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Datacenter Optimization (DCO) Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator

Use the DCO Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator, an Excel workbook that maps your existing infrastructure and workloads to equivalent or better Azure IaaS and PaaS services by region.
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Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator overview

Check out this video to learn how to price Azure services using Azure.com pricing tools, the Azure.com online calculator, and the Microsoft Excel-based DCO Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator (ARAE). The demo guides you through setting up an initial estimate, importing server details, selecting Azure regions, applying eligible Microsoft discounts, and configuring any applicable managed services markup so you can build accurate, customer-ready pricing estimates.

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Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator deep dive

Dive deeper with this demo on customizing estimates with the Microsoft Excel-based DCO Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator (ARAE). This video demonstrates how to refine Azure cost estimates using Reserved Instances (RIs), software subscriptions, Azure Hybrid Benefit, and Azure Dev/Test. It also covers how to incorporate services such as Azure Site Recovery, Azure Backup, networking, and bandwidth into your estimates. At the virtual machine (VM) level, the video explores optimization techniques for SAP-certified VMs, constrained-core and Spot VMs, and how to exclude entire VM families to better align estimates with customer requirements and cost goals.

Video thumbnail for Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator PaaS services

Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator PaaS services

In this video, you’ll learn how to add Azure PaaS services to your Microsoft Excel-based DCO Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator (ARAE) estimates and compare the cost and operational impact of PaaS versus IaaS deployments. The demo explores scenarios such as using Azure AD Directory Services instead of virtual machine-based domain controllers, as well as using Azure SQL Managed Instance instead of standalone SQL Server or Always On configurations. While PaaS services may not always reduce direct Azure costs, the video highlights how they can significantly reduce administrative effort, management overhead, and operational complexity compared to traditional VM-based infrastructure.

Video thumbnail for Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator helper tabs

Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator helper tabs

Explore how to make the most of “helper tabs” in the Microsoft Excel-based DCO Azure Rapid Assessment Estimator (ARAE) workbook. In this demo, you can gain a better understanding of how to:

  • Add Azure Blob Storage to an estimate.
  • Check region availability and/or region cost (stack ranked) for a specific VM.
  • Visually identify Azure VMs by core/memory and how they compare by cost and specs to different family VMs.
  • View a map of VM family chipsets.
  • Understand cost liabilities of standard versus premium managed disks and of reserved instance versus on-demand VMs.
  • Understand net costs after Microsoft partner incentives and ramped Azure consumption over time.