google Cloud spend-based CUDs.

What can I see in Commitment Simulator that I can't see in native cloud tools?​

  • The complete cost curve from $0/hr to maximum commitment

  • A breakdown of covered, uncovered, and wasted spend at every hourly commitment

  • All term and payment options compared side by side in a single table

  • Flexsave for Compute costs as a baseline for comparison

  • Interactive tooltips with exact dollar savings at any point on the curve

How often is Commitment Simulator data updated?​

Data is updated monthly, on the 5th day of each month. This schedule allows the previous month's AWS Cost and Usage Report (CUR) and Google Cloud billing export data to be available for accurate processing.

What data does Commitment Simulator use?​

Hourly billing data from DoiT's billing integration — AWS CUR data and Google Cloud billing exports. Commitment Simulator does not access your cloud accounts directly and does not make any changes to your infrastructure.

Does Commitment Simulator account for commitments I've already purchased?​

Yes. Commitment Simulator excludes usage already covered by existing commitments (Savings Plans and Reserved Instances on AWS, or active CUDs on Google Cloud). It only analyzes the remaining on-demand usage that is still eligible for a new commitment. The optimal commitment it shows is the additional amount you could commit on top of the coverage you already have.

Why do I see "We're compiling your data"?​

Billing data is still being processed. Check back in a few hours. See Status messages and page states for more information.

Understanding Commitment Simulator results​

Should I purchase at the optimal commitment?​

Not necessarily. The optimal commitment is the hourly amount that would have minimized costs during the selected month. It is backward-looking, not a forecast.

Committing slightly below the optimal often yields comparable savings with significantly lower risk. See Optimal commitment and Best practices for more information.

For Compute and SageMaker, 3-Year No Upfront balances savings depth with financial flexibility: deeper discounts than 1-year terms with no upfront capital required.

For Database, 1-Year No Upfront is highlighted instead (the only available term and payment combination).

The Recommended label identifies the best historical result; it is not a directive to purchase.

What's the difference between "Savings available" and "No savings"?​

  • Savings available: purchasing a commitment would be cheaper than on-demand and Flexsave (when active).

  • No savings: a commitment would not reduce costs below what you're already paying.

Why is a commitment type tab disabled in the selector?​

The payer or billing account had no usage covered by that Savings Plan type (AWS) or spend-based CUD product (Google Cloud) during the selected month, or no hourly commitment would produce savings.

How does Commitment Simulator relate to Flexsave for Compute?​

Flexsave for Compute is DoiT's managed savings solution. It reduces costs automatically with no long-term commitment. Commitment Simulator shows whether purchasing self-managed commitments would save even more by including Flexsave costs as a baseline in the summary table and charts.

How do I minimize commitment risk?​

  • Commit below the optimal point: this leaves room for usage fluctuations.

  • Reassess each month and add incremental commitments as needed.

See Best practices for details.

Does Commitment Simulator purchase commitments for me?​

No. Commitment Simulator is an analysis tool. It shows the full cost curve, the optimal commitment, and savings at every commitment level, so you can make an informed decision.

To automate ongoing commitment purchases, set up PerfectScale for Commitments and use Optimize and execute commitment plans for laddered purchase plans and optional auto-purchase.

What is a Management Account?​

In Commitment Simulator, Management Account is the account selector for the AWS payer account or Google Cloud billing account you are analyzing.

Usage and costs from linked member accounts are aggregated and billed to that account. By default, commitments purchased there are shared across member accounts, helping optimize overall costs (although sharing can be disabled if needed).

I have multiple payer accounts. Does Commitment Simulator analyze them separately?​

Yes. Commitments are scoped to an AWS payer account or Google Cloud billing account; a commitment purchased under one account does not apply to usage in another. Use the Management Account selector to switch between payer and billing accounts and analyze each one independently.

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