We use Microsoft Azure Block Storage to store files uploaded by our users.
Managing Director at sea-solutión
Performs well, scalable, but initial setup could be easier
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is its performance."
- "The initial setup of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is more complex than Google Drive, but it is still not too difficult."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is its performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Block Storage for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is stable.
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Microsoft Azure Block Storage
December 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good.
We have less than five people using this solution in my organization. We do not have plans to increase the usage.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted the support once and I had a good experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Google Drive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is more complex than Google Drive, but it is still not too difficult.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of the solution in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is an expensive solution and I pay monthly.
What other advice do I have?
We use one person for the maintenance of the solution.
I would recommend Google Drive instead of Microsoft Azure Block Storage.
I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CTO at Sosty
Extremely easy to connect, user-friendly, and no maintenance required
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are the ease with which you connect and use it."
- "The solution can be improved by including quicker hard drive access and larger bandwidth as part of the standard licensing fee."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of the solution is for objects search, objects with information, and documents file search.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are the ease with which you connect and use it.
What needs improvement?
The solution can be improved by including quicker hard drive access and larger bandwidth as part of the standard licensing fee.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is extremely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is easily scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution requires an input-output operations fee as well as pay per gigabyte of storage. The solution also offers a quicker hard drive option and a higher bandwidth output for an additional cost.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution an eight out of ten.
We have 23 people in our organization currently using the solution.
We do not require anyone for maintenance or deployment.
I suggest to anyone wanting to use this solution to be careful with the design of the folders because if you add files without folders it can get messy.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Block Storage
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Block Storage. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director at Data Connect Technologies Pte Ltd
Accurate, reliable, and easy to integrate
Pros and Cons
- "Its integration is very easy."
- "The implementation can be quite technical."
What is our primary use case?
It's mainly for financial institutions and customers. These customers are all using Cloud Native types of applications, whether it is Oracle Fusion or whether it's AWS. We are using the solution to handle the APIs.
What is most valuable?
Its integration is very easy.
The accuracy is relatively high.
It is stable and reliable.
The product can scale well.
What needs improvement?
The implementation can be quite technical.
We would like the solution to lower the costs as much as possible. It’s always better for the customer if it is less expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I’ve been dealing with the solution for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It’s reliable, and the performance is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is definitely scalable. It’s not a problem to expand it. If a company wants to, it can scale the product.
One client usually has about 1,000 assets to scan.
How are customer service and support?
I’ve never had to use technical support. So far, the solution has been trouble-free.
How was the initial setup?
My engineer can complete an installation in one or two days. I don't directly deal with it as it's quite complex. You need to be technical. It’s not for non-technical people.
We have five people that can handle deployment and maintenance. They are systems and ops engineers.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations.
I’d rate the solution seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Easy to deploy and to scale up, but availability can be a challenge
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to deploy, easy to scale up, and pay-as-you-go."
- "One of the biggest challenges on Azure infrastructure is that sometimes we don't get what we want. Either we have to wait for it or contact support because something is not working for us... It's the system availability that is the difficult point."
What is our primary use case?
We are creating VMs for some of our development testing, and we are using Azure Block Storage in that context. We are not using anything from Azure for production systems. We are just using it for staging and development.
What is most valuable?
Azure Block Storage is
- easy to deploy
- easy to scale up
- pay-as-you-go.
So whenever we need something, we use it.
What needs improvement?
One of the biggest challenges on Azure infrastructure is that sometimes we don't get what we want. Either we have to wait for it or contact support because something is not working for us. Most of the time it works fine. But sometimes, when we want something critical, apart from block storage — we want to increase the capacity of the VM or we want to increase the cores of the VM — we have to wait. We get a response from Microsoft from a North American location. We want to host everything within the UAE. But we are redirected through North America or Europe. That is a challenge with Azure. It's the system availability that is the difficult point.
Also, billing is an issue. We have had a lot of problems when it comes to billing. We started working with minimal resources and we opted for pay-as-you-go mode. Microsoft needs to invest in some resources to improve the billing part. It's not about the money, but the visibility. I see a lot of invoices, but I don't see whether we have paid them or not. And if we have paid, I don't see when it was paid and through which credit card or account we paid. I see invoices, but I don't see the information related to those invoices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Azure Block Storage for less than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Availability is sometimes an issue.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support, overall, is good. The response is very good. We don't have any issue with that.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have our own data center and we use its storage system. But we want to upgrade that because it's not fulfilling our current requirements and we don't see it fulfilling our future requirements either. We have a need to upgrade our system.
How was the initial setup?
Initially, we had some issues but we were not trained. We were used to the legacy environment, so we had challenges. But anyone who has technical knowledge will be able to set it up and understand it, once they start reading about how to set it up and how to use it.
There are a few challenges, especially when we are setting up block storage or setting up the network. There are complexities of the network environment, such as creating the virtual networks, etc. It's complex.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We started looking at Dell EMC and some other solutions such as QNAP. We are evaluating them.
What other advice do I have?
We have our own team to maintain it. We are still trying to add more resources to the team and trying to find someone who Azure will certify.
I would recommend Azure Block Storage so far, per my current usage, but I would also highly recommend learning how it works and how to configure it properly. Block Storage, in particular, is a bit confusing. People who do not have proper knowledge should not try R&D with it. I would highly recommend getting professional support if you really want to use it. The solution is very good, but the configuration and initial implementation should be done by professionals.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Director - Infrastructure Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It provides easy versioning and great security
Pros and Cons
- "It has easy versioning. The versioning is amenable to any changes. It also has great security. It can only be accessed through an API, and only the requested users can access it. It is optimized for data lakes and comprehensive data management."
- "We need to do versioning each and every time, that is, check-in and check-out. If a person forgets to do that, then there could be an issue in the replacement of that particular object in the storage. It will be great if it can be automatically managed."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Azure Block Storage to accumulate and store all unstructured data, that is, different files such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or any other streaming or video files. Whenever there is any unstructured data, you can use the Microsoft Azure Block Storage to deal with it.
What is most valuable?
It has easy versioning. The versioning is amenable to any changes.
It also has great security. It can only be accessed through an API, and only the requested users can access it. It is optimized for data lakes and comprehensive data management.
What needs improvement?
We need to do versioning each and every time, that is, check-in and check-out. If a person forgets to do that, then there could be an issue in the replacement of that particular object in the storage. It will be great if it can be automatically managed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are absolutely no issues. They're really great at stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has great scalability.
How was the initial setup?
It is quite straightforward. You can set it up even when you don't know much about it. You log into Azure.com, which is free for one year, and take a virtual machine and storage and then run your own website through Microsoft Azure Block Storage. You can store your image files, videos, and other document files from there. It is very easy. Oracle Cloud and AWS also provide the same ease of use, not only Azure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, Azure is quite cheaper than AWS. However, I have recently read that Oracle Cloud Generation 2 storage is quite cheaper than Azure. I haven't used it yet.
We need to look at a customer's requirements, and, based on that, we can suggest the storage. You can save at least 20% with Azure as compared to AWS, which is quite costly.
What other advice do I have?
I have worked on similar solutions from Oracle and Amazon. Feature-wise, they all provide the same features. However, I found Azure more convenient to work on than other solutions. It is very easy to use for data analytics purposes as well as for storing the archive data or long-term use data, that is, non-relational and unstructured data.
I would rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage a ten out of ten. It is really good.
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.
Product Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Has a good infrastructure and offers an easy way to provide workloads
Pros and Cons
- "One can easily scale with this program."
- "Some big customers have experienced some problems with the stability of the Azure cloud."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers basically use this program for virtual data center extension, as a hybrid extension of their local or on-prem or private data center. It offers them an automated way of running new workloads or creating new workloads with governance on it.
What is most valuable?
The reason why people choose this solution is that it has a good infrastructure. It also offers an easy way to provide workloads. We mainly use this solution for the development, testing, and production of our data and infrastructure in a standardized way. I also like the fact that the deployment is fast.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see an improvement in the networking and cost transparency part. What I mean by this, is that we provide certain workflows for our customers and we usually calculate what is local, but even then it's not really upfront. We must know what the usage will be in DMs. So the price is different, and that is where provisioning and cost transparency comes in. We must know what it will cost in the OPEX work that we do. We do have some cost analysis, overdose cloud, but still, it's not always the right amount that's reflected for our customers for each application or each analysis that they want to do. The invoice type is therefore different for each client.
For how long have I used the solution?
The company I work for has been using Microsoft Azure Block Storage for two to three years and I've been using it for almost a year now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Most customers are happy with the stability. Some bigger customers, however, have experienced problems with the stability of the Azure cloud.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One can easily scale with this program so I am satisfied with the scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used customer service before.
How was the initial setup?
Our setup is rather complex. It is easier for our customers - they simply get the tenants in our products and within the tenants, we just plug in all the drivers on-prem and then he gets a complete insight of the overall workload.
I am, however, not involved in the installation. Another difficult thing is to create a good architecture that's strong on networking and that will enable customers to deploy or provide all those different environments in an easy way. So the thinking is critical, and architecture is very important, which is kind of complex.
Deployment takes between two to five days, depending on the customer and the speed on the cloud.
We have a power desk with three people who are responsible for support and maintenance, customer queries, etc.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is affordable and we only pay for what we use. There are additional costs for backup and disaster management and we use separate products as service providers.
What other advice do I have?
I personally feel that this is a good program. My advice to others is that they should determine beforehand what they want to use it for. The biggest lesson I've learned so far is that, if you go to the backup part, you have to be careful about how you do the backups and what the retention times are.
I would like to see improved file sharing and better security in the next release.
On a scale from one to ten, I will rate this program an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid 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: Reseller
Senior Cloud Architects at Metro Systems Corporation Public Company Limited
Helpful support, useful back ups, but better integration needed
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is the backing up of files."
- "Microsoft Azure Block Storage could improve by having integration with Amazon AWS. The file transfer could be easier."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is the backing up of files.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Azure Block Storage could improve by having integration with Amazon AWS. The file transfer could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure Block Storage for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure Block Storage is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good.
We have approximately 30 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Microsoft Azure Block Storage is good.
I rate the support from Microsoft Azure Block Storage a five out of five.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used another solution in the category of Microsoft Azure Block Storage.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Microsoft Azure Block Storage is simple.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of Microsoft Azure Block Storage myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Microsoft Azure Block Storage could be less expensive.
I rate the price of Microsoft Azure Block Storage a four out of five.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Azure Block Storage a seven of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Consultant at MultiThread
Easily accessible and good for archiving data, but expensive to use
Pros and Cons
- "You can easily access your data whenever you need it."
- "Uploading of data could be improved. Currently, the only way you can upload your data is by using their storage explorer. You need to use a command line to do that. Then, maybe you can go online and you can use their explorer to check to see if it's there. If they had a third-party application to handle the upload, it would be better. Many people aren't familiar with command lines for uploading data. It makes it more difficult for many users."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for migration to restore data and to help us migrate to other systems. I do occasionally also use it as a backup, but not very often. Mostly, it's used for migration and we installed Microsoft on it. We store it in the cloud and migrate everything over.
What is most valuable?
The solution offers tiers of storage, depending on what we want to do.
If I want to store my data for a very long period of time and I know that I'm going to archive it, I just do the archive.
You can easily access your data whenever you need it.
What needs improvement?
Uploading of data could be improved. Currently, the only way you can upload your data is by using their storage explorer. You need to use a command line to do that. Then, maybe you can go online and you can use their explorer to check to see if it's there. If they had a third-party application to handle the upload, it would be better. Many people aren't familiar with command lines for uploading data. It makes it more difficult for many users.
The pricing is a bit high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for a year or two.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. I'd say it's 99.9% stable. Microsoft is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe it is possible to scale the solution, although I haven't tried to yet personally.
How are customer service and technical support?
It's been a long time since I've contacted technical support, but I did reach out once when I was having latency issues. I contacted them and they were able to resolve the issue. When you reach out to them for assistance, they call you immediately.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I didn't previously use a different solution. My email was hosted on Microsoft, so I moved to Azure.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It's not very complicated. We handled the deployment in stages. It took, at maximum, just over a week.
What about the implementation team?
We handled the implementation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is pay-as-you-go, so it runs on credit. The more storage a company has, the more they pay. If you are putting data into an archive, it doesn't cost too much, but if you need to access it, the price may be a bit high.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a Microsoft partner and I deploy the solution for other customers.
Currently, I'm the only user on the solution. I don't use it every day; I use it only when I need to.
The solution is quite good and is easy to integrate with other systems, You can also integrate it as a backup for your recordings.
It's also easily accessible and, because it's on the cloud, it doesn't matter where your current location is. It allows for easy replication of data on different levels.
For these reasons, I'd recommend the product. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's a bit expensive. If it was more reasonably priced I'd rate it higher.
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
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Updated: December 2024
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