The major cloud providers - such as Amazon's AWS, Microsoft's Azure, and Google's GCP - each offer dozens of separate services. These services can be quite useful, but understanding just how much they cost can be difficult.
Azure expert Kevin Feasel spoke to the Silicon Valley Microsoft Data Platform User Group about how cloud pricing works. He focused primarily on Microsoft Azure and explained how pricing works for various Azure services. Kevin is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Engineering Manager of the Predictive Analytics team at ChannelAdvisor.
According to Kevin, "the pricing calculator is a very useful site. Your cloud solutions architects at Microsoft - they will use this calculator. The sales people will use the calculator. Microsoft Partners, so third party companies, organizations that work with customers to help them land on Azure, will use this calculator."
Kevin explained the trickier aspects of the Azure pricing calculator, situations where alternative configurations can provide similar levels of service at wildly different prices, and strategies to keep your cloud bill as low as possible. You can watch Kevin's entire 78 minute presentation explaining the nitty gritty details of the calculator here: https://youtu.be/a7bfatCcAOY
Here is a four minute overview of what the Azure Pricing Calculator offers.