Microsoft adjusts SQL Azure pricing
From Mary Jo Foley:
Microsoft is raising the storage ceiling for SQL Azure to 50 GB (for the Business Edition of its SQL Azure service), as of June 28.
The Web edition also get a higher 5 GB ceiling, starting June 28. The business edition will be billed at 10 GB increments, and the Web edition at the 1 GB rate for databases below 1 GB of total data, or at the 5 GB rate for databases between 1 GB and 5 GB, the Softies said.
“Even though both editions can now support larger ceiling sizes (web up to 5GB and business up to 50GB), you will be billed based on the peak db size in a day rolled up to the next billing increment,” explained Microsoft officials via a blog post.
The new SQL Azure pricing rate chart looks like this:
Web Edition:
Up to 1 GB relational database = $9.99 / month
Up to 5 GB relational database = $49.95 / month
Business Edition:
Up to 10 GB relational database = $99.99 / month
Up to 20 GB relational database = $199.98 / month
Up to 30 GB relational database = $299.97 / month
Up to 40 GB relational database = $399.96 / month
Up to 50 GB relational database = $499.95 / month
Data transfers = $0.10 in/GB /$0.15 out/GB ($0.30 in/GB $0.45 out/GB in Asia)
* No charge for inbound data transfers during off-peak times through October 31, 2010
“The new SQL Azure pricing is very significant,” said Microsoft cloud expert Roger Jennings, even though “prices for basic 1 GB Web and 10 GB Business databases didn’t change.”
Jennings noted that a number of TechEd attendees considered 50 GB to be still too small for enterprises, “but I wonder if IT depts are ready to pay $9,950/month for a terabyte (assuming linear pricing),” he said.
