Independent IT & Cloud Spend Assessment
A vendor-neutral read on your software landscape — before you commit a budget
Most companies can name their largest cloud region but not their largest cloud line item. Licences renew for teams that stopped using the tool two reorganisations ago, and manual steps quietly outlast the process that required them. We are an EU-based engineering team, not a consultancy with a sales quota: we review your software landscape, tell you where the money actually goes, and hand you a prioritised plan you own. The first conversation is free, runs in English, and commits you to nothing.
For enterprise teams and SMEs alike
ChallengesWhy many companies don't know where they're losing money
IT spend rarely fails in one decision — it drifts. Tools arrive with a team, a project, or an acquisition and nobody is left with the mandate to retire them. Across borders and business units, that drift compounds: the same category of software is bought three times over, each entity holds its own cloud account, and no one owns the consolidated picture. The waste is real, but so is the reason it stays hidden.
Subscription sprawl
Every department buys its own tools — often overlapping, sometimes unused. Nobody knows the total cost. Meanwhile, dependency on expensive SaaS products grows — products that could be replaced by custom software.
Unclear cloud costs
The monthly bill keeps rising, but nobody knows exactly what for. Oversized instances, forgotten resources, and missing commitment strategies drive costs. Transparency is lacking.
Inefficient development processes
Slow releases, manual deployments, and missing test automation cost time and money. Modern tooling and automation could double delivery speed — but the entry point is unclear.
Missing overview for leadership
CTOs and IT managers need reliable numbers to justify optimizations internally. Without a structured analysis, the decision basis is missing.
Fear of dependency
Many companies hesitate to bring in external partners. The concern: once you start, you can't get out. That's why a risk-free entry point is needed — one that builds trust before commitments arise.
BenefitsYour risk-free entry — transparency over savings potential
An assessment is a low-risk way to evaluate an engineering partner, which is exactly how we treat it. You get senior engineers rather than a sales team, findings grounded in your own numbers rather than a benchmark deck, and a report that stays useful whether or not you ever work with us. For teams outside Germany, it is also the cheapest way to test whether an EU-based partner fits how you actually operate.
Free initial consultation (30-60 min)
Senior engineers listen, ask the right questions, and provide an initial assessment. Not a sales pitch, but a technical dialogue at eye level. You receive concrete insights on savings potential already in this conversation.
Structured analysis (1-2 weeks)
When deeper analysis is needed, we examine your software landscape systematically: SaaS subscriptions, cloud costs, development processes, tooling, and operational software gaps. You receive an action plan with prioritized recommendations.
Honest assessment — even if we're not the answer
We only recommend what truly helps. If your team can solve the problem internally, we say so. Our analysis delivers concrete value — prioritized recommendations with immediately actionable measures that create value regardless of a follow-up engagement.
Analysis costs are credited
If you decide on an engagement with krafteq after the analysis, we credit the costs in full. This makes the analysis an investment, not a cost center.
No financial risk
The initial consultation is free. The analysis is a standalone service with a clear deliverable. And if you choose not to continue, you keep the action plan with all recommendations.
Trust before contract
We believe: good partnerships are built through competence and honesty. That's why we start with an entry point that gives both sides confidence.
ProcessFrom first conversation to concrete action plan
Our process is designed so you receive value at every stage — and can stop at any time. No lock-in, no hidden costs.
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Free initial consultation (30-60 min)
You describe your situation. Our senior engineers listen and ask targeted questions. Together, we identify the most important optimization areas. Already here, you receive an initial assessment and concrete insights. Many clients gain clarity on topics that have been on their mind for months.
Initial assessment and concrete insights — free and non-binding.
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Structured analysis (1-2 weeks)
If deeper analysis makes sense, our specialists conduct a structured potential analysis. Depending on the need, we analyze SaaS/license costs, cloud spending, development processes, tooling, or operational software gaps.
Systematic analysis with proven frameworks and tools.
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Action plan with recommendations
You receive a clear report: where the biggest cost-saving levers are, which subscriptions can be replaced, which processes can be modernized. Every recommendation is prioritized and includes a concrete effort estimate. This report is yours — regardless of whether we continue working together.
Prioritized recommendations with concrete effort estimates — your report, your decision.
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Decision and next steps
Based on the action plan, you decide how to proceed. Whether staff augmentation, managed squad, sprint project, or internal implementation — we advise honestly. If you continue with krafteq, the analysis fee is credited in full toward the follow-up engagement.
Full flexibility — analysis costs are credited for follow-up engagements.
ServicesWhat we analyze
The scope is yours to set. Some teams come to us with a cloud bill that has doubled and no explanation; others want a second opinion on architecture before a funding round or an audit. We cover the areas below in whatever combination fits your situation, and we say plainly when one of them is already in good shape rather than manufacturing a finding.
SaaS and license costs
Inventory of all software subscriptions and licenses. We identify unused, overlapping, and overpriced tools — and assess which ones can be economically replaced by custom software.
Cloud cost analysis
Transparency over your AWS, Azure, or GCP spending. We identify unused resources, oversized instances, and missing commitment strategies. We also evaluate servers in Germany (EU fallback available) when digital sovereignty is required.
Development processes and tooling
Analysis of your CI/CD pipelines, deployment processes, and developer workflows. Where are the bottlenecks? What automation is missing? We recommend modern tooling that measurably increases your delivery speed.
Operational software gaps
Which business processes still run manually that could be automated? Where is software missing that would make operations more efficient? We identify concrete digitization potential with fast ROI.
Architecture and scalability
Assessment of your system architecture for scalability, maintainability, and future-readiness. Technologies like Spring Boot, ASP.NET Core, Node.js, or Gin — we know them from hands-on practice.
QA and test coverage
Analysis of your test coverage: unit tests, integration, E2E, performance, and security testing. We identify gaps and recommend suitable strategies with tools like Playwright, Cypress, Jest, JUnit, or k6.
ReferencesResults that speak for themselves
Fast start
From initial inquiry to operational deployment of our engineers — start in 14 days after contract signature.
Cloud cost reduction
70 % cloud cost reduction for a client through targeted infrastructure optimization and rightsizing.
Release cadence increased
Release cadence increased from monthly to weekly through targeted QA engineering after the analysis.
Lower operating costs
Legacy ERP successfully migrated to Azure — operating costs reduced by 40 %, availability significantly improved.
Target AudienceEnterprise and SME — one entry point for both
Our potential analysis is designed for companies of all sizes. The questions differ, but the process stays the same: listen, analyze, advise honestly.
Enterprise teams
CTOs and VPs of Engineering who need transparency over their IT cost structure. Teams facing a major optimization and needing reliable data for the decision. Organizations looking to replace expensive SaaS subscriptions with tailored solutions.
SMEs and mid-market companies
Business leaders who want to know whether their IT spending is efficient. Companies considering cloud migration, modernization, or custom software development. Firms looking for a trustworthy partner before committing larger IT budgets.
What an assessment turns into
An assessment is a starting point, not a product. Its value is that it ends with a decision you can defend internally — with numbers from your own systems rather than a vendor's benchmark. Sometimes that decision is to do nothing for six months, and we will say so. More often, the report points clearly at one of a few directions, and it helps to know in advance what those look like.
When the cloud bill is the headline finding, our 14-day cost and reliability sprint is usually the fastest way to prove the numbers move, while the broader cloud cost optimization solution covers the commitment strategies and architecture work a two-week window cannot reach. If the finding is instead that you are renting expensive SaaS for a process that is specific to your business, custom business software is often cheaper within a year — and the code stays yours. And if the question is simply how a working relationship would be structured, our engagement models set out the fixed-price, squad, and augmentation options side by side.
Independent IT & Cloud Spend Assessment — let's talk about it
Let us discuss how we can support your team.
“Trust is not built through contracts, but through competence and honesty. That's why every collaboration with us begins with an open conversation — not with a proposal.”
