Explanations on billing and applicable discounts for M365 backup powered by Veeam
Description
This article will help you to understand how billing works for M365 backup powered by Veeam and how to get the best discounts.
Definitions
Quota: The number of users you have set in the Cumulus account management portal.
Included M365 users : All M365 users that are not set as members of the security group named “ExcludedUsersForM365BackupPoweredByVeeam“. Please review this Microsoft article for guidance on managing group membership in Azure AD.
Overusage : number of Included M365 users over your Quota.
Underusage : number of Included M365 users under your Quota.
Important Notes
Licensed users may take up to sixty (60) days to adjust when users are added to the group named “ExcludedUsersForM365BackupPoweredByVeeam” post backups execution.
M365 backup powered by Veeam includes Shared, resource, group and public folder mailboxes in backups and such mailboxes will not be consided as licensed users if such mailboxes do not have a Microsoft 365 license assigned. In some cases, shared mailboxes require a Microsoft 365 license (therefore counting as Included M365 users). Please review this Microsoft article for details.
Avoid including distribution lists to the group named “ExcludedUsersForM365BackupPoweredByVeeam”. All members of these lists would be excluded from backups.
Some limitations apply on backup exclusions. Please see this online article for details on limitations.
Backup retention levels cannot be combined. When a retention level is chosen through the account management portal Cumulus, that retention level applies to Included M365 users.
Billing
Your price per unit is based on your Quota, you get additional discounts (see below) when reaching certain Quota thresholds.
The amount invoiced will be your price per unit multiplied by the added values of your Quota and Overusage. For example, a Quota of 100, and an actual backed up users count of 110, would result in getting invoiced a total of 110 users at your current unit price.
Included M365 users exceeding your Quota will be reflected as “M365 backups powered by Veeam – Additional Users” on your invoice.
There is no credit granted for Underusage. For example, for a Quota of 100 and actual users backed up count of 90, you would be invoiced 100 users at your current unit price.