Zendesk

70% Infrastructure Cost Reduction Across 2,500 EC2 Instances

How Zendesk modernized instance management to cut cloud spend, eliminate licensing dependencies, and improve security posture—all while accelerating engineering velocity.

Cloud Infrastructure
Platform Engineering & CI/CD
Cost Optimization
70%
reduction in compute costs
2,500
EC2 instances optimized

Zendesk is a cloud-based industry leader that provides help desk management solutions, offering customizable tools to build customer service portals, knowledge bases, and online communities. As a service-first CRM company, Zendesk builds software designed to improve customer relationships.

EverOps has worked with Zendesk on a variety of projects—from office build-outs and retiring physical data centers to Kubernetes adoption. We're proud to continue growing with Zendesk as we enter our second decade of partnership.

The Challenge

Fast Growth, Mounting Costs, Manual Processes

Zendesk's infrastructure was growing fast—and so was the monthly bill. Long-running instances and accumulated licensing costs had created an expensive footprint that needed immediate attention.

But cost wasn't the only concern. The infrastructure procurement process itself had become a bottleneck. As the footprint grew, Zendesk needed to improve engineering productivity around how instances were created and managed. The goal was to reduce spend quickly without impacting infrastructure reliability, while building a process that could scale with the business.

With 2,500 EC2 instances to optimize, incremental fixes wouldn't cut it. Zendesk needed a systematic approach.

The Approach

Deep Analysis Across 2,500 Instances

EverOps worked directly with Zendesk engineers to review infrastructure spend and licensing costs across all 2,500 EC2 instances. This in-depth analysis identified where the most valuable changes could be made—focusing effort on high-impact opportunities rather than across-the-board changes.

The review produced a solution roadmap with four parallel initiatives: modernizing instance provisioning, automating lifecycle management, eliminating unnecessary licensing, and enabling dynamic scaling.

Each initiative was designed to deliver immediate cost savings while building long-term operational improvements.

Technologies & Tools: AWS · EC2 · Auto Scaling Groups · Immutable AMIs · Chef (migrated from)

Technologies & Tools:

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The Approach

Embedded Expertise with a Clear Roadmap

EverOps embedded a 3-person FinOps Pod directly into Life360's platform team. Within the first week, our engineers had access to their AWS accounts, joined their Slack channels, and began a comprehensive cost analysis using our proprietary Opportunity Finder methodology.

The engagement followed a structured approach: two weeks of discovery and prioritization, four weeks of execution on high-impact optimizations, and two weeks of governance implementation to sustain savings. Throughout, the Pod operated as an extension of the internal team — attending standups, collaborating in real-time, and transferring knowledge continuously.

Unlike consultants who deliver reports, our Pod executed the changes directly — rightsizing instances, eliminating waste, renegotiating reserved capacity, and implementing automated cost controls.

The Solution

Automated, Immutable, and Secure by Default

EverOps implemented a fully automated solution for instance creation that was codified, repeatable, and secure—replacing manual processes with infrastructure-as-code patterns.

Key Initiatives:

  • Immutable AMI Workflow — Migrated away from Chef to an immutable AMI procurement workflow, establishing a consistent and repeatable process for creating instances that eliminated configuration drift.
  • Automated Instance Recycling — Implemented monthly automated recycling of instances, saving engineering time while ensuring all instances stay current on security patches without manual intervention.
  • OS Modernization — Upgraded to the latest OS versions across the fleet, eliminating the need for Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) licenses across all 2,500 EC2 instances.
  • Auto Scaling Group Migration — Migrated all instances to deploy behind ASGs, enabling the infrastructure to scale dynamically based on load rather than running at fixed capacity.
The Results

70% Cost Reduction, Zero Compromise

The automated, codified approach to instance management delivered a 70% reduction in infrastructure compute costs—a dramatic improvement achieved without impacting reliability or performance.

Beyond compute savings, the initiative eliminated ESM licensing costs and reduced dependencies on external vendors. Engineering efficiency improved significantly as instance procurement times dropped, freeing the team to focus on new projects rather than infrastructure maintenance.

Zendesk can now grow their infrastructure quickly, securely, and efficiently—with a repeatable process that scales with the business.

70%
Compute cost reduction
2,500
EC2 instances optimized
10+ Years
Partnership with Zendesk
Client Experience

"With so many workloads, optimizing felt overwhelming. EverOps delivered a 70% reduction in compute costs without a single disruption to production. That's a fundamental change to our cost structure."

Chris Titterton
VP Engineering, Zendesk
CLIENT EXPERIENCE

"With so many workloads, optimizing felt overwhelming. EverOps delivered a 70% reduction in compute costs without a single disruption to production. That's a fundamental change to our cost structure."

— Chris Titterton
VP Engineering, Zendesk
What's Next?
This engagement builds on a decade-plus partnership that has included office build-outs, data center retirement, and Kubernetes adoption. With modernized instance management in place, Zendesk has the foundation for continued infrastructure evolution—scaling efficiently while maintaining the security posture and engineering velocity the business demands.
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