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Introducing "Schedules" on the Rafay Platform: Simplifying Cost Optimization and Compliance for Platform Teams

Platform teams today are increasingly tasked with balancing cost efficiency, compliance, and operational agility across complex cloud environments. Actions such as cost-optimization measures and compliance-related tasks are critical, yet executing these tasks consistently and effectively can be challenging.

With the recent introduction of the “Schedules” capability on the Rafay Platform, platform teams can now orchestrate one-time or recurring actions across environments in a standardized, centralized manner. This new feature enables teams to implement cost-saving policies, manage compliance actions, and ensure operational efficiency—all from a single interface. Here’s a closer look at how this feature can streamline your workflows and add value to your platform operations.

Schedules

Automate Cost Optimization and Compliance Tasks

The “Schedules” feature was designed with platform teams in mind, providing a robust tool for automating tasks that traditionally require custom tooling or significant manual oversight. Whether it’s configuring time-based policies to save costs or managing regular compliance tasks, “Schedules” simplifies the orchestration of these tasks across your entire organization. Common use cases include:

  1. Cost Optimization Policies: Configure policies that automatically shut down environments when not in use, either after a certain time period or according to a custom schedule (e.g., evenings or weekends)

  2. Ongoing Compliance Actions: Set up regular snapshots of Kubernetes (K8s) resources, allowing your team to maintain an up-to-date compliance record

Use Cases for Schedules

Here are just a few examples of how “Schedules” can drive impactful results:

  • Auto Scaling for Cost Reduction: A typical use case might involve scaling down an EKS cluster to zero nodes every day at 6 PM and scaling it back up at 7 AM (while the control plane remains active). This single policy can translate into a 50%+ cost reduction in running cluster infrastructure.

Auto scaling

Auto scaling

  • Dynamic Resource Resizing: Another example is the ability to run custom workflows that automatically resize applications based on utilization metrics every few hours. This granular control helps maintain optimal performance while keeping costs in check.

Rightsizing

Rightsizing

Flexibility with Custom Workflows

“Schedules” goes beyond simple deploy-and-destroy actions. Platform teams can define custom workflows to execute a series of tasks tailored to their specific needs. These workflows can involve various actions, including:

  • Containers: Run container-based tasks as part of a workflow
  • HTTP Calls: Execute API calls to external systems as part of the schedule
  • Code-Based Tasks: Write and execute functions in languages like Go or Python to handle specific automation logic

This flexibility allows teams to tailor automation to their unique operational requirements, making it easier to manage resources at scale.

Opt-Out Policies for End-User Flexibility

While automation is a powerful tool, there are cases where users may need to opt-out of scheduled policies temporarily. The “Schedules” feature allows platform teams to configure opt-out policies with granular controls, such as:

  • Limit Opt-Out Frequency: Define the maximum number of times a user can opt out of a configured schedule

  • Set Opt-Out Durations: Control the maximum duration a user can opt-out of a policy (e.g., limit opt-outs from TTL policies to a specific timeframe)

  • Approval Workflows: Attach approval workflows, enabling integration with platforms like ServiceNow or JIRA for approval tracking

These opt-out policies give platform teams the flexibility to meet users’ needs while maintaining control over environments.

Flexible Access Management Options

With Rafay’s “Schedules,” platform teams have multiple interfaces to manage schedule policies. Whether your organization prefers using a UI, Terraform (TF), APIs, or RCTL, Rafay provides the flexibility to choose the method that best aligns with your operational policies and compliance requirements.

Comprehensive Audit and Monitoring for Compliance

Maintaining a complete audit trail of scheduled events is crucial for platform teams that need to demonstrate compliance. Rafay’s “Schedules” feature captures all schedule-related events as audit logs, which can be:

  • Exported as CSV Files: For easy reporting and archival purposes
  • Streamed in Real-Time: Directly to your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, such as Splunk, for continuous monitoring

These audit logs ensure that platform teams can provide the necessary records during compliance audits, reducing the burden of manual data gathering.

Audit Logs

Summary

The introduction of “Schedules” on the Rafay Platform empowers platform teams with a powerful tool to optimize costs, manage compliance, and streamline operations across environments. By centralizing and automating recurring actions, Rafay enables teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine tasks, ensuring both efficiency and flexibility in an increasingly complex cloud ecosystem.

For platform teams looking to enhance cost savings, standardize operations, and strengthen compliance, the new “Schedules” feature is a game-changer.