Microsoft Azure Block Storage Reviews

We integrated Commvault as the customer's backup solution, allowing us to copy the backups to their Azure infrastructure via Block Storage. In Commvault, we configured Block Storage as the destination to write the data for the backup.

The solution is easy to purchase and is a Microsoft product, making procurement straightforward. Additionally, the majority of engineers have extensive knowledge of Block Storage, meaning that if this solution is implemented in any organization, it is easy to find a support person who is well-versed in the product. Technically, this solution has a lot of features, such as deduplication, to choose from.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage can improve the configuration to be more user-friendly.

The solution's user interface can be more user-friendly.

I have been using the solution for three years.

We implemented the solution six to seven months ago, and we have not encountered many challenges. We have faced some minor operational issues, but overall it is functioning as expected.

I give the stability a nine out of ten.

I give the scalability of the solution a nine out of ten.

We have over 25,000 customers using the solution.

We will receive the necessary support for the integration and supporting aspects. Microsoft's full-time support team is always available to provide assistance with various processes.

Positive

With an Azure level of understanding, the solution is relatively straightforward to implement. However, from a technical standpoint, it is not the most straightforward to configure, and so I would rate it a seven out of ten.

We implement the solution for our clients.

Customers with an enterprise agreement typically receive Microsoft products at a discounted rate compared to other products.

The cost of procuring storage depends on the customer's license availability. If the customer has an EA agreement in their price agreement with Microsoft, they can access storage at a cheaper price. However, if they do not have the EA agreement, they will incur a higher cost.

When comparing G-Cloud and AWS to Azure, the challenge isn't necessarily from other products, but rather the customers seem to have a greater investment in Azure.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

I have used Azure Block for two or three projects. It's used to store images or videos for multi-tenant applications or a particular tenant. We recently did one project for multi-tenant products. 

Any customer registered to the website can sell their product on a small scale without a website or server. It was like a platform as a service multi-tenant product. With the site ready, they can post any images or videos to Azure Storage Block. They're creating a subscription site for each unit.

For example, if you register on that website, you can allocate the memory size based on license cost: premium, gold, etc. We allocated some memory, and you can navigate to the site whenever you're ready. We provide a unique ID and an encryption key. 

You can create several users for your subscription. For example, if you're an owner of this subscription, you can assign users a status as contributors, readers, or administrators. You can add images or videos through a Block via an administrative portal with a mobile or Angular application. That image is rendered to your website or any products they need. We can use that signature access key for authentication. We enable our product based on the site subscription ID.

There are different tiers, and you can create a container to solve this. First, we create a block and containers, then allocate images to that container. Once we make the container blocks, we get a primary and secondary access key. After you get the details, you can do the same for Azure. If you want to use your middleware, you need to add a library, so you can contribute a URL shared access key. You need to access it via UCA. You can upload via UCA binary format data or a content file. That is where we can upload any data with Block Storage.

When you access a unit to pass that Block ID, you can download it using ByteArray. You can send that ByteArray streaming data to your Angular application on mobile. They can convert any videos, images, or documents to display them on your mobile application. However, a security breach could allow a hacker to download anything for a particular user, so we recommended middleware for interacting with Azure Block Storage. 

There are different approaches. We can use it for proper container image names or containerization with a shared activity URL. We need to consider the client's mission. If a client uses Azure Key Vault, any authorized person with the shared key can access confidential data on a centralized system. Our service can access that key to connect users to Azure Block, whether on your application, Angular, or any other web application. It will not provide users credentials or a URL directly. 

Azure Block Storage lets you customize code you can use on that endpoint. If you want to write a logic for something, Azure Function can be used to deploy that application. 

We need to write code and plan for deployment. You can write a function in C# and use that server or any VM or Kubernetes container. If you want to release any APA or application with AKS, there are Kubernetes cluster master nodes. We recommend doing it manually if it's a simple POS or something. I strongly recommend using DevOps Tools Continuous Integration if you're an enterprise.

One thing that needs improvement is authentication. They need to improve the integrated Azure Active Directory for the enterprise level. For single sign-on, we can try any authentication or portal for Block Azure Function AKS. For example, if you're an administrator or user contributor, you will generate a token, then your internal middleware connects to any Azure Cloud service. You need to generate different credentials for each service. We cannot use the same token.

Some services like Azure Key Vault support a single token for access that you should be able to use for the Kubernetes site, but some services are not supported. Authentication should be centralized. My understanding is that the data on this file path is streaming. Whenever you get this data, it is converted to streaming ByteArray and Base64. The file path is another security vulnerability.

Azure Block Storage is mainly used for streaming data nowadays. Companies are moving to digital platforms. They stream data from IoT, mobile, offline sources, and other systems. There are different styles and formats, including unstructured, semi-structured, relational, and platform data, so we cannot use a single database for all requirements.

We cannot say to a client, "Sorry, I need only to support this product in JSON." If we say that, competitors will dominate us. We must be prepared to accept any kind of free input or solution from clients. Then the Block supports any semi-structured data or structured data. If you go with File Storage, queuing or messaging will support storage, and the Block will support videos or images.

I have been using Azure Block Storage for more than three years.

Azure Block Storage is scalable. It's widely used for Kubernetes for memory profiles. We recommend auto-scaling for scalable or regional models. All the Azure Blocks should be identical, with the same configuration. Each starts with a memory size too high for one Block container or another. 

That is challenging to accomplish because everything should be identical. The blocks should be identical if you want three, five, or six nodes. 

We have an internal support team that provides support to our clients. When we are designing a solution and run into something they can't handle, we open a ticket with the Microsoft team. We work closely with them. They'll give me some confirmation of whether it's feasible. 

If yes, we can update management about whether this is possible. They are charging per solution on the global partner level. Once approved, we work with Microsoft to come up with a solution, PoC, or sample code. 

Creating blocks or containers is easy. We can deploy according to a rule-based access controller policy. For example, when you are adding some documents for your owner or administrator, but somebody accesses your log or something, it prevents them from deleting or it or modifying that content because it might be sensitive. 

Creating the block itself is straightforward. Then we create a shared access policy to allow us to manage access directly. If I'm doing development, I can limit it so that we can make it read-only. That is possible, but we need to plan accordingly. 

Azure Block Storage pricing charges differently for hot and cold storage based on our business scenario. For example, data that isn't frequently accessed costs less. Data that is accessed often costs more. Storage on the cloud is cheaper.

AWS has a similar solution for S3 Bucket that will support any document images, videos, etc. They have a platform supporting authentication but a different approach. The AWS and Azure solutions are about 80 percent the same. The difference is the migration process. We can migrate our data or documents with the trickle-based or Big Ben model and access any application via their APA, their authentication model.

We cannot jump in because even Kubernetes is also on the cloud. We can plan the image, optic tree, and master node and then reuse the maximal level, but we cannot recreate that.

I rate Azure Block Storage eight out of 10.

We are using the solution for storage purposes.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is an easy-to-use solution. Storing and then retrieving data are the most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Block Storage.

The solution’s user interface could be improved.

I have been using Microsoft Azure Block Storage for three to four years.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a stable solution.

I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage a nine out of ten for stability.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a highly scalable solution. Most of our clients for Microsoft Azure Block Storage are medium and large sized businesses.

I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage an eight out of ten for scalability.

I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage a nine out of ten for the ease of its initial setup.

The solution's deployment doesn't take much time and can be done in a few minutes.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six or seven out of ten.

We are using the latest version of Microsoft Azure Block Storage.

Overall, I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage an eight out of ten.

We use the tool for static website hosting and log storage. My company also uses it to store static information, and as a backup solution to store files.

I like the product’s versioning and file share features. The file share feature is most useful when we are connecting on-premises services. Azure file share helps to migrate small data amounts from on-premises to the cloud.

I find the user interface of newer versions, particularly, the flows, not user-friendly. The UI of Azure’s initial version was very comfortable. I didn’t have to remember floor menus. I knew where I had to go to see the logs or grab configuration parameters.

I have been using the solution for four years.

The tool’s stability is fine and I would rate it a ten out of ten.

I would rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten. The product has become a common requirement for all projects. Almost all people in my company use it. There are more than 100 users for the solution in our company. We are a startup, and not a big company.

The solution’s support is very helpful. Whenever I am at a dead end or need help, I would seek the product’s support which is like an ex-colleague to me. I had had some incidents where there were outages.

Positive

The solution’s initial setup is simple and straightforward.

The tool’s deployment was done by our in-house team members.

I would rate the solution’s pricing a nine out of ten and it’s cheaper than Amazon S3.

I would rate the overall solution a nine out of ten. Azure has better usability and user experience compared to Amazon S3. Both products have similar functionality and I would say that both of them have reached saturation. S3’s storage account is also costlier compared to Azure. S3 is also complex in configuration and UI is not user-friendly like Azure.

We use Microsoft Azure Block Storage for storing files. We don't use it for anything else.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage has the same features as other solutions, but I like that its implementation process is straightforward.

The performance of Microsoft Azure Block Storage needs improvement because it's laggy. My company used it in different places, including the Microsoft browser, but it still lags.

Pricing for the product is another area for improvement.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage also has a lot of limitations on file sizes. The rendering and loading times also need improvement. Sometimes, Microsoft Azure Block Storage crashes, an issue that needs to be taken care of promptly, but Microsoft hasn't been able to do that for a very long time.

I've been using Microsoft Azure Block Storage for many years since its inception.

I didn't find Microsoft Azure Block Storage stable or secure.

I would not even think of scaling Microsoft Azure Block Storage based on its current performance.

The technical support for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is horrible. Whenever my team reaches out, Microsoft support will keep escalating the issue because of a lack of expertise, so my company ends up paying for useless technical consultations. The support team could be more knowledgeable.

We use Microsoft Azure Block Storage, but usage is limited to specific clients because it comes with very high pricing.

The initial setup for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is simple. It's more of tweaking the connection settings or connecting it to your DB.

Deploying the product took two hours.

The pricing for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is high because of MSA and SBA contracts, where Microsoft takes care of the security aspects, apart from the maintenance, and Microsoft has service level agreements with the customers. On the other hand, AWS requires you to purchase items independently, so my company only typically refers Microsoft Azure Block Storage to other clients if the client signed an MSA with Microsoft.

Both Microsoft Azure Block Storage and AWS cost hundreds of dollars. The licensing for Microsoft Azure Block Storage is yearly. How much you pay depends on the amount of storage. Microsoft will start charging you from $100 to a few hundred per month, depending on how much you're trying to store.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage has hundreds of items inside, so each item has its own cost.

We tried Google Cloud Storage, but we had a terrible experience with the product because, at the time, Google was new in the market.

I would not recommend Microsoft Azure Block Storage to others, especially if you plan to use it for business purposes, because it's laggy.

My company has several clients on Microsoft Azure Block Storage, but it's been trying to get clients off it.

I advise anyone looking into using Microsoft Azure Block Storage not to. It's best to try avoiding Microsoft Azure-related microservices. Microsoft Azure is good on the dev ops side, such as Kubernetes, but not on storage or other services because Microsoft Azure has its version of services. Still, AWS overshadows Microsoft every single time. For example, if you want to do some heavy deployment, then Microsoft Azure Kubernetes, which is more of a database cluster, is nice. The pricing is also good for Microsoft Azure Kubernetes versus AWS, which has premium pricing, but it is still trying to figure out its solution in this area. Microsoft and AWS have different packages and offerings, so it's up to you to choose wisely. Go for AWS for scalability and Microsoft for reliability and security, in the dev ops area, for example.

My  Microsoft Azure Block Storage rating is four out of ten because of its file size limitations, stability, and technical support.

The use case for Microsoft Azure Block Storage depends on the project and the users. Still, I use it for storing and extracting data, such as images, videos, and documents.

What I like best about Microsoft Azure Block Storage is the accessibility because it's very easy for me to access it. Microsoft takes the user's approach, so you don't have to take many steps before accessing the tool. As soon as you create Microsoft Azure Block Storage resources, you'll automatically find it easy to use it.

If you need to learn how to start, you'll find different resources and documentation about the tool, so this is another pro of Microsoft Azure Block Storage.

Another advantage of using the tool is that it's convenient because if you want to deploy new infrastructure, you can connect to the cloud and download the files to your new site.

I found that everything works fine in Microsoft Azure Block Storage; though it may be because I have less experience with it, I cannot give any areas for improvement.

I want to see my region added to the data center. I'm in Africa, and if a data center is specifically added under Central Africa, that will reduce data latency when accessing data. Right now, you can only find the USA, China, Europe, South Africa, and Egypt, but no Central Africa. It'll be great if Microsoft can add my region or location as a data center for Microsoft Azure Block Storage. Doing that will respect privacy, too.

I've used Microsoft Azure Block Storage for six months. It depends on the project I'm working on.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is scalable. When you use Azure File Sync, Microsoft gives you five terabytes of storage on Microsoft Azure Block Storage. You can scale by paying for a group or a big enterprise if you have a considerable amount of data.

I didn't have to contact the technical support team of Microsoft Azure Block Storage because I had all that I needed from the documentation.

I didn't use a different solution. I only used Microsoft Azure Block Storage. You can integrate it with various services, and it has the facility to connect to your site and communicate with it, but I don't require that. Enterprises can use that functionality of Microsoft Azure Block Storage, though.

Setting up Microsoft Azure Block Storage was easy, and it only took two minutes. I researched how to do it, but before you set up Microsoft Azure Block Storage, you must create your agile accounts first, and inside the agile accounts, you'll find different types of storage. In my case, I chose Microsoft Azure Block Storage for data storage and extraction. It was easy to set up.

I deployed Microsoft Azure Block Storage.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is a good investment. The tool helps an enterprise save data in the cloud. Sometimes there is a natural disaster, or your electricity is cut off. Sometimes your physical servers can have problems. You can store data in the cloud through Microsoft Azure Block Storage to avoid problems, so it's a good investment.

Microsoft Azure Block Storage is not an expensive tool. I'm subscribed to the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors program, so Microsoft gives me between $120 to $150 credit each month. It's renewable, and if I use that credit for Microsoft Azure Block Storage, it'll not consume half of my credit, so I'd say it's very cheap.

I use Microsoft Azure Block Storage personally. My company doesn't use it.

I recommend the tool to others who want to use it.

Based on my experience, I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage nine out of ten.

We have embarked on the journey of the global data list. All the data from the SAP systems, all the data from external vendors, and all the data from our enterprise data warehouse are staged onto the Azure Block Storage. It forms the basis of the Lakehouse architecture. That's the staging layer for us.

It has helped to centralize the data. People see it as the central source of truth. Everybody sees the same set of data across data analysts, business analysts, data scientists, and all the visualization people. It provides a centralized view of the same data.

The product offers hierarchical storage and we like the main space storage with business.

It's easy to set up.

We find the product to be stable. 

It is very scalable. 

The solution needs a direct connection to visualization. Power BI connectivity on this platform is not that great. We need a direct connection to any of the visualization tools. There should be more BI integrations.

Block Storage is something which I use on a day-to-day basis. I've used the solution for six years at least.

It's pretty stable. It has cloning and therefore has data redundancy. The disaster recovery is pretty easy with this solution.

The solution can scale well.

The solution is used across the organization in BI and data visualization leads. There are more than 300 people using it.

The use is increasing month to month with more and more data being placed into it. It's an ongoing process.

Technical support is very good. 

This was the default product we went with thanks to our partnership with Microsoft.

The initial setup was straightforward, not that complex. 

Setting up was probably a month's time, not more.

The DevOps engineers would be required for the deployment. In fact, data engineers can do it if there's no proper CIC mechanism, however, any DevOps expert can do it.

We handled the deployment in-house. 

I'm from the technology side, so I have not done that ROI comparison. It is not visible to me directly. However, I have heard that there was a bottom-line increase. 

The storage part costs us $223. That's on a monthly basis for 20TB of data storage. There are no additional costs.

We did not look into other options. 

I am a customer of Microsoft products.

We are dealing with the Azure Block ADLS Gen 2.

People should use the mechanism to save more costs. We have a hot tier and a cold tier, wherein, say you want to save more on your cost, the frequently accessed data should be in the hot, and data that is not accessed frequently should be moved to the cold tier. It helps in reducing costs by almost 50%. The tiering mechanism should be used and new users should know it is possible to arrange their data that way. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Azure Block Storage is for integrating and storing logs and things like that. It's for short and medium-term intermediate storage. Around 3,000 people are using the solution indirectly. 

The security is poor, and the sharing model is confusing, conceptually. I'd prefer not to use it. I'd like a user-friendly web interface and a better security model. 

I've worked with Azure Block Storage for a few years. 

The block storage itself is good, but Azure's overall reliability is poor, especially in this region. It usually goes down a couple of times a month. 

I rate Azure support six out of 10. It could be better. I get an answer, but it takes a while. 

Neutral

The other solution we use heavily is Google Cloud Storage. I prefer Google because it's easier to set up and you don't need to download a client. It's just simpler overall.

Everyone is familiar with the Google interface. It's essential because you're dealing with a lot of technologies, and people don't have the time anymore to figure it out.

Setting up Azure Block Storage is more complex than it should be.

The price is decent. I rate Azure Block Storage eight out of 10 for affordability.

I rate Azure Block Storage three out of 10. It's just storage, and it's more complicated than it needs to be.