# Archera’s Guaranteed Commitments (GRIs & GSPs)

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

### Insurance 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

### 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

### 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

## 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

### 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

### 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

## 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:
1. **Sign Up with Archera**  
   Create your account and connect your cloud environments.
2. **Platform Access**  
   Access the Archera platform to start managing commitments.
3. **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.