Microsoft Sentinel 12 month pre-purchase plans are here! $100 =100 Sentinel CUs (SCUs)
Microsoft Sentinel 12 month pre-purchase plans are here! $100 =100 Sentinel CUs (SCUs)
Save on Microsoft Sentinel costs with pre-purchase plans by buying Commit Units (CUs) at discounted rates.
Just yesterday, I was discussing with a fellow consultant the frustration of clients initiating a new Sentinel service or complex design project, only to abandon it after significant effort and strategic planning, sometimes due to cost.
Typically, once the "Build" phase begins, clients are committed to the technology for at least a year. With Microsoft’s release of the new Sentinel 1-year Pre-Purchase Plan just four days ago, I knew this would mark a pivotal shift in forward thinking decision-making for all clients going forward!
Save on Microsoft Sentinel costs with pre-purchase plans by buying Commit Units (CUs) at discounted rates. These CUs cover Microsoft Sentinel costs automatically over a one-year term, providing significant savings without needing to redeploy or assign the plan. This post explains how to determine the right size to buy, how the discounts work, and how to make the purchase.
Official Docs - Optimize costs with a pre-purchase plan - Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Learn
How to Save on Microsoft Sentinel Costs with Pre-Purchase Plans
Microsoft Sentinel, a leading cloud-based SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tool, is essential for securing your Azure environment. However, the costs can add up quickly, especially if you're handling large volumes of data. Fortunately, Microsoft now offers another way to significantly reduce these costs through pre-purchase plans.
Microsoft Sentinel Pricing | Microsoft Azure
What is a Microsoft Sentinel Pre-Purchase Plan?
A Microsoft Sentinel pre-purchase plan allows you to buy Commit Units (CUs) at discounted rates. These CUs cover the costs incurred by your Sentinel usage over a one-year term. The beauty of this plan is that you can use the pre-purchased CUs at any time during the year, and they automatically deduct from your eligible Microsoft Sentinel charges. You don't need to redeploy your plan or assign it to your workspaces manually—everything works seamlessly in the background.
Why Consider a Pre-Purchase Plan?
The main advantage of a pre-purchase plan is cost savings. By pre-buying CUs, you lock in a discounted rate for your Sentinel usage. The more CUs you buy, the higher the discount you receive.
For instance, let’s assume you have a commitment tier that generates $100,000 in Sentinel costs over five months. By purchasing a pre-purchase plan at a 22% discount for $78,000, you save $22,000 upfront. Combine that with the savings from choosing the right commitment tier—which could offer as much as a 39% reduction in pay-as-you-go pricing—and the total savings can exceed 50%.
How to Choose the Right Plan
To determine the best pre-purchase plan for your needs, follow these steps:
Estimate your Microsoft Sentinel data ingestion volume. If you have a clear idea of how much data you'll be ingesting (measured in gigabytes per day), you can choose the right commitment tier for Microsoft Sentinel. Plan costs and understand pricing and billing - Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Learn
Pick a commitment tier that matches your usage. Once you've estimated your ingestion, you can pick a commitment tier that offers savings over pay-as-you-go pricing. Plan costs and understand pricing and billing - Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Learn
Choose a pre-purchase plan that matches your budget. Microsoft allows you to choose a pre-purchase plan size that fits within your needs. These plans cover up to a full year of Microsoft Sentinel costs.
** Note when you purchase “The setting is configured to renew automatically by default.”
I don’t ingest 100GB per month? Can I still buy pre-purchase plan?
If you are a small business and do not yet use a Commitment Tier as you do not ingest more than 70GB per month (The rough breakeven / benefit point of the smallest 100GB commitment Tier) you can still buy a 1-year pre-purchase reservation.
Example of Cost Savings
Let’s break it down with an example:
You have a commitment tier for 200 GB/day of data ingestion, which costs roughly $20,000 per month.
Over five months, that’s $100,000 in retail costs.
By purchasing a pre-purchase plan at a 22% discount, you pay $78,000 instead.
You save an additional 39% by choosing the right commitment tier, combining your savings to over 50% off the original pay-as-you-go price.
How to Purchase a Microsoft Sentinel Pre-Purchase Plan
You can buy pre-purchase plans directly from the Azure Portal. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Go to Reservations in the Azure Portal.
Select Microsoft Sentinel Pre-Purchase Plan.
Choose your subscription and scope. The reservation discount applies to the resources you select—either a single resource group, subscription, or shared across eligible subscriptions.
Decide how many CUs you want to purchase.
You can choose to automatically renew the reservation to continue saving when the current term ends.
Important Considerations
Prerequisites: Ensure you have the correct Azure subscription and role (like Owner or Reservation Purchaser) to make the purchase.
No redeployment needed: Once you purchase the plan, the system automatically starts applying the CUs to your Microsoft Sentinel costs without any manual changes.
Commitment: Pre-purchase plans are non-refundable and non-transferable, so be sure to accurately estimate your needs.
Conclusion
With Microsoft Sentinel pre-purchase plans, you can save significantly on your security costs while still maintaining robust protection for your Azure environment.
By locking in discounted rates with pre-purchased Commit Units, you lower your costs automatically and avoid the hassle of reconfiguring your environment. Whether you’re managing a small or large amount of data, Microsoft Sentinel pre-purchase plans offer a smart way to control expenses and keep your cloud secure.
By planning ahead and taking advantage of commitment tiers and pre-purchase plans, organizations can reduce their Microsoft Sentinel costs by up to 50% or more, making it a valuable option for businesses looking to optimize their cloud security investment.
Others ways to save ?
Design a Log Analytics workspace architecture - Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft 365 E5 benefit offer with Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Azure
Data collection transformations - Azure Monitor | Microsoft Learn
NEW - Optimize costs with a pre-purchase plan - Microsoft Sentinel | Microsoft Learn
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