VM Right-Sizing

VM Right-Sizing is the worklist. Visual One derives recommended allocation changes from observed utilization patterns, and this screen is where you review them, filter them into manageable batches, and approve them. It sits under Settings rather than in the Virtual reports because it is an action screen, not a reporting one.

What this screen shows

  • Filters. VM name, status, recommendation type across CPU, memory, and disk, and last updated.
  • Recommendations. Each with a target allocation and an Approve action.

The recommendations are derived from utilization history rather than from a static rule, which is why the last-updated filter matters. A recommendation generated before a workload changed behaviour should be re-read rather than approved on sight.

When to use it

  • Reclaiming capacity. Over-allocation returned to the cluster, which is headroom you do not have to buy.
  • Lowering cost. Both infrastructure and, where allocation drives it, licensing.
  • Preventing sprawl. Standardizing sizing stops the estate drifting back into over-allocation after every project.

Working through the list

  • Filter by recommendation type and approve in batches. Memory first in most environments, because memory is usually the binding constraint and reclaiming it buys the most headroom per change.
  • Validate high-impact candidates individually. Check sustained low utilization in VM Summary before approving anything significant.
  • Confirm afterwards. After the next collection, use VM Summary trends and the Delta Report to verify allocations changed and utilization stayed healthy.

Important: Coordinate with change management and application owners where your process requires it. Approving a recommendation is a real change to a real workload, and some applications size themselves at startup against the resources they were given.

The full optimization loop

  1. Start on All Units: VMs with the cost tier view to see where spend concentrates.
  2. Come here to generate the actionable worklist.
  3. Validate high-impact candidates in VM Summary, confirming low utilization is sustained.
  4. Approve during a change window.
  5. Track the reclaimed capacity and savings through Delta Report and Virtual Trends.

All Units: VMs starts the loop. VM Summary validates candidates and confirms outcomes. Optimization Recommendations is the FinOps view of the same class of opportunity across cloud and compute together.

Last updated: August 24, 2026