Datto Cloud Retention: You’ve Got Options

Datto’s cloud data retention pricing has evolved over the past few years. Today, we offer three pricing options, allowing users to tailor service to meet specific retention needs and fit their budget. The options are called: Capacity-Based Storage; Time-Based Retention; and Infinite Cloud Retention, which are detailed below. I also spoke with Jordi Tejero, owner of CRS Technology Consultants, a Florida-based Datto partner, to get his thoughts on use cases for each.

Capacity-Based Storage

In this model, pricing is based upon the storage capacity provisioned to a customer. This is the classing billing model for cloud backup and has been around since the beginning of online backup. By definition, Capacity Based Storage has a capacity limit, which requires users to actively manage their data to avoid exceeding the provisioned storage capacity.

According to Tejero, this can be a challenge. “We had to be the police for many years, with an online backup we performed ourselves,” he said. “It was a headache at best, and a nightmare most of the time.”

He’s not alone in that opinion; many of our partners have switched to one of Datto’s newer pricing models. However, some prefer the traditional billing approach, so we provide the option. Proponents of Capacity Based Storage say that it works well in situations where a backup is well defined and relatively static.

Time-Based Retention

Time-Based Retention, which Datto has offered since 2013, eliminates the capacity thresholds and allows users to store unlimited amounts of data in the Datto Cloud for a rolling twelve-month period. This model was quickly embraced by our partners as the preferred method for provisioning backup storage capacity, because it does not require users to worry about their backup intervals and how much data was being stored in the cloud.

“This is every client for us. With one-year, three-year, and seven-year contracts, plus options for extending retention by exporting data, we can cover most clients’ compliance needs,” said Tejero. “We do not even discuss capacity based, it is all time based. It’s much easier for the client to understand.”

“It also keeps our management costs much lower, and we don’t have to engage in cost conversations out of band with our clients,” he said. In other words, doesn’t have to discuss price increases with clients as their backup data set grows.

Infinite Cloud Retention

Earlier this year, Datto introduced a third pricing option. Infinite Cloud Retention allows a customer to store an unlimited amount of data in the Datto Cloud with no time restriction—users maintain access to backup copies of all their data stored in the Datto Cloud as long as they choose.

For companies that are subject to extended retention requirements, this pricing model can simplify management. Datto partners that focus on highly regulated vertical industries are likely to benefit most from Infinite Cloud Retention.

“Tax accountants are at 10 years on some stuff, and the rules are changing and putting more legal responsibility on them,” said Tejero. “For some companies, it’s just easier to keep everything for all time.”