For us, there was a specific use case where we were trying to collect some of the information and this was a project related to IoT information collection. That is where we used Object Storage. There was bot storage used as well. We were trying to collect some information from smart meters. That smart meter solution that we developed for the customer required both Object Storage as well as Block Storage.
Microsoft Azure Object Storage OverviewUNIXBusinessApplicationPrice:
Microsoft Azure Object Storage Buyer's Guide
Download the Microsoft Azure Object Storage Buyer's Guide including reviews and more. Updated: June 2022
What is Microsoft Azure Object Storage?
REST-based object storage for unstructured data in the cloud
- Store infrequently accessed data in a low-cost cool storage tier
- Store frequently accessed application data in a hot storage tier
- Stream video, audio, and other media to web, mobile, or desktop applications
- Power big data analytics
- Access your data more securely, both over the wire and at rest
Microsoft Azure Object Storage was previously known as Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, Azure Object Storage, MS Azure Object Storage.
Microsoft Azure Object Storage Customers
Umbraco, Xbox, Radioshack, 343 Industries, McKesson
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Systems Technician at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Great for copying data, extremely stable, and has a relatively easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "The key feature for us is the possibility to have a copy of our data and machines outside of our premises just in case of a disaster."
- "The administration of the solution is not as easy as we would like it to be."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution ourselves. We're in the public sector and use it within our organization. The solution is primarily used for block storage.What is most valuable?
The key feature for us is the possibility to have a copy of our data and machines outside of our premises just in case of a disaster. This is a common value not only for Azure but for any other cloud solution. This is the key aspect that made us decide to use this service. The idea of being able to hold a backup outside of our premises just in case of a disaster allows for the possibility of an easy data recovery process. Due to the fact that now there are a lot of ransomware attacks and viruses, and there is a possibility of it actually happening, it's great that we are able to encrypt the data for extra protection.What needs improvement?
There are a lot of points for improvement at the moment. For example, in the case of this product, we are not able to do a backup of what we call NAS, network-attached storage appliances, directly to the cloud. We can do to all the repositories in our premises on the storage that we have here, however, it's not possible to entirely upload this to the cloud. To me, this is the major problem of this solution, at the moment. There are other problems that I imagine other solutions can have the problems too, for example, there are some errors if the network is unstable and there are network failures sometimes, and it's not easy to recover data. The administration of the solution is not as easy as we would like it to be.For how long have I used the solution?
We haven't been using the solution for very long just yet. It's only been about four months or so. It's well under a year and it's still new to us.Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Object Storage
June 2022
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We had a lot of problems at first, perhaps due to our partner that helped us with the implementation. However, since then, the solution has been extremely stable. We haven't had any issues whatsoever. It doesn't crash or freeze. There aren't bugs or glitches. Now that it is up and running, it's very reliable.How are customer service and support?
We have contacted technical support several times. We often also had to contact Veeam to help us, and they were not very helpful. We were hoping for more active, quick responses, and we just didn't get that.Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This is the first time we use a cloud backup. Before that, we were using only an on-premise backup, in our own backup storage. In fact, we were using Veeam Backup & Replication software and recovery software available for on-premises setups. We decided to move to the cloud, which is why we began to implement Azure.How was the initial setup?
The initial set up is easy. It's not overly complicated. That said, we have a lot of problems in the implementation with the partner, the company that we hired to do the service. We had a lot of errors and a lot of time was consumed in uploading the backup to the cloud, as there was a lot of information. We have about 10 terabytes of data. For some companies, it may only be a few terabytes. However, for us, we had a lot of information. We were affected by internet speeds, and, if something failed, it was necessary to repeat the process. It was extremely time-consuming.What about the implementation team?
We had a Microsoft partner assist in the initial implementation. However, it wasn't a very good experience. They didn't seem to know the product very well.What other advice do I have?
In terms of Azure and the actual version we are using, don't know what it is. We are using the cloud of Azure and I don't know if there is a concept of a version for cloud deployments. That said, the software, Veeam, that we are using is on-premises to do the backup and it's version 10. Overall, I would rate this product at an eight out of ten. We had a lot of problems in the beginning, and a lot of these problems were due to our implementation partner using a local S3 block storage provider. They were not able to restore the backups. However, Azure is a very good solution in general and we've had a very positive experience since we've finished the implementation itself.Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
TEM Practice at Expleogroup
Easy to set up with good features but it's hard to find resources that understand the product
Pros and Cons
- "The solution offers good documentation."
- "The setup process could always be a bit easier."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
There are a variety of good features. Which one is best really depends on the customer's focus or specific deployment.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
The solution offers good documentation.
When you get the right support person, you can deal with issues very fast.
What needs improvement?
While we defined the solution, it was not fully implemented before I left. Therefore, it would be difficult to point to an area that was lacking.
Technical support with Microsoft is a bigger challenge as finding the right person to support you and actually getting that person on the call is hard. If you are able to get the right person on the call, then he is able to help fast. That said, in most cases, getting the right person on the call itself is a challenge.
The setup process could always be a bit easier. It's hard to find good resources. With the cloud being new, it's difficult to find the people who have done it already.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for three to six months. It's been less than a year so far.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I left before the solution was fully implemented. Therefore, while I did not see any instability, I can't speak to how stable it was once it was up and running.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
From our requirement perspective, the required scalability existed in the solution. We had no issues with scaling.
How are customer service and support?
I've interacted with technical support. They were okay. However, getting the person you need to assist you can be a challenge.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been comfortable with Microsoft technology, in general, and Microsoft approaches in the past as well. That's the reason, in most cases, I prefer to use Microsoft solutions as such.
How was the initial setup?
The process is not that complex. There is a challenge finding resources who understand the cloud, however. With most of the technologies, there is enough documentation, however, what happens is, when you are looking at the whole ecosystem as such, you need resources that know what is happening. Generally, there are articles that can assist you with the setup. Therefore, for those who have knowledge with the solution, it's straightforward, however, newer users would find it possibly a bit complex.
I'm not sure how many people would be required to maintain the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I haven't gotten a chance to evaluate this solution in comparison to others. For example, I've never been able to compare Object Storage on AWS.
What other advice do I have?
The company I worked for was a Microsoft gold partner. We were Azure partners as well.
We use a private cloud deployment. There were some sensitive products that were supposed to only be available as a part of the private cloud, even though they were in the Azure cloud, they were fully accessible from the internal network.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Last updated: Jun 21, 2022
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Object Storage
June 2022
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Object Storage. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2022.
608,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager-Platform Team / Technical Lead at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Beneficial cloud operations, deployable by scripts, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Object Storage is that it is on the cloud."
- "We have experienced a data copy bottleneck with the AZ copy using Microsoft Azure Object Storage, this should improve. It has high CPU consumption. There are a couple of ways to copy files fast, we have tried a few ways. Other than AZ copy, we can use Azure Fluent Storage, which also takes a lot of time to copy files. The AZ copy is faster but it takes a lot of time and CPU operations."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Azure Object Storage for storing customer content. Our applications are running on Kubernetes, and the content is stored on the Microsoft Azure Object Storage. For example, we are using the queues for email. We have a couple of web jobs that are running that pick up the object from the queues. Additionally, we are using it for the files.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Object Storage is that it is on the cloud.
What needs improvement?
We have experienced a data copy bottleneck with the AZ copy using Microsoft Azure Object Storage, this should improve. It has high CPU consumption. There are a couple of ways to copy files fast, we have tried a few ways. Other than AZ copy, we can use Azure Fluent Storage, which also takes a lot of time to copy files. The AZ copy is faster but it takes a lot of time and CPU operations.
Microsoft Storage Explorer is used for connectivity but it needs to be improved.
On the backend side, it is not an easy implementation, and if they introduced a solution roadmap, that would be great.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Object Storage for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Object Storage is somewhat stable, but some improvements need to be applied. I can remember, it was down one time. We have faced a lot of issues since our application is tightly coupled with storage. More than 700 customers were affected during that time period. A lot of queries came, and lots of tickets were created for us because the storage was down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Object Storage can scale in terms of users using the solution.
I am in a team of 50 and I am the manager of the team. In our company, all the project teams, and developers are using Microsoft Azure Object Storage mostly in the repair. We have approximately 300 to 500 developers using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted the support when the Microsoft Azure Object Storage could not be accessed. They did the recovery but it took them some time, approximately 10 hours.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have only used Microsoft solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Azure Object Storage for me is easy, but it depends on the person. If you do not have much experience it is not as easy. The whole process of implementation took 15 to 20 minutes. We have automated a lot of the processes.
When doing the deployment of Microsoft Azure Object Storage we have experienced some issues with our scripts and the automation.
What about the implementation team?
We have one person in my team that is managing Microsoft Azure Object Storage.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing cost of Microsoft Azure Object Storage is monthly. We have two types of licenses. One is the EA enterprise license and the other is a CSP license.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is if you're going to be copying the data in Microsoft Azure Object Storage it will be slow.
I rate Microsoft Azure Object Storage an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner/reseller
Last updated: May 30, 2022
Flag as inappropriateComputer Scientist at Adobe
Easy to query, offers great security, and integrates well with other Microsoft applications
Pros and Cons
- "We can do data queries easily."
- "If we look at the different versions of that ADLS, it really does not have a hierarchical storage mechanism."
What is our primary use case?
I worked in Azure Cloud mostly on the Databricks side, with SQL Server or Synapse Analytics, or streaming analytics. It's a blob storage solution. We use the storage account, either the blob storage or the ADLS Gen 2.
What is most valuable?
We can do data queries easily. If it's a JSON document or XML document, mostly we deliver the APIs, calls, and all. The document is stored as an object stored in the Blob Storage. Then, using the Databricks, we try to process that JSON and then load it into a Delta Lake table. That is where we interact mostly with Object Storage.
The initial setup is straightforward.
What needs improvement?
If we look at the different versions of that ADLS, it really does not have a hierarchical storage mechanism. If you want to store any document, you have to go and create one blob storage account, in case you want to store any hierarchical data.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's all scalable. It has lifecycle management where I can define a rule so that I can easily archive or move the data from the cool tier to the hot tier based on the uses and then I can also send it into the cool tier so that it can be frequently accessed. If I do that, the cost can also be minimized.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is great. We have a partnership basically with Microsoft. For my organization, Microsoft is the partner vendor. Whenever it is required, support is readily available to us.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also familiar with Amazon S3.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. You just have to create a storage account. You can automate that also. You have different mechanisms. You can use Azure templates, like SQL, or you can use the Terraform as well. To automate the creation of that object storage or any account. Or, if you have different APIs, like Python-based API, you can easily create what you need.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
If we compare most of the other cloud vendor solutions, for example, S3 Object, S3 with the Blob Storage, more or less, both have the same capabilities. However, from a security perspective, Azure is very good. Azure offers AD integration with the storage account. That is something I find as a good feature compared to the other clouds and integration with all the Azure services is a really useful feature.
What other advice do I have?
We're a gold partner with Microsoft.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten due to the ADLS integration and the different authentication mechanisms that we have.
We need to make sure that the data which we are storing in those storage objects is highly secured. That is where Azure is providing us with the best features. We can go with the different mechanisms like its Nexus security or the AD authentication. Or, they also provide us admin encryption, including the transparent keys. With transparent encryption, we can encrypt based on customer-based keys. Those are also some good features that make it a really great product.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Last updated: Apr 27, 2022
Flag as inappropriateSenior Software Engineer Team Lead at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A secure object storage solution for the cloud with a useful regional set up for storage
What is our primary use case?
Microsoft Azure Object Storage is integrated into the applications that we provide our customers. Job dockets, regulatory documents, licenses, and insurance-related are the most common types of documents that our application users store in their storage containers.
Apart from that, the job docket probably moves from one person to another and only authorized users can have access to view or download using a secure URL with a token and the shared access signature. This comes with an important feature that allows us to limit the time the users have access to the files on the storage.
Another aspect we have is for internal purposes, like having database backups over specific timelines. Internal application docket messages between the web and mobile application users including attachments that can be retained or archived for several years. All of this works under a multi-tenant structure.
How has it helped my organization?
What is most valuable?
The best thing is that it's on the cloud and accessible through any mobile, tablet, or laptop device. Easily configurable and integrated with any of our applications through its client libraries.
Secure and having the option to setup additional regions for high availability.
What needs improvement?
.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Object Storage consistently for the past two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Object Storage is stable. I haven't had any issues. Initially, when I was conducting hands-on workshops in the past few years most of the client-side libraries used to connect with Azure Storage have become obsolete and the newly updated libraries are simple and easy to work with.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Object Storage is a scalable solution. I believe this will grow, just like AWS, because it's totally isolated, and even websites could use that separately. I think Azure is beginning to take that path where other applications could directly connect to it and use the storage system. I believe there is a feature to interconnect all the other products they have.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was quick. You definitely need some help with that, and Microsoft provides resources for learning. I have in the past attended workshops that came in handy when working with this solution. It's easy to use if you have some hands-on experience. There are online courses with hands-on labs available in some cases on Microsoft Learn which makes understanding and using this solution easier.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pay per-use subscription has been our option and I see no problem using this subscription model as we are able to keep track of our costs on a daily basis
What other advice do I have?
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 15, 2022
Flag as inappropriateDirector - Prudential Supervision at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Powerful, easy to use, and expands well
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to use."
- "We're still testing the solution. It's too early to make any suggestions as to what may be missing."
What is our primary use case?
It's primarily used by our data science team. They use it to augment any of the works that they probably cannot do very well in KNIME.
What is most valuable?
It's a very powerful tool, however, we don't use it to the right level. We are still learning the tool. We have this very powerful engine that we are not yet utilizing to the next level. At the moment, we're just trying to see whether we have automated ML scripts that we can adopt to train a model, for example. Really we're using it for proof of concept. We haven't deployed anything to production.
It's easy to use.
What needs improvement?
We're still testing the solution. It's too early to make any suggestions as to what may be missing.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is quite good. there are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze, it is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We've never had any problem with scaling. It is scalable. Being a government institution and having that contract signed at the government level, we just have to request additional resources or storage capacity. It's very good.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We initially started our journey on KNIME and we run KNIME side by side, so data scientists can have the ability to do their models either in Lime or, if they choose to, they can also do that in Azure.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very easy to set up. It's not overly complex.
What about the implementation team?
We've got this Microsoft contract and we have round-the-clock Microsoft engineers who are able to actually assist us with any problems.
What other advice do I have?
We're customers and end-users.
It's a very powerful tool. I love the fact that Microsoft was really committed to improving it. Therefore, from the early days that we started using it, we can actually see that continuously there are changes and improvements. They do listen to their customers. They really try to make sure that they have a best-in-class product.
Microsoft would be very good for very big organizations. In terms of KNIME, the good thing is you can actually scale it down with a small organization that doesn't want to really go really big. They both work and they're complementary.
I would rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 20, 2022
Flag as inappropriatePrincipal Enterprise Architect at a construction company with 201-500 employees
Highly scalable and the performance is good, especially with unstructured data
Pros and Cons
- "I would like to have out-of-the-box connectors to make integration with other products easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use the Azure Object Storage for our IoT use case. We have thousands of vendors using our machines and they are sending machine performance data to Azure. We then use this data for analytics and product management.
We use it both in our development and production environments.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable options are performance and scalability. These two things are really effective.
What needs improvement?
The cost should be reduced to make it more competitive. There are other vendors that provide good solutions, so if Microsoft were more competitive in terms of pricing then it would be one reason for us to continue with them.
I would like to have out-of-the-box connectors to make integration with other products easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Azure Object Storage for the past two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Azure is 100% stable, although there was an issue one time when the entire service was down for a day. This had a big impact, globally, although they were able to compromise with people who were affected.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is used by the consumers of our products, of which there are at least 10,000.
How are customer service and technical support?
Microsoft technical support is good because we have an enterprise agreement. We are happy with it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had our own servers, on-premises, and then we migrated to Azure.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was of medium difficulty. I would not say that it is simple or complex, and they have good documentation to help.
It took more than six months to fully migrate to the Azure environment.
What about the implementation team?
In the beginning, we had assistance from Microsoft. They helped us to come up with the proof of concept and the use case for our business. After that, our internal team took over. I would say that we had about 10% external help.
What other advice do I have?
Azure Object Storage is a product that I strongly recommend for storing all of your unstructured data. Similarly, if you don't know what kinds of data you need to store, then this is the right choice. It also does well if you have massive volume.
There is an IoT hub that is going to be released and my hope is that it includes many advanced features.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Information Technology & Cloud Systems Manager at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees
Comes with quick support and useful AzCopy utility, and it is a suitable solution for Microsoft ecosystem
Pros and Cons
- "AzCopy is probably the best feature. It's a scripting app or a scripting function. Whether it's a Linux batch or a PowerShell script, you can essentially just send a file via a line of code with a specific key."
- "Currently, the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer is just a Windows app. I don't know if it's available on mobile, such as iOS or Android. I don't know if the app is mobile-friendly. It should be mobile-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
Our use case is related to a data lake. It is just a file collection.
I am using its latest version. It is in the cloud through a private company.
What is most valuable?
AzCopy is probably the best feature. It's a scripting app or a scripting function. Whether it's a Linux batch or a PowerShell script, you can essentially just send a file via a line of code with a specific key.
What needs improvement?
Currently, the Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer is just a Windows app. I don't know if it's available on mobile, such as iOS or Android. I don't know if the app is mobile-friendly. It should be mobile-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it every day for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't hit any limitations yet, and I'd say it is scalable. There are probably different scaling solutions, such as a data lake or a data warehouse. Those would be the next version of this, as opposed to binary large object storage.
We have less than five users.
How are customer service and support?
It's a Microsoft product. They're the best software company in the world. So, the support is quick. It is immediate. Sometimes, it is too quick but pretty helpful. They'll get you through the problem. Their support is definitely very good.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to set up. You just sign in. You have to have a cloud subscription. Once you deploy a disk or any sort of object that can be manipulated in the cloud on a cloud-based model, all you do is sign in, and access should be granted to that resource.
What about the implementation team?
It was implemented in-house. I take care of its deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a pay-as-you-go model. So, you are only paying for what you store. It's an attractive model. You don't pay for a set; you pay for what you actually use.
What other advice do I have?
It's definitely one of the top Azure Cloud objects out there for file storage and accessing files. Especially if you're using the Microsoft ecosystem, it's definitely one of the best tools for cloud storage for files.
I would rate it a nine out of ten just because of the mobile presence.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 2, 2022
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