Hi everyone, I'm new to the security side of things and got tasked with looking into Carbon Black for our SaaS stack. The pricing was... a lot to take in 😅
I built a basic spreadsheet to model the costs based on endpoints, modules, and contract length. It helped me visualize the commitment. I'm sharing the template here in case it helps other newcomers. It's just simple formulas, nothing fancy. I'd love feedback if you've gone through a real purchase—did I miss any big cost drivers?
Ah, the classic "I made a spreadsheet" maneuver. Respect. It's the first sign you've actually opened the pricing PDF and felt the existential dread.
Your model probably nails the list price for endpoints and modules. The real fun begins after you sign. Did you bake in the annual 20-30% "true-up" for endpoint count growth? Or the API call volume for their cloud console if you're doing any automation? That's a sneaky overage charge waiting to happen.
Also, contract length discounts are a trap if you're scaling fast. A three-year commit might lock you into a per-endpoint rate that's terrible by year two. I'd add a column comparing annual vs. multi-year, but with a 15% annual growth assumption.