Cloud Management and AIOps


This is an IBM Automation portal for Cloud Management, Technology Cost Management, Network Automation and AIOps products. To view all of your ideas submitted to IBM, create and manage groups of Ideas, or create an idea explicitly set to be either visible by all (public) or visible only to you and IBM (private), use the IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com).

Shape the future of IBM!

We invite you to shape the future of IBM, including product roadmaps, by submitting ideas that matter to you the most. Here's how it works:

Search existing ideas

Start by searching and reviewing ideas and requests to enhance a product or service. Take a look at ideas others have posted, and add a comment, vote, or subscribe to updates on them if they matter to you. If you can't find what you are looking for,

Post your ideas

  1. Post an idea.

  2. Get feedback from the IBM team and other customers to refine your idea.

  3. Follow the idea through the IBM Ideas process.

Specific links you will want to bookmark for future use

Welcome to the IBM Ideas Portal (https://www.ibm.com/ideas) - Use this site to find out additional information and details about the IBM Ideas process and statuses.

IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com) - Use this site to view all of your ideas, create new ideas for any IBM product, or search for ideas across all of IBM.

ideasibm@us.ibm.com - Use this email to suggest enhancements to the Ideas process or request help from IBM for submitting your Ideas.

Add a new idea Subscribe
Status Submitted
Workspace Instana
Categories User Interface
Created by Guest
Created on Dec 2, 2025

RELATED IDEAS

Native cost allocation and chargeback by OpenShift namespace annotations and per‑agent ingest keys

Summary
We need Instana to natively attribute and report usage to internal cost centers so we can fairly recharge costs. Our workloads run on shared OpenShift clusters; every namespace has annotations for cost center and application ID. A small number of applications run on VMs with Instana agents; for these we require multiple ingest keys to attribute usage correctly.

Problem / Use case
- Shared OpenShift clusters: We must know which namespaces consume Instana and to what extent.
- Available metadata: Namespace annotations include clew./accounting-number and clew./megaid.
- Non‑OpenShift: VM‑based deployments need attribution outside of OpenShift.
- Current gap: No option by OpenShift namespace or by per‑agent ingest keys, for cost allocation.

Requested capability
- Read configurable OpenShift namespace annotations (e.g., clew./accounting-number, clew./megaid), tag all related telemetry, and aggregate usage by cluster, namespace, clew /accounting-number, and clew./megaid.
- Support exclusions (system namespaces) and handle ephemeral namespaces/renames.
- Non‑OpenShift: Introduce multiple “custom ingest keys” per tenant; track usage per key with optional metadata; allow key rotation without losing historical attribution.
- Reporting/API: Provide a “Cost allocation / Chargeback” report with filters and standardized usage metrics; CSV/REST export; retain aggregated usage for fiscal reporting; allow applying rates or exporting raw usage for external rating.
- Configuration & RBAC: Admin UI to define which annotations to read and optional value normalization; fallback when annotations are missing; scope access via RBAC.

Acceptance criteria
- Usage is attributed per OpenShift namespace and per custom ingest key.
- UI and API show monthly usage grouped by clew./accounting-number with drill‑downs to cluster/namespace and clew./megaid.
- System namespaces can be excluded or mapped to a designated cost center.

Value / Impact
- Enables fair showback/chargeback on shared OpenShift, improves transparency, and reduces manual effort in line with FinOps practices.

Environment
- Instana: SaaS
- OpenShift: 4.x (shared clusters)
- Non‑OpenShift: VM‑based deployments with Instana agents

Idea priority High

By clicking the "Post Comment" or "Submit Idea" button, you are agreeing to the IBM Ideas Portal Terms of Use.
Do not place IBM confidential, company confidential, or personal information into any field.