Storage as a service compared: Dell APEX, NetApp Keystone, Everpure Evergreen and HPE
Every major storage vendor now offers a way to pay for storage as a subscription instead of buying an array outright. The programmes look similar in a brochure and behave very differently in a contract. This guide sets out how Dell APEX, NetApp Keystone, Everpure Evergreen and HPE’s programme actually work, what each commits you to, what is guaranteed, and how to decide whether paying as a service beats owning. C4C partners with Dell, NetApp and HPE, disclosed up front.
C4C is an independent technology consultancy that partners with Dell Technologies, NetApp, HPE and VAST Data, and is tied to none of them. We have no partnership with Everpure. We model consumption against ownership on the same basis, negotiate the terms, and implement the result. Nick Watson and Paul Smith each spent over a decade at EMC selling enterprise arrays to finance, banking and telcos, so we know how these agreements are built. Talk to us about your options.
Storage as a service comes in three shapes: pay for committed capacity plus metered growth, own the hardware and subscribe to upgrades and guarantees, or a mix of the two. NetApp Keystone and Everpure Evergreen//One are committed plus burst models. Dell Flex on Demand meters usage with billing capped at 85 percent of installed capacity. Evergreen//Forever and HPE’s programme let you own the array and get controller refreshes on renewal. None is cheaper by default. The answer comes from modelling your real growth against ownership over the same term, and from the detail in the commitment, burst pricing, end of term and guarantees.
What is storage as a service?
Storage as a service, often shortened to STaaS, turns enterprise storage into a subscription. Instead of buying an array and its support up front, you pay a recurring charge, usually linked to capacity, while the vendor carries more of the risk of sizing, refresh and running the hardware. In practice the programmes fall into three shapes.
- Committed capacity plus metered growth. You commit to a level of capacity and pay for it every period, then pay for usage above it. NetApp Keystone and Everpure Evergreen//One work this way, and Dell Flex on Demand meters usage against installed capacity.
- Owned hardware with an evergreen subscription. You buy the array, then subscribe to software, support and controller upgrades on renewal, so the system is modernised without a forklift replacement. Everpure Evergreen//Forever and HPE’s controller refresh programme are examples.
- Hybrids. You own the hardware but pay for part of the capacity as you use it. Everpure Evergreen//Flex is the clearest example.
How does Dell APEX work?
Dell’s consumption offer for storage is Flex on Demand, part of APEX. Dell describes it as offering “capped monthly billing at 85% of total installed capacity”, available “with Dell Flex on Demand for Storage, Data Protection, and VxRail”. It also states that dark sites, non metered deployments and customers not complying with their contract terms are not eligible. Source: Dell, Flex on Demand. Dell’s APEX subscription terms set the rest: the monthly commitment is payable even if actual usage is lower, and at the end of the term you migrate and erase your data and make the equipment available for collection within seven days, with fees continuing until that happens (Dell, November 2024). Confirm the term length in the proposal.
Alongside the payment model, Dell’s Future Proof Program sets out guarantees, including data reduction ratios of 6:1 for PowerStore Gen 3, 5:1 for PowerStore Gen 2 and PowerMax, 2:1 for PowerFlex and PowerScale, and 55:1 for PowerProtect cyber recovery storage, a three year product satisfaction guarantee, up to $10 million of recovery expense support for qualifying cyber events on PowerProtect, and non disruptive modernisation. Source: Dell, Future Proof Program. Our guide to data reduction and effective capacity explains how to hold any vendor to a ratio. C4C is a Dell partner.
How does NetApp Keystone work?
NetApp describes Keystone as a pay as you go, subscription based service. Billing is based on committed capacity and variable burst consumption: the committed capacity is billed in full each period regardless of how much you use, priced per TiB by service tier (Extreme, Premium, Standard, Value, Object and Cloud Volumes ONTAP). By default the burst limit is 20 percent above the committed capacity, and it can be raised to 40 or 60 percent. Source: NetApp Keystone documentation.
- Minimum commitments are published by tier: 50 TiB for Extreme and Premium unified storage, 100 TiB for Standard and Value, 200 TiB for AFX, 200 or 500 TiB for object, and 4 TiB for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.
- Adding capacity: increases co term with the subscription, and are blocked in the last 90 days before expiry unless the subscription is being renewed.
- Performance: NetApp publishes a performance service level based on 90th percentile latency, with service credits of 3 percent for each calendar day it is missed. NetApp notes that SLAs and guarantees are available on a nomination basis, so confirm which apply to you.
- Ransomware Recovery Guarantee: launched in May 2023 to warrant snapshot data recovery after a ransomware attack, as reported by NetApp announcement, May 2023 and BusinessWire. Check the current terms with NetApp, as we could not confirm them from NetApp’s own pages.
C4C is a NetApp partner.
How do Everpure Evergreen//One, //Forever and //Flex work?
Everpure is the new name for Pure Storage. Its annual report states: “In February 2026, we changed our name to Everpure, Inc.” Source: Everpure annual report, filed with the SEC. Our guide to the Pure Storage rename covers what changed. Everpure runs three Evergreen programmes.
- Evergreen//One delivers the platform as a service with what Everpure describes as ten distinct guaranteed SLAs, including performance, 99.9999 percent availability, a 25 percent buffer capacity SLA relative to usage, energy efficiency, zero planned downtime, no data migration and zero data loss. Reserve commitments start at 100 TiB in 1 TiB steps, a one year commitment is available, and a cyber recovery SLA is offered as an uplift. Source: Everpure, Evergreen//One.
- Evergreen//Forever is for customers who buy the storage and keep it modern through a subscription to software and hardware upgrades. Everpure says Ever Modern delivers upgraded controllers every three years upon renewal of the subscription for another three years at no additional cost, with Ever Agile trade in credit for qualifying expansions. Source: Everpure, Evergreen//Forever.
- Evergreen//Flex combines owned Everpure hardware with a usage based subscription, with a commitment of at least 30 percent of usable capacity. Source: Everpure, Evergreen//Flex.
C4C has no partnership with Everpure, so this section is here because buyers compare against it, not because we sell it.
How does HPE’s storage programme work?
HPE’s storage programme has been reported under two names. In May 2024 Blocks and Files reported that HPE’s Timeless Program customers would qualify for a non disruptive upgrade to a next generation controller when they renew their subscription, alongside a 100 percent data availability guarantee and data efficiency guarantees. Source: Blocks and Files, May 2024. In May 2025 StorageReview reported the programme as the HPE Storage Future Ready Program for Alletra Storage MP B10000, adding zero data loss and downtime, cyber resiliency and energy consumption guarantees, alongside a data efficiency guarantee of at least 4:1 and free, non disruptive controller refresh. Source: HPE Storage Future Ready Program.
HPE GreenLake pricing basis, minimum terms and end of term terms for storage were not published on pages we could verify, so check them in any proposal. C4C is an HPE partner.
How do the programmes compare?
| What matters | Dell APEX Flex on Demand | NetApp Keystone | Everpure Evergreen | HPE programme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Metered usage, billing capped at 85 percent of installed capacity | Committed capacity billed in full plus burst, per TiB by service tier | //One: reserve commitment plus consumption. //Forever: owned plus subscription. //Flex: owned plus usage | Not published on pages we could verify |
| Commitment | Not published on Dell’s page | Minimums by tier, from 4 TiB (CVO) to 500 TiB (object) | //One reserve from 100 TiB, one year commitment available. //Flex at least 30 percent of usable capacity | Check with HPE |
| Growth headroom | Installed capacity above the billed level | Burst 20 percent above commitment by default, up to 40 or 60 percent | //One buffer capacity SLA of 25 percent relative to usage | Check with HPE |
| Refresh | Non disruptive modernisation in the Future Proof Program | Vendor owned infrastructure under the subscription | //Forever controller upgrades every three years on renewal | Controller refresh on renewal, as reported |
| Guarantees | Data reduction ratios, satisfaction guarantee, cyber recovery expense support | Performance SLO with credits; ransomware recovery guarantee launched 2023; on a nomination basis | Ten SLAs on //One, plus data loss and migration guarantees | Availability, efficiency, cyber resiliency and energy guarantees, as reported |
| What is not published | Minimum term and end of term terms | Current guarantee terms on NetApp’s own site | Rates, which are quoted per deal | Storage pricing basis and terms |
From each vendor’s own pages and documentation, plus trade press where marked, checked 12 October 2026. Programmes change, so confirm the current terms in any proposal.
How does storage as a service affect financial planning?
The main attraction is the shape of the spending. Instead of a large purchase every refresh cycle, the cost is spread across the term and linked more closely to what you use, and the vendor takes on more of the risk of over or under buying capacity. That can make budgets more predictable.
Do not assume it is an operating cost. Under IFRS 16, a contract contains a lease if it gives you control of an identified asset, such as a dedicated array the supplier has no real right to substitute (IFRS Foundation). The amended FRS 102 brings most leases onto the balance sheet for UK companies too, for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026 (ACCA). A lease on the balance sheet affects EBITDA, net debt and possibly loan covenants, so confirm the treatment with your finance team and auditors before building it into a business case.
The trade off is commitment. Committed capacity is paid for whether or not you use it, burst usage is usually priced above the committed rate, and the term ties you to one platform. Predictability comes from understanding exactly which of those apply.
What should you check before you sign?
- The committed level against your real growth. Commit too high and you pay for idle capacity. Commit too low and you live in burst pricing.
- Burst and buffer pricing. How usage above the commitment is charged, and whether the headroom is a buffer you get or burst you pay for.
- The end of the term. What happens to the hardware, your data and the price when the term ends, and how you exit if you want to move.
- Co terming and additions. How added capacity lines up with the original term, and any windows when additions are restricted.
- Every guarantee’s conditions. What triggers it, what the remedy is, whether it must be nominated, and what you must do to stay eligible. Our guide to storage SLAs and uptime guarantees covers how to read them.
- Renewal pricing. How the rate is set at renewal, because that is when leverage is lowest if you have not planned for it.
Our guide to how storage vendors price covers the wider buying picture. Talk to us before you commit.
When is owning cheaper?
Owning tends to win when capacity is predictable, the estate will be kept for its full supported life, and you have the skills to run it. In that case you are paying a subscription for risk you do not have. Storage as a service tends to win when growth is uncertain, when you want to avoid large purchases, or when the vendor carrying refresh and capacity risk is genuinely worth something to you. The only reliable way to know is to model both on the same basis over the same period, including support, refresh and the cost of moving at the end. Our Dell vs NetApp vs Pure comparison covers the platforms themselves.
Weighing storage as a service against owning?
We model the consumption offers against ownership on the same basis, test the commitment against your real growth, and negotiate the terms. Partnered with Dell, NetApp and HPE, tied to none.
Prefer email? Reach us directly at hello@c4cgroup.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
What is storage as a service?
Storage as a service is enterprise storage paid for as a subscription rather than bought outright. You typically commit to a level of capacity, pay a rate per TiB, and pay extra for anything used above the commitment, while the vendor owns, monitors and refreshes the hardware. Some programmes instead let you own the hardware and subscribe to upgrades and guarantees, and some mix the two.
How does Dell APEX compare with NetApp Keystone?
Both meter usage against a committed level. Dell says Flex on Demand caps monthly billing at 85 percent of total installed capacity, for storage, data protection and VxRail. NetApp Keystone bills committed capacity in full every period, plus burst usage above it, by service tier at a rate per TiB, with burst set at 20 percent above commitment by default. The right one depends on your growth pattern and which platform fits the workload.
What is Evergreen//One?
Evergreen//One is the storage as a service programme from Everpure, the company formerly called Pure Storage. Everpure says it delivers its platform as a service with ten guaranteed SLAs and consumption pricing, including a 25 percent buffer capacity SLA relative to usage, with reserve commitments from 100 TiB and a one year commitment.
Is storage as a service cheaper than buying storage?
Not automatically. It suits organisations whose growth is uncertain, who want spending spread over time, or who value the vendor carrying refresh and capacity risk. Where capacity is predictable and the estate will be kept for its full life, owning is often cheaper over the term. The only reliable answer is to model both on the same basis over the same period.
Does storage as a service count as operating expenditure?
Not necessarily. If the contract gives you control of an identified asset, such as a dedicated array the supplier cannot substitute, it may contain a lease. Under IFRS 16, and under the amended FRS 102 for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, most leases go on the balance sheet. Confirm the treatment with your finance team and auditors before assuming it.
What should I check before signing a storage as a service contract?
How the committed level compares with your real growth, the price of burst above commitment, what happens at the end of the term and to your data if you leave, how added capacity co terms, the conditions behind every guarantee and whether it needs nominating, and how renewal pricing is set.
Which storage vendors does C4C partner with?
C4C partners with Dell Technologies, NetApp, HPE and VAST Data, and is tied to none of them. We have no partnership with Everpure. We compare consumption and ownership models across vendors on the same basis and tell you which fits.
Can C4C negotiate storage as a service terms?
Yes. We model the consumption offer against ownership on the same basis, test the commitment against your real growth, and negotiate the commitment, burst rates, guarantees and renewal terms. Nick Watson and Paul Smith each spent over a decade at EMC selling enterprise arrays, so we know where these agreements have room to move.