Over-provisioning cloud resources using dependency maps and utilization triggers

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• actively running a first instance of a VM/container on a first computer device;
• receiving a request to deactivate the first instance of a VM/container;
• and
• responsive to the request to deactivate, storing an image of the first instance, with the storing including:
• generating an uncompressed image file data set corresponding to the first instance,
• compressing, by a file level data compression algorithm, the uncompressed image file data set to generate a compressed image file data set, and
• storing the compressed image file data set in a data storage device.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• receiving an input data set including information indicative of a plurality of instances of VM/containers and a plurality of relationships among and between instances of the plurality of instances;
• and
• generating, by machine logic, a VM/container dependency graph data set representing a dependency graph data structure based upon the input data set, with the dependency graph data structure including:
• (i) a plurality of nodes respectively corresponding to the instances of the plurality of instances, and (ii) a plurality of connections, with each connection being between a pair of nodes, and with at least some of the connections including information indicating that both nodes of the pair joined by the connection should be deactivated and reactivated together.