# HNCOST05-BP01 Forecast demand and baseline requirements before scaling dedicated connections
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 Begin with IPSec VPN or small-scale dedicated connection links during testing or migration phases. Monitor traffic patterns to establish baseline bandwidth needs. Scale to larger dedicated connections or LAGs only after validating requirements. 

 **Desired outcome:** Cost-efficient scaling that matches actual workload demands, avoiding premature investment in underutilized dedicated connections. 

 **Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established:** Medium 

 **Benefits of establishing this best practice:** 
+  Reduces upfront capital expenditure 
+  Prevents over-provisioning of high-cost dedicated links 
+  Enables data-driven scaling decisions 

## Implementation guidance
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+  Analyze historical data transfer costs using services such as Cost Explorer or Cost and Usage 
+  Analyze traffic patterns using services such as VPC Flow Logs or Transit Gateway Flog Logs 

## Resources
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+  [Logging IP traffic using VPC Flow Logs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/flow-logs.html) 
+  [Transit Gateway Flow Logs](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/tgw/tgw-flow-logs.html) 
+  [Using AWS Cost Explorer to analyze data transfer costs](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/mt/using-aws-cost-explorer-to-analyze-data-transfer-costs/) 
+  [AWS Well-Architected Cost & Usage Report Library](https://catalog.workshops.aws/cur-query-library/en-US/queries/networking-and-content-delivery)