Merge pull request #311309 from khdownie/kendownie020326-2

add file sync discount for SA

Author: prmerger-automator[bot]

articles/storage/file-sync/file-sync-extension.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: Learn how to install the Azure File Sync agent for Windows on Azure
 author: khdownie
 ms.service: azure-file-storage
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 06/20/2025
+ms.date: 02/03/2026
 ms.author: kendownie
 # Customer intent: As an IT administrator, I want to learn how to install and manage the Azure File Sync agent extension on Azure Arc-enabled Windows servers.
 ---
@@ -388,3 +388,9 @@ This command will initiate the removal of the Azure File Sync agent extension. U
 ---
 
 You can verify removal by checking the **Extensions** list in the Azure portal (the extension should no longer appear), or by running the validation commands above (which should no longer find the extension). If the extension fails to uninstall, check the Azure Activity Log or the extension instance view for error details.
+
+## Discounted per-server pricing
+
+Beginning January 2026, organizations with [Software Assurance (SA)](/azure/azure-arc/servers/windows-server-management-overview) and Azure Arc-enabled servers receive fully discounted per-server Azure File Sync pricing if they are using Azure File Sync agent version 22 or later. Customers using an Azure File Sync agent older than version 22 won't receive the discount.
+
+This benefit helps customers reduce operational costs as hybrid file deployments scale.

includes/storage-file-sync-cost-categories.md

@@ -5,14 +5,15 @@
  author: khdownie
  ms.service: azure-file-storage
  ms.topic: include
- ms.date: 04/17/2022
+ ms.date: 02/03/2026
  ms.author: kendownie
  ms.custom: include file
 ---
 
 - **Capital and operational costs of Windows File Servers with one or more server endpoints.** Azure File Sync as a replication solution is agnostic of where the Windows File Servers that are synchronized with Azure Files are; they could be hosted on-premises, in an Azure virtual machine, or even in another cloud. The costs for sync servers hosted on-premises or in other cloud providers include both capital and operating costs that aren't tracked as part of your Azure bill, but are still part of the total cost of ownership of the solution. Capital expenses are the upfront hardware costs of your solution. Operating expenses are the ongoing costs of labor, electricity, etc. You should consider the amount of data you need to cache on-premises, the number of CPUs and amount of memory your Windows File Servers need to host Azure File Sync workloads, and other organization-specific costs you might have. For more information, see [recommended system resources](../articles/storage/file-sync/file-sync-planning.md#recommended-system-resources).
 
 - **Per server licensing cost for servers registered with Azure File Sync.** To use Azure File Sync with a specific Windows File Server, you must first register it with Azure File Sync's Azure resource, the Storage Sync Service. Each server that you register after the first server has a flat monthly fee. Although this fee is small, it is one component of your bill to consider. To see the current price of the server registration fee for your desired region, see [the File Sync section on Azure Files pricing page](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/storage/files/).
+    - **Discounts.** Beginning January 2026, organizations with [Software Assurance (SA)](/azure/azure-arc/servers/windows-server-management-overview) and Azure Arc-enabled servers receive fully discounted per-server Azure File Sync pricing if they are using Azure File Sync agent version 22 or later, reducing operational costs. Customers using an Azure File Sync agent older than version 22 won't receive the discount.
 
 - **Azure Files costs.** Azure File Sync consumes resources from your Azure file share. Some of these resources, like storage consumption, are relatively obvious, while others such as transaction and snapshot utilization may not be. For most customers, we recommend using HDD provisioned v2 file shares with Azure File Sync, although Azure File Sync is fully supported on all Azure Files billing models (SSD provisioned v2, SSD provisioned v1, or HDD pay-as-you-go).
     - **Storage utilization.** Azure File Sync replicates any changes you make to your server endpoint to your Azure file share causing storage to be consumed. On provisioned file shares, changes consume provisioned space, so it is your responsibility to periodically increase provisioning as needed to account for file share growth. On pay-as-you-go file shares, adding or increasing the size of existing files on server endpoints causes the used storage costs to grow because the changes are replicated.