# Archera QuickStart Guide (AWS)

Archera is next-generation cloud financial management software that helps companies of all sizes optimize their cloud financial efficiency. In this article we will cover a quick start walkthrough to using Archera with AWS as a service provider.

We'll also look at a few examples of how to use the Archera platform as a starting point to realize value in the form of increased savings, decreased time spent managing cloud resources, and de-risking infrastructure investments.

## Pre-Requisites

* Administrator access to AWS console
* AWS Master Account Number

### Nice To Haves

* Identify a "Commitment Manager" in your organization
* Understand how your infrastructure is organized (e.g. by tags, accounts, etc)
* Enable Compute Optimizer

## Steps Covered in this Guide

1. Register for Archera
2. Connect to your AWS accounts
   * Only organization sub-accounts that contain commitments need to be connected for full commitment visibility and analysis.
3. Purchasing Commitments for uncovered Infrastructure
4. Automating Renewals

## 1. Register on Archera

First, register an account on the Archera application. Fill in your information and click "Start Free Trial."

## 2. Connect to AWS

After Registration, click AWS. This will launch our guided walkthrough for connecting your AWS account to the Archera platform.

The walkthrough should be self explanatory and includes a number of options for methods. The Cloudformation method is the recommended approach, however any will work.

Once complete, please click "Verify Installation" to ensure that the Archera platform can communicate with your AWS.

Once verified — let's next take a look at your commitment coverage information.

## 3. Example: Optimizing Commitment Coverage

Now that we're connected to your account, the Archera platform creates a few Segments by default, including "All Resources." This Segment will allow you to see information about all the infrastructure resources currently deployed in your AWS account.

When you first login, you will be on the Actionable Savings page. This page gives you an overview of your:

* Current monthly cost
* Monthly Cost using Archera's recommended plan
* Days to break even with plan
* Current coverage level

Click "Explore More Commitment Plans" at the bottom of the card to dive into the details. The summaries include relevant details about commitment types, potential savings, and overall spend commitments. Please see [Commitment Planner](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/commitment-planner) and [Creating Custom Purchase Plans](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/how-to-create-custom-plan) for further details.

## 4. Automating Renewals

Lastly, for any existing commitments, Archera can optimize and automate the renewals. The process is very similar to creating a purchase plan, but now we are looking at existing commitments and either renewing them as-is, or optimizing them further with an Archera plan.

To get started, click [Commitment Inventory](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/commitment-inventory) from the top level menu.

Next, select the expiring commitments either by clicking the red bars in the chart or selecting the individual commitments from the inventory below.

Once the commitments have been selected click "Create Renewal Plan." This will launch a view to explore pre-built plans, which you can juxtapose against the "Naive Renewal" (i.e. renewing the existing commitments as-is). You can also create a custom plan similar to the Commitment Planner.

## Conclusion

Optimizing your commitment coverage is just one of many use cases for the Archera platform. We encourage you to check out the documentation or reach out to us at <solutions@archera.ai> to see how we can help you optimize your cloud financial management.

## Related Resources

* [Billing and GRIs (Guaranteed Reserved Instances)](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/billing/billing-and-gris)
* [Azure Billing - How Archera is Billed Through Azure](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/billing/azure-billing)
* [AWS Billing - How Archera is Billed Through AWS](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/billing/aws-billing)
* [Product Overview](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/getting-started/product-overview)
* [What is the lookback period inside commitment planner and when to use it?](https://docs.archera.ai/help-center/user-guide/lookback-period)