The Netskope subscription agreement, support and lifecycle terms are the contractual layer that sits above Netskope’s unit-of-measure documents. The Netskope Subscription Services Agreement (SSA), in the version updated August 19, 2024, governs the use of Netskope cloud services and any related hardware, software, implementation services and support; a customer accepts it by accessing or using the Services, and a separately signed agreement takes precedence where one exists.[1] The SSA incorporates by reference the Subscription Service Charges Document, the Support and Service Level Terms, the Hardware Terms and the Data Processing Addendum.[1] The Netskope client is additionally covered by the Software EULA, last updated in March 2023.[2] Product lifecycle is governed by the Netskope Product Life Cycle Policy for cloud services and client software, and by a separate policy for Netskope One SD-WAN.[3][4]
Editions
The SSA does not distinguish commercial editions. It distinguishes production Services from Services identified as “test” or “lab”, which may be used only for non-production purposes including pre-production staging and testing (rule),[1] and it provides for separately purchased FedRAMP Services and China Services with their own compliance obligations (FedRAMP Services, China Services).[1]
Metrics
The SSA does not define metrics itself. It limits the grant by “Subscription Units”, defined as the units and metrics published on the subscription-unit-charges page as of the Order date and fixed for the Subscription Period (rule).[1] For the units in use, see Subscription units and true-up and User.
Counting / floors
Grant and use rights
SSA s.3.1 grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and use the Services during the Subscription Period, “limited by the Subscription Units set forth in the applicable Order, only for Customer’s own use in accordance with the Documentation” (rule).[1] Every Netskope service in use must be covered by a purchased Subscription except authorised free evaluations.[1]
The customer may let its Affiliates, service providers, contractors and agents “that are not competitors of Netskope” use its Subscription as Authorized Parties, under the same limits and with the customer responsible for their actions (rule).[1] Commentary: this is broader than many vendor terms, since outsourcers can use the customer’s subscription without a separate licence, but only within the purchased Subscription Units; their users count like the customer’s own.
Restrictions
SSA s.6.2 prohibits, among other things, selling, renting, leasing or making the Services available to any third party other than Authorized Parties; creating derivative works; reverse engineering; and publicly disseminating performance information or benchmarks without Netskope’s prior written consent (rule).[1] The customer is also responsible for having all licences needed to use third-party services that the Services monitor or scan, such as Microsoft Office 365 (rule).[1]
Software
Where Netskope provides Software (the client, or software embedded on hardware), SSA s.3.2 grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to install it in object code “solely for permitted use of the Services during the Subscription Period”; software for hardware may only be installed on that hardware and may cease to function when the Services end (rule).[1] The Software EULA grants a licence “to utilize the Software solely in conjunction with the Service during the term specified in the subscription quotation”, and states that the client is distributed only as enterprise software and must be installed only with the consent of the computer’s users or within an employment agreement.[2]
Audit and usage verification
The SSA handles compliance through cooperation rather than a formal audit: the parties “cooperate in good faith to determine if Customer’s usage exceeds the number of Subscription Units purchased”, the customer must provide written information on request, and overages are invoiced under the Subscription Unit terms, directly by Netskope if it chooses (rule).[1] The Software EULA contains an explicit audit right: Netskope may inspect the licensee’s records to verify compliance, “including inspecting the console and ensuring it is at or below the licensed user count”, and the licensee must promptly pay any underpayment (rule).[2] Neither document sets a notice period, frequency limit or cost allocation. For the general practice see Software license audit.
Fees, term and termination
Subscription fees are invoiced in advance, committed for the Subscription Period and non-refundable except where the customer terminates for cause; Netskope gives no credits for unused Subscription Units (rule).[1] When buying through a Reseller, price and payment terms are set by the Reseller, but Netskope may collect directly if the Reseller is not paid and may invoice overages directly (Reseller and cloud marketplace purchases).[1]
“Subscriptions are not subject to autorenewal”, and access ends at the end of the Subscription Period unless Netskope accepts a new Order (rule).[1] The customer may stop using the Services at any time but receives no refund, and on a termination without cause remaining committed multi-year payments become due within 30 days.[1] Either party may terminate for an uncured material breach after 30 days’ notice.[1] After termination, Output is available for up to 90 days and then deleted (rule).[1]
Assignment
Neither party may assign without consent, which may not be unreasonably withheld, but either may transfer the whole agreement including all Orders to an Affiliate or to an acquirer in a merger, acquisition, reorganisation or sale of substantially all assets (rule).[1] Partial transfers, such as moving part of a subscription to a divested business, therefore need Netskope’s consent.
Changes to terms
Netskope may update the SSA, the Support Terms and the Service Charges Document by posting new versions, effective for purchases and renewals after posting.[1][5][6] Commentary: the version in force at each renewal is therefore the one to archive with the Order.
Evaluation
Services, software or hardware provided free for evaluation, proof of concept or demonstration may be used only for internal testing and evaluation for up to 30 days from first access, unless Netskope extends the period in writing (rule).[1] At the end the customer must delete the software and return hardware; Netskope may invoice the full amount of hardware not returned within 30 days and may disable access without notice.[1] Evaluations are provided as is, without the SSA warranties.[1]
Support
Support is described in the Netskope Support and Service Level Terms (version updated March 18, 2025). Basic Support is included with purchase of the Services; Premium and Premium Plus Support are provided only if purchased separately (rule).[5]
| Basic Support | Premium Support | Premium Plus Support | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | Business hours | 24/7/365 | 24/7/365 |
| Phone and off-hours support | No | Yes | Yes |
| P1 initial response | Under 2 hours during business hours | Under 30 minutes | Under 15 minutes |
| P2 initial response | 1 business day | Under 2 hours | Under 1 hour |
| P3 initial response | 2 business days | Under 8 hours | Under 4 hours |
| P4 initial response | 5 business days | Under 24 hours | Under 12 hours |
Source: Support Terms s.IV.[5] Support includes all generally available Upgrades and Updates, and the number of registered support contacts is not limited.[5] Software licences are not transferable to, and Netskope provides no support or updates for, hardware bought from anyone other than an authorised Netskope reseller (rule).[5] The same document sets service availability commitments: repeated failure to meet them gives the customer a right to terminate the affected Services with a pro-rata refund.[5]
Lifecycle
Cloud services and client software
The Netskope Product Life Cycle Policy (last updated September 20, 2024) applies to Security Cloud subscription services and client software, excluding SD-WAN.[3] Netskope uses commercially reasonable efforts to give 3 months notice before a cloud service’s End of Availability (EOA), after which it can no longer be ordered; End of Life (EOL) follows 12 months after the EOA announcement (rule).[3] Existing subscribers may renew or buy more users or capacity until EOL, and a subscription extending beyond EOL receives an upgrade path, a replacement with substantially the same functionality, or support until the end of its term without renewal.[3] Client software releases receive limited support (critical security patches and major bug fixes) for 6 months after their EOA until End of Support, and none afterwards.[3]
Netskope publishes individual notices on an EOL/EOS announcements page. Examples include the decommissioning of Classic API Data Protection on June 1, 2027 (rule), end of sale of the Kadiska digital experience monitoring SKUs, whose customers are supported until their contracts terminate (rule, Kadiska Pack (end of sale), Kadiska Starter (end of sale)), and client operating system support dates such as Windows 10 support extended to October 15, 2027.[7]
SD-WAN hardware
The Netskope One SD-WAN Life Cycle Policy (January 2026) gives 6 months notice of hardware end of sale where inventory allows, supports hardware and replacement parts for 5 years after end of sale if the cloud subscription and support have been maintained continuously, and does not allow support to lapse and be reinstated (rule).[4] The Hardware Terms separately promise one year’s notice before the last date of support for hardware.[8] SD-WAN cloud subscription services can be renewed until their EOL date after an end-of-sale announcement.[4]
Virtualization & partitioning
Not applicable to the contract terms; see the product articles for tenant pooling rules.
Cloud / BYOL
The SSA lets the customer choose configurations that store Output in the European Union or the United States; there is no bring-your-own-licence model.[1]
Programs
Evaluation Services, Reseller and cloud marketplace purchases, FedRAMP Services, China Services, the three support levels and Next Business Day Shipping are the only programs named in the public documents.[1][5][8]
Out of scope
Data protection terms (the Data Processing Addendum), implementation services and liability, indemnity and insurance clauses are not analysed here beyond their effect on licence use.