A Detailed Analysis of Salesforce File Storage Cost and its Solutions
Picture this: Your Salesforce instance is running smoothly, sales teams are collaborating effortlessly, and customer interactions are being logged without a hitch. But then—boom! A notification pops up – Storage Limit Reached. Now, you’re faced with a dilemma: either pay hefty fees for additional storage or scramble to delete files. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Salesforce file storage cost is one of the critical challenges for organizations using the CRM for their operations. Salesforce is an incredible platform, but storage costs can creep up on businesses, turning into a silent budget drainer. You might be getting the best outcome in managing customer details through Salesforce, but in a highly likely scenario, you might also be spending an unexpected amount of money on it. Let’s break down how Salesforce file storage costs work, what’s eating up your space, and how you can cut costs without compromising data access. How Much Does Salesforce File Storage Cost? Salesforce provides a default file storage limit that varies by edition. For Professional, Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions, the base allocation is 10 GB per organization. The Essentials Edition, however, is allocated 1 GB of file storage per org. If your organization exceeds these limits, additional file storage can be purchased at $5 per GB per month. While this Salesforce file storage pricing may seem manageable initially, continuous uploading of files—such as contracts, images, emails, and reports—can quickly escalate storage needs and associated costs, potentially diverting funds from more strategic business initiatives Salesforce File Storage Calculation Understanding how storage is calculated is the first step to managing it effectively. Salesforce storage costs depend on the type and volume of data stored. This means organizations must frequently evaluate their file storage usage to prevent unnecessary expenses. Organizations can calculate these costs using the following steps: Check Storage Usage: Navigate to Setup > Storage Usage in Salesforce to see how much space is consumed by files, records, and Big Objects. Identify High-Storage Objects: Evaluate which files, attachments, and records are consuming the most space. Calculate Additional Storage Costs: If usage exceeds the default limit, multiply the extra storage needed (in GB) by Salesforce’s additional storage cost ($5 per GB per month). Assess Growth Rate: Estimate future file storage needs based on historical growth trends. Implement Cost-Effective Strategies: Consider external storage solutions like XfilesPro to avoid excessive Salesforce storage fees. On-Demand Webinar The Art Of Managing Salesforce File Storage Cost Effectively Get the Webinar! Hidden Costs of Using Salesforce While the upfront costs of Salesforce storage are clear, there are several hidden expenses that organizations often overlook: Salesforce data & file storage limits Salesforce storage costs can escalate quickly. Data storage is 10 GB plus 20 MB per user, while file storage varies by edition. Extra storage costs $125/month per 500 MB (data) and $5/month per GB (files). Salesforce service & support costs A paid Premier Success Plan exists where Salesforce offers 24/7 assistance, faster 1-hour responses, & access to an expanded Salesforce training course for an additional 20% of the license list price in case of Professional & Enterprise editions. Salesforce CRM access via mobile devices Salesforce users can choose to avail the complete & upgraded version of Salesforce Mobile. It is free for customers of the Salesforce Unlimited edition, but comes at a price of an additional $50 per user per month for the users of Professional & Enterprise editions. API call limits Users are advised to exercise due diligence when using their API calls. In case they go over their daily API call limit (15,000+ per organization per day), they are left with two options: either purchase additional user licenses or upgrade all existing users to the most expensive Salesforce Performance edition. Offline access A Salesforce native service called ‘briefcase’ offers both online and offline versions of the CRM services, though it still has several limitations like lack of cases, forecast & reports. For Salesforce customers with the Enterprise & Unlimited plans, briefcase is available free of charge. For users with the Salesforce Professional edition, it comes at an additional price of $25 per user per month. Types of Salesforce Storage and Their Functions Salesforce organizes storage into three primary categories, each impacting costs differently: File Storage File storage in Salesforce is used to store attachments, images, documents, and any files uploaded by users. This is one of the biggest contributors to storage consumption, especially for industries that manage a high volume of contracts, PDFs, media files, and reports. Since file storage has a fixed limit based on edition, exceeding this can lead to additional costs unless files are archived or stored externally. Get the detailed Salesforce File Storage Guide Data Storage Data storage refers to the storage space occupied by Salesforce records, including standard and custom objects. This includes customer data, transactional records, and any structured data within Salesforce. Objects such as Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, and Cases consume data storage. Businesses with high transactional volume need to monitor this closely to avoid exceeding limits. Big Object Storage Big Objects are designed to store and manage massive datasets while keeping performance optimal. Unlike regular data storage, Big Objects allow organizations to maintain historical records without consuming traditional storage space. These are commonly used for long-term data retention, audit logs, and large-scale reporting. Since they are designed for scalability, they help reduce dependency on expensive standard storage limits. Manage Salesforce File Storage Cost with XfilesPro After discussing the problems, let’s look at the solutions now. Imagine having a limitless, cost-effective storage solution while still enjoying seamless access to all your files within Salesforce. That’s exactly what XfilesPro offers. Instead of paying for costly additional Salesforce storage, businesses can optimize file management using XfilesPro’s external file storage integrations. Here’s how XfilesPro helps businesses tackle Salesforce file storage costs effectively: Eliminate Additional Storage Fees: Offload files to external cloud platforms like AWS, SharePoint, Google Drive, and OneDrive, reducing reliance on costly Salesforce storage. Automatic File Archiving: Set up smart rules to automatically archive older or
Salesforce File Management Challenges And Their Solutions
Managing and retaining files is crucial to any business, big or small. Most of these organizations rely on Salesforce to handle and distribute data, and problems, such as visibility, version tracking, and collaboration are common. When small businesses experience growth, they also encounter Salesforce file management challenges that large companies are facing. Presently, there is no dynamic solution within Salesforce to resolve these issues. Hence, with the limited Salesforce storage concern, file management has become quite a task for several customers. Before making any decisions regarding your file management query, go through these challenges and their resolutions that we are sure you will face while managing your files on Salesforce. Read More: Why is XfilesPro the Most Comprehensive File Management Solution for Salesforce? Most Salesforce customers, using multi-cloud deployments, often find themselves struggling with proper management of files, especially when there’s a large volume of files in the Org. While it might not sound like a big issue in small-scale deployments (where fewer cloud solutions are involved), enterprises may have to look for robust collaboration solutions that offer visibility & control over their Salesforce files in big-scale deployments. Inadequate File Visibility & Accessibility One inherent challenge faced by Salesforce users having a large volume of files & documents in the primary file storage is the lack of complete control over those files. This becomes an even greater issue if they are using a multi-cloud strategy because then synchronization between storage systems in different cloud platforms becomes difficult. In large-scale environments, multi-cloud setups can lead to scattered file storage and data silos. Without a unified system, users have trouble finding, accessing, and sharing files in Salesforce. This lack of centralized control diminishes file visibility and forces organizations to invest extra resources in maintaining synchronization. Problems with File Collaboration For most enterprises using the Salesforce cloud platform to run their business, the primary goal is to utilize its collaboration feature to enable their users (both internal & community users) to share, edit, & view files & documents in real-time. Even though Salesforce was designed as a collaborative platform, the collaboration services it offers are limited. Version control can become a significant challenge when collaboration within teams is lacking. Without proper communication, people might end up working on different versions of the same file, leading to confusion and mistakes. Someone might miss important changes, or worse, two, people could unknowingly make edits to outdated versions. Reduced Document Processing Speed In this era of rapid digital transformation, enterprises deal with various documents on a daily basis, be it invoice quotes, contracts, healthcare records, purchase orders, legal documents, PDF files, invoices, & much more. Typically these documents go through the activity of document processing (scanning documents, extracting data, validating it, making corrections, & manually updating the relevant fields) before being loaded into Salesforce as attachments & being integrated into day-to-day business operations. But when the organization deals with a large volume of files & documents, the speed of document processing is reduced drastically as it requires a lot of human resources & is a time-consuming task. How XfilesPro can help XfilesPro has been a top choice for enterprises struggling with the seamless management of files & documents in their Salesforce system. This file management & external collaboration application is designed especially for Salesforce & aims to help users resolve any & all challenges they may have. Leveraging the app, users can easily migrate their important files from Salesforce to their preferred external cloud storage (SharePoint, AWS S3, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc). Even when the files no longer reside in the Salesforce file storage, file accessibility & visibility are not the least bit affected. Users can easily view, access, download, & edit the files anytime they require. The application supports seamless collaboration between the storage systems & performs well in a multi-cloud environment also as it brings together files stored in different platforms to store them in the chosen external storage. Check out the product datasheet for more details. XfilesPro’s latest update to DocuPrime is set to streamline the entire document lifecycle management process. From template creation and automated data filling to review & approval, and e-signatures, everything can now be handled within a single platform. With XfilesPro, you can effortlessly create, store, collaborate, and share documents on one platform. The app optimizes file storage, simplifies document generation, and increases ROI by 3X. Plus, our passionate tech team is always here for you, ready to turn your questions into solutions and ensure every interaction feels seamless and supportive. To understand how XfilesPro can help you overcome the challenges we explained above or any other particular challenge you may have, please get in touch with our experts. You can also schedule a quick demo with us to see the app in action. FAQs What is the alternative to Salesforce file storage? An alternative to Salesforce file storage is XfilesPro. It integrates seamlessly with external cloud storage solutions like SharePoint, Google Drive, or Amazon S3, allowing businesses to offload large files. You can reduce Salesforce storage costs, manage files efficiently, and enjoy better collaboration. What is the cost of Salesforce file storage? Salesforce file storage can be expensive, with additional storage costing approximately $5 per GB per month. Why are Salesforce file storage costs so high? Salesforce offers limited file storage with its plans, and purchasing extra storage space can become costly. This pricing model is designed for businesses with smaller storage needs, but it can pose challenges for growing organizations. AMARLAL
