The article by Bill Easton discusses the enhancements introduced in Elastic Agent version 8.12, specifically focusing on the new Performance Presets that optimize data ingestion into Elasticsearch via Amazon S3 and SQS. These presets, available in four configurations—Balanced, Optimized for Throughput, Optimized for Scale, and Optimized for Latency—aim to simplify the setup for both new and existing users by reducing the need for manual tuning and lowering costs. The Balanced preset, for example, offers three times the performance without prior tuning, while the Throughput preset can deliver a tenfold increase in events per second. The article emphasizes the cost-effectiveness and increased performance achieved by using smaller, burstable compute instances over larger ones, recommending horizontal scaling with additional nodes for improved throughput. By adopting these presets, users can significantly cut infrastructure costs, as demonstrated by the potential 99.5% cost reduction for a customer ingesting 300TB of data monthly. Easton advises users to tailor their instance sizes according to workflow needs and to review their cloud ingest nodes to incorporate these presets for reduced complexity and expense.