Starting June 1, 2024, the multi-account management feature is free of charge for all Cloud Firewall subscription editions — Premium, Enterprise, and Ultimate. This change reduces the barrier for enterprises that manage multiple Alibaba Cloud accounts and want to run centralized security operations from a single Cloud Firewall management account.
Effective date
June 1, 2024.
What changed
Before June 1, 2024, the multi-account management feature was a billable add-on. Each edition included a default quota of 1. To manage additional accounts, you had to purchase extra quota at the following rates:
| Edition | Default quota | Additional quota range | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Edition | 1 | 1–20 | USD 390/account-month (≤10 additional accounts); USD 310/account-month (>10 additional accounts) |
| Enterprise Edition | 1 | 1–50 | — |
| Ultimate Edition | 1 | 1–1,000 | — |
Starting June 1, 2024, all three subscription editions include the multi-account management feature at no charge, within each edition's maximum quota range.
Cost savings example
An enterprise manages 10 Alibaba Cloud accounts using Cloud Firewall (subscription) with the multi-account management feature enabled. The enterprise designated one account as the management account and nine as members, using the default free quota of 1 and purchasing an additional quota of 8.
Before: 8 additional accounts × USD 390/account-month × 12 months = USD 37,440/year
After: USD 0. The enterprise can manage all nine member accounts for free, saving USD 37,440 per year.
What you need to do
New users
No action required. When you purchase Cloud Firewall (subscription), the multi-account management feature is included at no extra cost.
Existing users who did not purchase additional quota
No action required. You can continue using the feature at no charge and obtain more free quota.
Existing users who purchased additional quota
Decrease your quota for the multi-account management feature to 1 in the Cloud Firewall console on or after June 1, 2024. The system automatically refunds the remaining prepaid amount.
If you have auto-renewal enabled, decrease the quota before your subscription renews. After you decrease the quota, the system automatically returns the paid amount.
For step-by-step instructions, see Upgrade and downgrade Cloud Firewall and Renewal.
FAQ
Is the refund automatic, or do I need to submit a request?
The refund is automatic. Once you decrease the quota to 1 in the Cloud Firewall console, the system calculates the remaining prepaid amount and returns it with no manual request required.
Does this change affect the maximum quota for each edition?
No. The per-edition maximum quota ranges remain the same: 1–20 for Premium Edition, 1–50 for Enterprise Edition, and 1–1,000 for Ultimate Edition. The change is that you no longer pay for quota within those ranges.
Related topics
If you have questions, submit a ticket.