An approach is provided for an information handling system to scale a workload being executed in a cloud computing environment. In the approach, performance of the workload is analyzed by using more than one resource configuration. The resource configurations use different resources that are available in the cloud computing environment. The analysis of the workload results in test results. At least one of the resource configurations is directed to a scaling up of resources that alters resources assigned to a first virtual machine (VM) running the workload. Another resource configuration is directed to a scaling out of resources that adds one or more VMs to a second VM creating a number of VMs running the workload. The test results are compared and an optimal test result is selected. A workload scaling profile is optimized according to the selected optimal test result.