Pega Cloud is the managed service in which Pegasystems runs Pega software on behalf of a client. The documentation describes it as a fully managed platform that runs Pega software in an as-a-service model, with global and regional support for 24/7 operations, security and monitoring.[1] For licence management the important point is that a Pega Cloud subscription combines software entitlements with infrastructure allocations. The software metrics are covered in the licence compliance article. This article covers the infrastructure side: environments and storage.
Editions
Subscription options
Pega says it offers a range of subscription options that vary in available environments and storage capacity, and which can be adjusted as needed with the help of the Pega team.[1] During the sales cycle the Pega Cloud team works with the client to determine appropriate business metrics, which it uses to configure data management, security, system availability, network integrations and backup.[1] After the initial subscription agreement is signed, the team provisions the environments based on the client’s contracted entitlements.[1]
Standard Production Services package
The Standard Production Services package provides entitlements for Pega Cloud and includes:
- client cloud services in a single geographic region;
- one production environment, isolating core processing and data and built to support the licensed Pega Platform, applications, business metrics and services in the contract;
- one Standard Sandbox and one Large Sandbox;
- 500 GB of Cloud File Storage, allocated per customer account and shared across all environments; and
- 100 GB of Cloud Data Storage.[1]
Standard Dev/Test package
The Standard Dev/Test package supports additional development and testing in a single region, with two Standard Sandboxes or, by request, one Large Sandbox. The documentation notes that software licences are not included with this package.[1] A client that adds Dev/Test environments therefore still needs the licences, in its contract, that cover the people and processing that use them.
Additional services
Additional services beyond the standard subscriptions can be quoted separately: private connectivity, encryption of data in transit within the client environment, in-region client support and specific industry compliance such as FedRAMP. Secure File Transfer (SFTP) is listed as requiring no additional fee.[1] The HIPAA/HITECH Edition is the route for protected health information: the client must not include PHI in a Production Environment unless it uses Pega Cloud HIPAA/HITECH Edition.[2] Clients that subscribe to the Pega European Union Service Boundary must implement Bring Your Own Key application-level encryption for sensitive data fields.[2]
Metrics
Environments
An environment is the unit of provisioning. The documentation describes three standard types, Development on a Standard Sandbox, Staging on a Large Sandbox and Production, and two optional ones.[1] The Standard Sandbox is scaled to support the current licensed Pega products for up to 15 regular developers, testers or users, with 50 GB of Cloud Data Storage and no Cloud File Storage, and the Large Sandbox supports up to 45 regular developers and testers with 100 GB of Cloud Data Storage and no Cloud File Storage.[1] Neither is recommended for live data, production services or performance testing at load.[1]
The optional environments are priced separately:
- A Production Mirror Sandbox gives an architectural replica of production for staging, scale benchmark testing and load testing. It is available for an additional fee and includes support for one data refresh per month.[1]
- A Business Operations Environment is for Pega Customer Decision Hub clients and simulates offers using the most recent 20% of history. It is part of the Strategy Optimizer bundle, an optional purchase shown on the order schedule, and data refresh from production is limited by the licensed batch or bulk decisioning capacity in the production order schedule.[1]
Storage types
Pega Cloud has three storage types. Cloud Data Storage is an integrated database managed by the Pega application for business and process data and rules data; for Pega Marketing and Pega Customer Decision Hub it holds Interaction History. Cloud File Storage is a repository for features such as archive and purge, large attachments and file transfer. Decision Data Storage is a separate datastore for the Adaptive Decision Manager module, included for clients purchasing applications that use Pega Customer Decision Hub.[1] Expanded Cloud Data Storage and Cloud File Storage can be added as needed, and additional fees apply.[1]
Counting / floors
The storage floors are the allocations above. The ceiling is managed by an automatic mechanism described in the storage documentation. Pega monitors Cloud Data Storage usage and notifies the client when it approaches thresholds. At 75 percent Pega notifies the client to take immediate action such as archiving and purging data. At 90 percent of the allotted capacity Pega automatically adds data storage to avoid the problems of reaching 100 percent. If the level increases because consumption limits are reached, the new level becomes the new standard Cloud Data Storage entitlement, and Pega bills for the increased storage.[3]
Two practical consequences follow. First, the increase is not temporary: it replaces the entitlement. The documentation warns that routines used to reduce storage can themselves temporarily push usage over 90 percent, so a client that is too close to the threshold may trigger a chargeable increase while trying to reduce consumption.[3] Second, the client carries the duty to manage volume: its responsibilities include keeping storage at or under the contracted level through archiving, purging or purchasing additional blocks of the type of storage needed.[2]
Pega recommends archiving to Cloud File Storage, which is included in the subscription and described as a more suitable solution for long-term data than Cloud Data Storage. It recommends case archiving and purge features and advises against deleting data directly from the database. It also recommends reviewing storage in My Pega Cloud, which accounts for temporary files, database logs and other data needed to run the database.[3]
Virtualization & partitioning
Pega Cloud partitions work by environment rather than by processor or virtual machine. Production is the scaled environment that supports the production deployment of the licensed Pega Platform, applications and licensed entitlements.[1] The client is responsible for ensuring that production data is present only within production environments and that data in lower environments is sample data that does not contain PHI, personally identifiable information or other confidential information.[1] If the client chooses to move private data to non-production environments, its responsibilities include mindfulness of security best practices.[2] From a licensing standpoint, a copy of production data in a sandbox is an operational and compliance issue; whether it is also a licensing issue depends on the contract.
Cloud / BYOL
Pega Infinity 26 is available through Pega Cloud or in a client’s managed cloud.[4] The Pega Cloud documentation describes a bring-your-own-licence style boundary only indirectly: Dev/Test packages do not include software licences, which implies that the software entitlement is contracted separately from the infrastructure package.[1] On leaving Pega Cloud, clients have the option to bring their Pega applications in-house and operate on a client-managed cloud environment.[5]
Programs
The storage threshold and automatic increase is the main consumption mechanism, summarised as a programme row. Client data responsibilities add that clients must notify Pega of specific data domiciling or regulatory requirements, such as U.S. or EU-only data storage or Business Associate Agreements, are responsible for the accuracy, integrity and legality of their content, and must comply with the Pega Cloud Acceptable Use Policy.[2] Pega also stores names and email addresses for named contacts who may contact Pega Support, and clients with regional restrictions may register anonymous contacts.[2] Service level and end-of-term terms are covered in the support and subscription term article.
Out of scope
Prices per GB, the order schedule, deployment regions and the amounts of additional storage a client has bought are not public. The storage thresholds describe standard behaviour and could be changed by contract.