As Microsoft Dynamics CRM team member Uma Maheswari Anbazhagan reminded us recently, Microsoft is currently offering free storage and a free non-production instance for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2013. Microsoft is doling out 2.5 GB of free storage for every 20 professional User Subscription Licenses (USL), up to a storage capacity of 50 GB. The free non-production instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2013 is granted for 25 USLs or more. Note that the free instance will use the existing storage available to the account.
A non-production instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2013 is an add-on instance that is separate from your production instance. It is not a trial instance, and so it does not expire. All users in all of your production instances are also users in all of your non-production instances, unless you restrict access using a security group.
Currently, a production instance of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2013 is priced at $549, and a non-production instance is $150, but the prices are subject to change. For more information, see the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online pricing and licensing guide. A Microsoft Office 365 administrator can purchase additional CRM Online storage or instances at any time on the Microsoft Online services portal Purchase Subscriptions page.
You can also check the number of USLs you have from the Microsoft Online Portal. If your number of USLs drops, you will lose the extra storage or the instance if you no longer qualify for it. This offer is not available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2011, but you can remedy that by upgrading to the 2013 edition.
