chapter nine
9 Network Optimization Strategies
This chapter covers
- Understanding and analyzing where network charges come from
- Identifying expensive patterns: cross-AZ, cross-region, and egress traffic
- Monitoring traffic with AWS CUR, Athena, CloudWatch, and VPC Flow Logs
- Using VPC endpoints, PrivateLink, and NAT alternatives for cost reduction
- Applying network optimization strategies in a multi-cloud environment
Cloud networking often hides in plain sight when it comes to cost. Unlike compute or storage, network charges typically don’t show up as standalone line items tied to a single resource; they accumulate silently across data transfers, NAT gateways, load balancers, and edge services. But left unchecked, these hidden costs can quickly erode your FinOps gains.
This chapter builds on the visibility foundation laid in Chapters 3 and 4, and the optimization techniques and automation principles from previous chapters, focusing now on how to monitor, control, and reduce data transfer and network-related costs.