Definition
Storage costs include GB-month storage, request operations, replication, backups, and supporting infrastructure overhead.
Why it matters
Storage costs can look cheap at list price but become material once requests, replication, and p90 usage are included.
Pricing implications
Separate storage and access fees, use tiers to match marginal costs, and include a base fee for fixed overhead.
Common components
GB-month, API requests, replication, backup snapshots, metadata, monitoring, and support time.
Measurement tips
Model costs by region and class of storage, and track cache hit rates to reduce expensive retrievals.
Checklist
- Define the billable unit (GB-month, GB-day).
- Include request and retrieval fees in the model.
- Add replication and backup multipliers.
- Apply blended provider rates, not list prices.
- Account for p90 usage profiles.
- Revisit costs after scale changes.
- Keep cost assumptions documented.
- Align pricing tiers with cost steps.