Insured Commitments

Learn about Archera’s Guaranteed Commitments that provide short-term insured cloud commitments with maximum flexibility and risk protection

Archera’s Guaranteed Commitments (GRIs & GSPs) offer a revolutionary approach to cloud cost optimization by providing short-term, insured commitments that eliminate the traditional risks associated with cloud reservations.

When NOT to Use Archera: The only scenario where native commitments may be preferred is when you have a stable, predictable workload that you’re confident will run unchanged for 3 years OR you can secure the maximum native discount with upfront payment. In all other cases, Archera’s guaranteed commitments provide additive value through flexibility and risk protection.

​What are Guaranteed Commitments?

Guaranteed Commitments are Archera’s solution to the inflexibility of traditional cloud commitments. They provide:

Guaranteed Reserved Instances (GRIs): Short-term reserved instances with insurance protection against underutilization Guaranteed Savings Plans (GSPs): Flexible compute commitments with guaranteed utilization across multiple services

​Key Benefits

Shorter Terms

30-Day Minimum Terms

• Start with 30-day commitments instead of 1-3 years
• Maintain infrastructure flexibility
• Perfect for dynamic workloads

Insurance Protection

Commitment Loss Protection

• Archera insures against underutilization
• No risk of paying for unused capacity
• Guaranteed savings realization

Easy Management

Automated Optimization

• Set automation policies for continuous optimization
• Configurable savings thresholds
• Weekly, monthly, or quarterly cadence

No Hidden Fees

Transparent Pricing

• What you see is what you get
• No hidden fees deducted from savings
• Clear, upfront pricing structure

​How Guaranteed Commitments Work

Traditional Commitment Challenges

Traditional cloud commitments present several challenges:

• Long-term commitments (1-3 years) reduce infrastructure flexibility
• Utilization risk - you pay for capacity whether you use it or not
• Technology changes can make commitments obsolete
• Business changes may alter infrastructure needs

​Archera’s Solution

Guaranteed Commitments address these challenges through:

• Insurance Layer: Archera insures your commitments against underutilization
• Flexible Terms: Start with 30-day terms and scale as needed
• Professional Management: Expert optimization and ongoing management
• Risk Transfer: Archera takes on the utilization risk, not you

​Commitment Types Available

Guaranteed Reserved Instances (GRIs)

Instance-Specific Commitments

• AWS: Individual EC2 instances, RDS, ElastiCache, DynamoDB
• Azure: Virtual Machine Reserved Instances, SQL Database, Cosmos DB
• Google Cloud: Compute Engine instances, Cloud SQL
• Term Options: 30-day minimum, up to 3 years
• Coverage: Specific instance types and sizes
• Best For: Predictable, instance-specific workloads

Guaranteed Savings Plans (GSPs)

Flexible Compute Commitments

• AWS: Broad compute services (EC2, Lambda, Fargate, ECS/EKS)
• Azure: Compute services across VM families and App Service plans
• Google Cloud: Spend-based and resource-based Committed Use Discounts
• Term Options: 30-day minimum, flexible duration
• Coverage: Dollar-per-hour commitment across compute services
• Best For: Dynamic workloads with varying compute needs

​Commitment Comparison Matrix

When evaluating commitment options, use this comparison to understand the trade-offs:

Key Considerations When Choosing:

1. How much will this commitment save me? (Archera shows net savings with no hidden fees)
2. What’s the discount rate for this commitment option?
3. How long until I break even and will my infrastructure be up at least that long?

​Important Metrics

When evaluating commitment performance using both Archera and native cloud tools, focus on these key metrics:

Coverage Amount

Definition: What percentage of your reservable infrastructure has a commitment applied

Target: Generally, higher coverage is better as it maximizes cost savings across your infrastructure

Measurement: (Reserved Capacity / Total Reservable Capacity) × 100

Native Tool Tracking:

• AWS: Cost Explorer and Cost and Usage Reports
• Azure: Cost Management
• GCP: Billing reports

Net Savings Rate

Definition: The aggregate impact of all your commitments relative to the on-demand rate

Target: Higher savings rates indicate more effective commitment strategies

Measurement: Total discount percentage achieved across all commitments

Native Tool Tracking:

• AWS: Cost Explorer and Cost and Usage Reports
• Azure: Cost Management
• GCP: Billing reports

Utilization

Definition: How much of your purchased commitments you’re actually using

Target: As close to 100% as possible for maximum ROI

Measurement: (Used Commitment Hours / Purchased Commitment Hours) × 100

Native Tool Tracking:

• AWS: Cost Explorer and Cost and Usage Reports
• Azure: Cost Management
• GCP: Billing reports

​Commitment Planning Options

Archera provides three default commitment strategies:

Recommended Plan - Start Here

Focus: 30-day GRIs and compute instances

Philosophy: Maximum flexibility with immediate savings

Best For: Organizations prioritizing flexibility over maximum savings

Perfect for getting started with guaranteed commitments

Balanced Plan - Most Popular

Focus: All reservable services with mixed terms

Philosophy: Balance of savings and flexibility

Features: Combines 30-day and 1-year commitments across all services

Most customers choose this option for ongoing optimization

High Savings Plan - Maximum Discount

Focus: Maximum discount through longer terms

Features: Includes 3-year commitments and upfront payments

Consideration: Higher savings but reduced flexibility

Only consider if you have highly predictable, long-term workloads

​Automation Policies

Archera offers fully optional automation policies that:

• Monitor your infrastructure continuously
• Apply new commitments when savings thresholds are met
• Operate on your preferred cadence (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
• Cancel anytime with full control retained

​Policy Configuration

1

Set Savings Threshold

Define minimum savings amount required to trigger automation

Start with a conservative threshold like $100/month to test automation

2

Choose Cadence

Select how frequently the system should evaluate new opportunities

Weekly cadence works well for dynamic environments

3

Monitor Performance

Track automated savings and adjust thresholds as needed

4

Maintain Control

Cancel or modify policies anytime through the platform

You always retain full control - automation is completely optional

​Getting Started

Ready to implement Guaranteed Commitments? Here’s how to begin:

Sign Up with Archera

Create your account and connect your cloud environments.

Platform Access

Access the Archera platform to start managing commitments

Risk-Free Optimization: Guaranteed Commitments are completely opt-in and designed to eliminate traditional commitment risks. You maintain full control of your AWS account and infrastructure while benefiting from professional optimization and insurance protection.

​Why Choose Guaranteed Commitments?

Traditional commitments require you to predict your infrastructure needs months or years in advance. Guaranteed Commitments let you optimize costs today while maintaining the flexibility to adapt tomorrow.

​Benefits Summary

Immediate Savings

Start saving immediately with 30-day terms

Zero Risk

Zero utilization risk through insurance protection

Expert Management

Professional management and optimization

Transparent Pricing

Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

Automation

Automated policies for hands-off optimization

Full Control

Full control and cancellation rights

Remember: The only time to consider native 3-year commitments over Archera is when you have completely predictable workloads that will run unchanged for 3 years AND you can get maximum upfront discounts. In all other scenarios, Archera’s guaranteed commitments provide superior value.