New billing model
Changes to the Cloud Avenue Backup Pricing Model
In brief
Starting November 1, 2026, a new pricing model applies to all offers (IaaS, VCOD,BMS,…) and all protection types (VM, BMS, Container, DB, App?…) on Cloud Avenue. November usage will be billed under this new model, with the first impacted invoice issued in December 2026.
The goal: a fairer, clearer billing model that better reflects your actual usage — in particular for policies with many backup restore points (D30, D60…), which were mechanically penalized under the previous model. This change also comes with technical adjustments to how your backups run (see below).
Why this change?
The previous model relied on a simple but theoretical logic: a D6 policy was counted as 6 full backups, a D30 as 30, a D60 as 60 — meaning the number of retention points kept was mechanically treated as that many full backups, regardless of how much data actually changed from one backup to the next. This approach was accompanied by a very aggressive storage price.
As a result, policies with many retentions points (such as D30 or D60) were penalized, even when the daily data change rate remained low — and this happened regardless of the actual retention duration covered. Conversely, a monthly policy such as M12, which only keeps 12 points over 12 months, was actually favored by the previous model despite covering a retention period equal to or longer than a D30.
To offer you a fairer billing model that’s closer to your actual consumption, we are evolving our collection methods to account for the real changes between two backups. Increments will be billed based on actual data, relative to the most recent backup.
What changes in practice
| Previous model | New model | |
| Calculation basis | Number of retention points in the applied policy | Actual protected volume + actual data transferred |
| Predictability | Very predictable for quoting | Closer to actual usage |
| Policies with many points (D30/D60) | Mechanically penalized, regardless of actual duration covered | Based on actual data transferred, not automatically penalized |
| Fairness across profiles | Similar price for very different backend impacts | Better correlation between actual impact and billing |
The covered scope does not change: local backup remains included by default, remote backup remains optional. The tools and console you use stay the same — only the billing logic evolves.
How the new price is calculated
Billing is based on two components:
1. Protected storage
This is the maximum size of all restorable images at any given point during the month — in other words, the maximum volume you could restore if you needed to. This value determines the base per-VM rate (see pricing grid below).
2. Image storage
This reflects your actual backup usage over the month. It corresponds to: – the maximum protected storage of the month, counted once, – plus the sum of the data actually transferred between each backup (the changes from one restore point to the next).
A pro-rata is applied: a backup image that was only active for a few days during the month is only counted for those days, not for the full month.
Important: the type of backup you configure (full or incremental) has no impact on the amount billed. What’s counted is the volume of data actually transferred — a backup configured as “Full” and one configured as “Incremental” on the same data produce the same billed amount, because it’s the actual change between two points that counts, not the backup’s label.
In short: the less your data changes between backups, the less your billed image storage grows — regardless of how many retention points your policy keeps.
3. Restoration price
The restoration is still free of charge.
Technical impact on how your backups run
This new model comes with two technical changes that directly affect what you’ll see in the console and the schedule on which your backups run.
In the multi-tenant portal (NSS)
The “Size” column will now show the volume of data actually transferred from your protected environment to the backup infrastructure (whether the backup is full or incremental) — rather than the total image size. This is the same value that underlies the billed image storage calculation described above.
In the backup policy schedule
Monthly policies (e.g. M3, XM3…)
Each monthly policy will now run twice a month instead of once: – 1st Monday of the month: Synthetic Full Backup – 1st Tuesday of the month: Traditional Full Backup
Daily policies (e.g. D6, XD6…)
The 1st Tuesday of the month will now be excluded from all daily policy runs, as this day is reserved for the monthly traditional full backup. Exception: D7, XD7, WOD7, and XWOD7 policies continue to run without interruption, including on that day.
New schedule summary
In practice, a standard daily policy will now run every day of the month, except: – every Sunday (reserved for weekly backups), – the 1st Monday and 1st Tuesday of the month (reserved for monthly backups).
Pricing grid
Protected storage (per-VM rate):
| VM size | Price |
| ≤ 50 GB | €4.60 / VM / month |
| > 50 GB | €8.70 per 500 GB increment / VM / month |
Examples: €4.60 for a 48 GB VM — €8.70 for a 100 GB VM — €17.40 for a 700 GB VM.
Image storage:
| Type | Price |
| Local backup | €24 / TB / month |
| Remote backup | €27 / TB / month |
Remote backup is always paired with local backup: the choice is between “local only” and “local + remote”.
What does this mean for you?
The effect mainly depends on how much of your data actually changes between backups — not on the number of retention points configured as such:
| Your profile | Potential effect |
| Low data change rate | Bill potentially lower |
| Average data change rate | Bill potentially stable |
| High data change rate | Bill potentially higher |
| Many retention points + low data change rate (e.g. D30, D60) | Most favorable case |
Key dates
| Date | Event |
| November 1, 2026 | Usage measurement under the new model begins |
| November 30, 2026 | End of the reference usage period |
| December 2026 | First invoice reflecting the new model |
Think your bill might go up?
If your usage profile suggests an increase, several optimization options are available: – Review your retention policies and adjust the number of points kept to match your actual needs – Review your protected scope (which VMs, local vs. remote backup) – Our teams can help you review this to balance cost, resilience, and business needs
Frequently asked questions
Does the backup tool or console change? The console stays the same. The “Size” column in the NSS portal changes in meaning (see above), and the schedule for monthly and daily policies is adjusted.
What’s included in the standard rate? Local backup. Remote backup remains a separately billed option.
What is “protected storage”? It’s the maximum volume of data covered by the backup service at any given point during the month.
Does a backup configured as “incremental” cost less than one configured as “full”? No. The billed amount depends only on the volume of data actually transferred, not on the backup’s label (full or incremental). On the same data, both configurations produce the same billed amount.
Will all customers pay less? No. Customers whose data changes little are favored; more intensive usage may see their bill increase.
Are policies with many retention points (D30, D60) still penalized? No — that’s precisely one of the goals of the new model: no longer mechanically penalizing these policies when the data change rate stays low, regardless of the number of points kept.
Why do my monthly policies now run twice a month? This allows a synthetic full backup to be generated on the 1st Monday and a traditional full backup on the 1st Tuesday, contributing to a more reliable measurement of the actual volume transferred.
Where can I ask questions or get a personalized estimate? Contact your usual commercial interface.
Last updated: 27/08/2026 — This article will be completed as the new model is rolled out.