Sysadmin Central

If you’re managing an Azure environment, chances are you’ve encountered the dreaded scenario of “orphaned resources”, unused or forgotten cloud assets silently accruing costs and adding unnecessary clutter to your subscriptions, and even if you’ve not, what do you have to lose by giving the workbook a try other than some unnecessary costs?

But what if I told you there’s a hidden gem of a workbook that makes identifying and managing orphaned resources almost effortless?

Well, look no further than the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook.

This incredibly useful tool is a must-have for any Azure administrator looking to regain control of their cloud environment, slash costs, and improve operational efficiency.

Today, I will briefly cover what makes the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook so cool, why it deserves more love, and how it can transform your Azure resource management.

What Are Orphaned Resources?

Orphaned resources are cloud assets that are no longer in use but haven’t been deallocated or deleted. These include unattached disks, unused public IPs, orphaned NICs, Azure App Service Plans, etc. Resources that once served a purpose but are now just burning money and cluttering your subscription.

The challenge? Azure doesn’t automatically remove these resources for you, and finding them manually is often akin to searching for a needle in a haystack—especially in larger environments with hundreds (or thousands) of deployed resources.

This is where the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook shines.

What is the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook

The Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook, an open-source solution available on GitHub, is a pre-built workbook designed to identify and visualize unused resources in your Azure environment. It takes advantage of Azure Resource Graph and Azure Monitor to provide a centralized dashboard that tracks and surfaces orphaned resources across your subscriptions.

Here are just a few of the tangible benefits you’ll see when you start using the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook:

Key Benefits of Using the Azure Orphaned Resources Workbook

1. Cost Savings

Unused resources often go unnoticed in larger environments, quietly inflating your monthly Azure bill. By identifying and removing these resources, you’ll immediately see cost savings.

2. Improved Governance

Cluttered environments can lead to governance challenges, making it harder to track resource ownership and compliance. Cleaning up orphaned resources helps you maintain a clean, well-governed subscription.

3. Operational Efficiency

No more tedious, manual searches for unattached disks or unused IPs. The workbook automates the discovery process, saving you time and freeing up your team to focus on more strategic initiatives.

4. Enhanced Security Posture

Orphaned resources, especially public IPs or unmanaged NICs, can sometimes expose vulnerabilities or create attack vectors. Cleaning them up reduces your overall attack surface.

How to get Started

I won’t go into detail when the authors of the workbook has already covered it in so much detail. The very straightforward setup instructions can be found here – Azure Orphaned Resources v3.0

Got any other amazing Workbooks you’d like to see covered or cost saving tips I’ve not posted about? Please do share in the comments!