Hello,
the annual cost for Alfresco Enterprise is NOT a license, but the fee for the support services of Alfresco that is made available to you. The subscription that this cost is attached to is an annual contract, meaning that by default it runs the duration of one year and is then either renewed or cancelled.
Keep in mind that - apart from some very specialised / enterprisey features - the Community and Enterprise versions are the same piece of code. The major benefit you get from an Enterprise subscription is the support and quality assurance. So the main question shouldn't be if you want to pay for the software, but wether you need the enterprise features (cloud synch, XAM connector), support services or stability the dedicated QA-process brings, and are willing / satisfied by the service delivery to pay for that / renew for another year.
If you're seriously considering Enterprise, I'd advise you to contact your regional Alfresco Sales Manager to discuss your requirements and expectations.
If the annual subscription cost is a no-go for you, then you've already made your decision in favor of Community.
Regards
Axel
