Exploring Cloud Storage Options for Efficient File Management
In our last blog we had an opportunity to get a brief overview of the different options we have for storing our files. We also had a chance to review a series of questions that can help us understand more about the content we want to migrate to the cloud and the reason behind the migration of the content. This information is incredibly valuable for choosing the cloud-storage solution.
In part 2 of this series, we will discuss the pros and cons of each of the cloud storage solutions Microsoft offers. To begin with, let’s review SharePoint Online.
SharePoint Online
When to use:
SharePoint Online is great for sharing files and content with multiple users or groups within your organization. However, it is important to note that SharePoint is not meant to replace a file server and keep things “as is”. To fully benefit from SharePoint Online, there should be a genuine need for user collaboration, efficient information sharing across departments, and the modernization of legacy processes. Now, let's examine the pros and cons of SharePoint.
Pros:
Easy collaboration and sharing: SharePoint Online makes it easy for teams to work together on documents and projects. Users can easily share documents with each other, and multiple users can edit a document simultaneously.
Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection: SharePoint Online is a cloud-based solution, meaning users can access their files and documents from anywhere with an internet connection.
Fully managed. SharePoint Online can be used without the need to provision any servers or additional services. SharePoint Online is offered as a Software as a Service. No need to update the underlying hardware.
Integration with other Microsoft products: SharePoint Online integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, such as Power Automate, Power Apps, and Teams just to name a few.
Security: SharePoint Online provides a range of security features, such as data encryption, access controls, and activity monitoring, to help protect sensitive information. This can help to reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents. SharePoint Online supports Folder and File level permissions. It also supports Data Los Prevention policies.
Scalability: SharePoint Online can scale to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. This means that it can grow with your organization, without requiring significant investments in hardware or software.
Cons:
Steep learning curve: SharePoint Online can be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with the platform. It may take some time for users to learn how to use all the features and functions. A proper training and adoption strategy should be considered.
Limited customization options: SharePoint Online offers limited customization options, which may not be suitable for businesses with more complex needs.
Potentially higher cost: SharePoint Online can be more expensive than other cloud-based storage solutions, particularly for large files.
Internet Dependence: SharePoint Online requires a reliable internet connection to access and use. Any interruption in connectivity can cause delays or prevent access to files, which may be a problem for users who need to access documents quickly.
OneDrive:
When to use:
OneDrive is an excellent choice for storing individual user files. Therefore, if your file server contains user drives, OneDrive can be an ideal location for migration and storage of such content.
Pros:
Personal storage for each user: OneDrive offers each user their own personal storage space, making it easy for users to organize and access their own files.
Fully managed. OneDrive can be used without the need to provision any servers or additional services. OneDrive is offers as a Software as a Service. No need to update the underlying hardware.
Easy access from any device: OneDrive can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for users to access their files on the go.
Integration with other Microsoft products: OneDrive integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products, such as Power Automate, Power Apps and Teams just to name a few.
Cons:
May not be suitable for large files sharing OneDrive has a limitation of being able to share and move files of 15GBs of size. This can also be an issue in scenarios where your large files are needed for local use, and you may have limited network bandwidth.
Limited collaboration features: While OneDrive does offer collaboration features, they are more limited than those offered by SharePoint Online.
Internet Dependence: Requires a reliable internet connection to access and use. Any interruption in connectivity can cause delays or prevent access to files, which may be a problem for users who need to access documents quickly. Note access is not required for all files. If the file is synced locally you can still access that version of the file.
Please refer to the following link for details on offline file access:
Azure Storage
Azure Storage offers several flavors. Each of which serves a specific use case. These include:
· Azure Blob Storage
· Azure Archive Storage
· Azure Files
Azure Blob Storage:
When to use
Azure Blob Storage has several ideal use cases which include:
You want your application to support streaming and random access scenarios.
Serving images or documents directly to the browser.
Storing files for distributed access.
You want to be able to access application data from anywhere.
You want to build an enterprise data lake on Azure and perform big data analytics.
Storing data for backup and restore, disaster recovery.
Storing data for archiving, see section on Azure Archive Storage for more details.
Pros:
Virtually unlimited scalability: Azure Blob Storage can scale to meet the storage needs of any organization, from small businesses to large enterprises.
Cost-effective pay-as-you-go model: Azure Blob Storage offers a pay-as-you-go model, allowing organizations to pay only for the storage they use.
Advanced security features: Azure Blob Storage provides advanced security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, and network isolation.
Cons:
Limited file system functionality: Azure Blob Storage does not provide full file system functionality, which may not be suitable for businesses that require more advanced file management capabilities.
Limited search functionality: Azure Blob Storage does not offer advanced search functionality, which may make it difficult for users to find the files they need.
Requires programming skills for advanced customization: Advanced customization of Azure Blob Storage may require programming skills, which may not be feasible for all businesses.
Azure Archive Storage:
When to use
Archive storage is not necessarily its own type of storage but rather an access tier. Azure Storage offers hot, cold, cool, and archive tiers.
Hot tier - An online tier optimized for storing data that is accessed or modified frequently. The hot tier has the highest storage costs, but the lowest access costs.
Cool tier - An online tier optimized for storing data that is infrequently accessed or modified. Data in the cool tier should be stored for a minimum of 30 days. The cool tier has lower storage costs and higher access costs compared to the hot tier.
Cold tier - An online tier optimized for storing data that is infrequently accessed or modified. Data in the cold tier should be stored for a minimum of 90 days. The cold tier has lower storage costs and higher access costs compared to the cool tier.
Note: at the time of writing this feature is in Preview and is not available in all regions. Always be careful when using features in preview as they don’t have the same SLA for features in production.
Archive tier - An offline tier optimized for storing data that is rarely accessed, and that has flexible latency requirements, on the order of hours. Data in the archive tier should be stored for a minimum of 180 days.
Pros:
Lower cost for infrequently accessed data: Azure Archive Storage offers lower storage costs for infrequently accessed data, making it a cost-effective option for businesses that don't need to access their data frequently.
High durability and availability: Azure Archive Storage offers high durability and availability, with built-in redundancy and multiple copies of data stored across different locations.
Easy integration with other Azure services: Azure Archive Storage integrates seamlessly with other Azure services, making it easy to use and integrate into existing workflows and processes.
Cons:
Access costs: While storing data in Azure Archive Storage is cost-effective, accessing your data can incur additional costs. Retrieval and data transfer fees can add up, particularly if you need to access your data frequently.
Limited access: Azure Archive Storage is optimized for infrequently accessed data, so it may not be the best option for data that needs to be accessed frequently. If you need to access your data frequently, you may want to consider other Azure storage options like Azure Blob Storage or Azure Files.
Compatibility: Some applications and tools may not be compatible with Azure Archive Storage, particularly if they require frequent access to data. It is important to ensure that your applications and tools are compatible with Azure Archive Storage before deciding to use it.
If you have files that you don't believe belong in the archive tier, you can take advantage of lifecycle management policies to optimize costs by automating data lifecycle management. This means you can automate the transition of data from cool or cold storage to hot storage immediately when needed. For detailed information on how to implement this, please refer to the following documentation:
Life Cycle Management
Azure Files
When to use:
Azure Files provides an excellent solution for migrating files from a file server. File Shares in Azure Files are suitable for various common scenarios, including:
"Lift and shift" of an application to the cloud that already utilizes native file system APIs to share data between it and other Azure-based applications.
Replacement or supplementation of on-premises file servers or NAS devices.
Storage of development and debugging tools that need to be accessible from multiple virtual machines.
In addition, Azure Files offers Azure File Sync, which enables the caching of frequently accessed files on-premises, reducing bandwidth costs and latency. While using Azure File Sync still requires a file server on-premises, you can decrease the server's footprint by reducing the amount of storage kept locally.
For more information, please refer to the following article for detailed insights and guidance:
File Sync Service Planning
Pros:
Easy to use: Azure Files is easy to use as when an Azure file share is mounted on your computer, you don't need to do anything special to access the data.
Shared access: Azure Files supports the industry-standard SMB and NFS protocols, meaning you can seamlessly replace your on-premises file shares with Azure file shares without worrying about application compatibility. Being able to share a file system across multiple machines, applications, and application instances is a significant advantage for applications that need shareability.
Fully managed: Azure file shares can be created without the need to manage hardware or an OS. This means you don't have to deal with patching the server OS with critical security upgrades or replacing faulty hard disks.
Scripting and tooling: PowerShell cmdlets and Azure CLI can be used to create, mount, and manage Azure file shares as part of the administration of Azure applications. You can create and manage Azure file shares using Azure portal and Azure Storage Explorer.
Resiliency: Azure Files has been built from the ground up to be always available. Replacing on-premises file shares with Azure Files means you no longer have to wake up to deal with local power outages or network issues.
Familiar programmability: Applications running in Azure can access data in the share via file system I/O APIs. Developers can, therefore, leverage their existing code and skills to migrate existing applications. In addition to System IO APIs, you can use Azure Storage Client Libraries or the Azure Files REST API.
Cons:
Limited functionality: Azure Files is not as full-featured as a traditional file server. There are certain functions like data deduplication, quotas, and user management that are not available in Azure Files.
Note: some of the limitations can be alleviated with integrations with Active Directory or Azure Active Directory Domain Services.
Network Latency: Depending on the network latency, accessing files on Azure Files can be slower than on a traditional file server. This is especially true for remote offices where the latency is high.
Pricing: Although Azure Files is cheaper than maintaining an on-premises file server, it can still be expensive compared to other Azure storage options. The cost of accessing the data can also add up, as Azure charges for both storage and data transfer.
Note: there are two main types of storage accounts you can use for Azure Files deployments. General purpose version 2 (GPv2) storage accounts, and FileStorage storage accounts.
FileStorage accounts offer premium/solid-state-disk-based (SSD-based hardware). Premium storage is great for scenarios where you expect large amounts of reads and writes. That’s because premium storage has no transaction costs.
Limited control: When using Azure Files, you are entrusting your data to Microsoft, and therefore you have limited control over the physical security of your data.
Learning Curve: Moving from a traditional file server to Azure Files requires some learning and adjustment. It requires a shift in thinking from maintaining hardware and software to managing cloud-based services.
Conclusion:
There are several options available for migrating a file server to the cloud, some of which may require changes in how we handle files. It is also possible to combine multiple solutions. While it's important to identify the appropriate cloud storage solution for your needs, planning and deploying the chosen solution can be a separate challenge.
We are here to assist if you or your team:
Seek an overview of planning a migration to SharePoint Online and OneDrive.
Require guidance on planning a migration to Azure Files.
Need an overview of planning a migration to Azure Storage.
Need assistance in identifying the right storage solution for your specific scenario.
Desire an overview of SharePoint Online and OneDrive.
Seek an overview of Azure Files.
Seek an overview of Azure Storage.
If you're uncertain about where to begin, I encourage you to reach out to us. Our initial consultation is free, and we would like to understand your requirements better. Together, we can develop a plan that facilitates your learning and accelerates the adoption of these services for your business or customers.
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