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September’s Game Changers
We’ve been making Octo smarter, cleaner, and easier to use. This month’s updates bring you better cost allocation tools, accuracy, and a refreshing interface that just makes sense. Let’s dive in.
Cost Allocation Gets an Upgrade
We’re doubling down on our commitment to make cost allocation less of a chore and more of a strategic tool. This month’s improvements touch every part of the allocation experience, from setting up discount plans to visualizing where every dollar goes.
Discount Plan
What’s New?
We’ve simplified how you work with discount allocation:
- Clear visibility with new tables: See all your allocation options at a glance. Filter by discount type, term length, and other settings to quickly find what you need.
- Easier target selection: Choose from a complete list of accounts when setting allocation targets. Whether you’re using fixed percentages or proportional distribution, picking the right accounts is now straightforward and visual.
The core functionality you rely on—like allocator naming and preview settings—stays exactly the same. We’ve just made getting there a whole lot easier.
No more guessing games when allocating discount savings. You’ll spend less time figuring out the mechanics and more time making strategic decisions about how to distribute costs across your organization. Plus, fewer mistakes mean cleaner reporting and happier teams.
Cost Usage Allocation
What’s New?
- Streamlined selection process: We’ve replaced the complicated logic builder with a clean, searchable list. Pick your accounts, services, and tags without a headache.
- Enhanced target visibility: The new account view makes it crystal clear where your costs are going, whether you’re splitting them evenly or based on actual usage.
Setting up cost allocations used to feel like solving a puzzle. Now it’s more like filling out a form. Your team can configure allocations faster and with more confidence, which means less time in setup meetings and more time optimizing your cloud spend.
Cost Allocation’s Visualization
What’s New?
Understanding your allocations just got a whole lot easier. Previously, allocation details were buried in the Details section that required mental math to understand. Now you get interactive visualizations that make the flows of costs immediately obvious.
- Direct and Shared Cost tabs - See original costs, allocated amounts, and deductions in one place. The Shared Cost view shows exactly what's been distributed to other accounts.
- Grouped charges - Similar items (like all tax-related charges) are now organized together, with allocated charges clearly labeled.
- Discount Plan visualization - Track your savings the same way you track costs. See original savings, allocated amounts, and what remains after distribution.
- Applied Allocators overview - Know exactly which allocators are affecting each cost group at a glance.
When stakeholders ask “where did this cost come from?” you’ll have a clear visual answer in seconds. This transparency makes chargeback conversations easier, helps you spot allocation issues before they become problems, and gives everyone confidence that costs are being distributed fairly.
Forecasting Improvements for AWS
We’ve enhanced our AWS forecasting engine to provide projections you can actually trust when planning budgets and making capacity decisions.
What’s New?
- Better handling of recurring charges - Monthly fees like support costs now show up consistently in your forecasts.
- Pattern recognition - The system now catches billing patterns like monthly spikes and weekday trends.
- Stable daily forecasts - No more weirdly low predictions on quiet days that throw off your monthly view.
Accurate forecasts means accurate budgets. You can plan capacity and present to leadership with confidence. When your forecasts match reality (especially at the start of each month), you’ll spend less time explaining variances and more time driving optimization initiatives.
A Cleaner, Smarter Octo Interface
Simplified Sidebar
We've reorganized the sidebar to put everything within easy reach. No more hunting under the "More" button—all sections are now visible and accessible right from the main navigation.
Enhanced Navigation Rail
What's New?
- Collapsible view - Minimize the rail to just icons. Hover to see names and keep your workspace clean.
- Submenu access - Click an application icon to open its submenu and jump directly to what you need.
- Dropdown in expanded mode - When expanded, submenus remain easy to access through intuitive dropdowns.
A cleaner interface means faster work. Your team will spend less time clicking around looking for features and more time actually using them. For new users, the learning curve just got a lot gentler. For power users, navigation is now quicker than ever.
Ready to Experience Octo?
These updates are live now and ready to make cloud cost management easier. Log in to explore the new features, or reach out to our team if you’d like a guided tour of what’s changed.
Have feedback on these updates? We’d love to hear from you. Your insights help us build the platform you actually want to use.
