by Mark | Oct 21, 2020 | Azure, Azure Blobs, Blob Storage, Cloud Computing, Storage Accounts
If you are looking to optimize their storage costs on Azure Blob storage. With the increasing amount of data being stored in the cloud, it’s important to keep track of the size of each Blob and identify which ones are taking up the most storage. This is where the guide comes in – it provides a step-by-step process on how to use Cloud Storage Manager to find the largest Azure Blobs in your environment.
By identifying the largest Blobs, you can take steps to optimize your storage costs, such as deleting unnecessary data or moving data to a more cost-effective storage tier. Whether you’re new to Azure Blob storage or an experienced user, this guide is a helpful resource for optimizing your storage costs.
Recently we had one of our clients inform us that he used Cloud Storage Manager to find which were the largest Blobs in his Azure Storage Containers.
Here is a quick run down to show one of the many reports on your Azure Blob consumption that you can run with Cloud Storage Manager.
Which are my largest Azure Blobs?
See all your Azure Blob Sizes
If you want to find out which BLOBs in your environment are the largest, or consuming the most storage, the easiest and simplest method by far is to use Cloud Storage Manager.
Once you’ve allowed Cloud Storage Manager to scan your environment, you have a few options to get this information.
The Top 100 BLOBs tab will give you a list of the top 100 largest BLOBs in your environment. It will also show you which Subscription, Storage Account, Container the BLOB resides in and of course its name. Not only that but it will tell you the object tier, whether that is hot, cool or archive, the size of the Azure BLOB, when it was created and when it was last modified.
Have a look at the screenshot to get a clearer picture.
Your largest Azure Blob Sizes
In the bottom right corner you will also see how much overall storage your largest 100 BLOBs are consuming. In our example, we can see that our largest 100 BLOBs are consuming 102GB. Of course, this is just our lab environment so in a real production environment this could be hundreds of TB or PB!
You may also export this data into a spreadsheet by selecting the Reports tab and selecting the “List the top 100 BLOBs” report.
Azure Blob Storage Size Report
Right click on the report and select “Run Report” to view the data in an exportable table format that you can see in Microsoft Excel.
The export includes all relevant information including the Azure Subscription, Azure Storage Account, the Container the Blob resides in, the name of the Azure Blob itself, what storage tiering the Blob is in, the date created, last modified and finally it’s size.
Free
Maximum Azure Storage limited to 30TB.
Typically for small or personal environments usually consisting of 3 or less Azure Subscriptions and consuming under 30TB of Azure Blob Storage.
Free Forever (until over 30TB)
Advanced
Maximum Azure Storage limited to 1PB
For medium sized environments typically consisting of less than 5 Azure Subscriptions.
12 Month License
Enterprise
Unlimited Azure Storage.
For use in large environments typically consisting of more than 10 Subscriptions and consuming more than 1PB of Azure Blob Storage.
12 Month License
Cloud Storage Manager is licensed based on the size of your Azure Subscriptions, Azure Storage Accounts, Containers and finally each Blob.
Each version has the same great functions including scheduled scans of your Azure Blob Storage and reporting.
FAQs
What is Azure Blob storage?
Azure Blob storage is a cloud-based storage solution offered by Microsoft Azure. It allows users to store and access large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data, through REST-based object storage.
Why is it important to find the largest Azure Blobs?
Identifying the largest Azure Blobs is important for optimizing storage costs. By understanding which Blobs are taking up the most storage, users can take steps to delete unnecessary data or move data to a more cost-effective storage tier.
How can Cloud Storage Manager help me find the largest Azure Blobs?
Cloud Storage Manager provides a step-by-step process to find the largest Azure Blobs in your environment. It offers a Top 100 BLOBs tab that gives users a list of the top 100 largest BLOBs in their environment, along with information on the Subscription, Storage Account, Container, object tier, size, and more. Users can also export this data into a spreadsheet.
How is Cloud Storage Manager licensed?
Cloud Storage Manager is licensed based on the size of your Azure Subscription. There are three versions of Cloud Storage Manager: Free, Advanced, and Enterprise, each with different limits on database size. All versions offer scheduled scans of Azure Blob Storage and reporting.
Who can benefit from using Cloud Storage Manager?
Cloud Storage Manager is useful for anyone who uses Azure Blob storage and wants to optimize their storage costs. It can be helpful for both new and experienced users of Azure Blob storage.
by Mark | Oct 14, 2020 | Azure, How To
We were recently asked for help by one of our clients that needed to separate a number of users from their existing domain by moving them into their own Active Directory forest. This can happen for all sorts of reasons, including divestments, security, geographical or division separation.
Whatever the reason, they needed to move these users across into an entirely new AD domain.
Now, although they were going to be moved into this new AD domain, they were still part of the same parent company and were going to remain within the same Azure AD tenant.
OK, doesn’t seem too hard, what’s the catch? Build the new domain, create a trust, move the users and resync them, job done.
Well, that was the plan until we looked into the configuration of AD Connect and discovered that the source anchor was set to the OBJECTGUID.
If you aren’t familiar with this, AD Connect uses the source anchor as a mechanism to “match” on-premises users with Azure AD users. In the newer versions of AD Connect the source anchor is usually set to the mS-DS-ConsistencyGuid which makes life easier.
However, older versions of AD Connect used the OBJECTGUID.
Now comes the problem. When a user is moved from domain1 to domain2, a new OBJECTGUID is created so when you try and sync them up again AD Connect will not recognise them as the same user and will create a new user account for that user. Even though technically it’s the same user, AD Connect does not see it that way because the ImmutableID is different.
The ImmutableID is the OBJECTGUID converted to Base64.
OK, so how do we get these users moved from domain1 into domain2 and have them sync with their existing Azure AD user?
You have to delete them…kind of.
Before we begin, I am assuming you have:
AD Trust in place between the original domain and the new domain
AD Connect has been configured to sync across both domains (if you don’t know how to do this, check out our other post explaining the process: https://www.smikar.com/second-domain-using-ad-connect)
Step 1.
As these users need to retain the same UPN, the first thing we need to do is to add the UPN suffix to the new domain. If you have already done this, you can skip this step.
Log into the new domain and launch the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console
Step 2.
Right click on the AD Domains and trusts and select properties
Step 3.
Enter the name of the UPN you need to add.
Click Add and then OK.
Step 4.
Now what we need to do, is remove the users from the sync cycle. The easiest way to do this is to move them into an OU that is not being synced. Below is our test user in AD.
Step 5.
Here is the user in Azure AD
Step 6.
Now let’s move him into an OU that is not being synced.
Step 7.
If you are syncing the entire domain then you will need to change some settings in AD Connect so you have at least one OU that is not being synced.
If you don’t know how to do that, open up AD Connect, click on Connectors, right click on the domain and select properties. Under the Configure Directory Partitions you will find a Containers button. That is where you can select which OUs to sync.
Step 8.
Open a PowerShell console and enter: Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType delta
This will initiate a delta sync to Azure AD
Step 9.
Log into the Azure portal and open the Active Directory panel
Select the Deleted Users option on the left hand blade
In here we should find our “deleted” user
Step 10.
Select the tick box next to the user and click on Restore User
Step 11.
Once the user is restored, click on the All Users blade on the left and search for the restored user.
Step 12.
Migrate the user from the original domain to the new domain.
We used ADMT to perform this task but I won’t go into detail on this. If you need help on how to set this up and use it, here is a good guide.
https://www.pelegit.co.il/admt-active-directory-migration-tool/
Here is the user we migrated into the new domain.
Step 13.
Now we need get the OBJECTUID of the migrated user, convert it to an ImmutableID and apply that to the restored user in Azure AD.
The below command will get the OBJECTGUID and convert it to an ImmutableID for a single user but can be converted to run against multiple users (you will need the ActiveDirectory and MSonline modules installed).
$ImmID = Get-ADUser -identity john.smith -Properties ObjectGUID | select ObjectGUID | foreach {[system.convert]::ToBase64String(([GUID]($_.ObjectGUID)).tobytearray())}
Now let’s set that ImmutableID to the restored user.
set-msoluser -UserPrincipalName “john.smith@smikar.com.au” -ImmutableId $ImmID
Step 14.
Move the user into an OU that is flagged to sync
Step 15.
Now let’s kick off another sync
Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType delta
Job done
The user will now be matched with the restored user account as the ImmutableID will match the migrated user.
by Mark | Oct 13, 2020 | Azure, Cloud Computing, How To
Overview
Are you looking to integrate a new company into your existing Azure AD tenant? Or perhaps you need to share your tenancy and Office 365 services with more than one company? If you find yourself in a position where you need to sync users from another domain and have already configured AD Connect, then there is a way to add the second domain to your current Azure tenancy, so you can sync those users from the second domain.
Before proceeding, make sure you review the supported topology when it comes to AD Connect and multiple domains/tenants. You can find the information in this Microsoft article: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/hybrid/plan-connect-topologies
However, there is one limitation that will most likely cause you the most grief, and is probably why you landed here in the first place. You can only have one AD Connect instance per tenant. So, if you need to sync users from a second domain, you will have to follow the process outlined below.
Establish Domain Trust Before proceeding, you need to establish an AD trust between the two domains. If you have not done this yet, you will need to perform this step first. If you are not sure how to do this, you can refer to this guide: https://www.azure365pro.com/how-to-create-two-way-transitive-trust-windows-server-2008-r2/
OK, now that we have our domain trust established, let’s step into the process.
Step by step guide how to synchronise users from a second domain in to Azure Active Directory.
Launch AD Connect and click on Configure
Click on Customize synchronization options and click Next
Enter the credentials to connect to Azure AD and ensure the account is a global administrator.
Enter the name of the second domain and click Add Directory
Enter the details of a user account in the domain that is a member of the enterprise administrators group.
You will now see the second domain added to the configured directories list.
Select whether to sync all the objects in the domain, or to sync only objects in specific OUs.
Select any optional feature you require and click Next
Tick the box if you want to start the synchronisation process once the configuration completes, or you may untick it and place AD Connect into a “disabled” mode (will require PowerShell commands to activate it).
Click Configure when ready to finish the process.
AD Connect will now synchronise objects from both domains into your Azure AD tenant.
You can monitor the process by launching the AD Connect Synchronization Service Manager.
by Mark | Oct 2, 2020 | Azure, Azure Blobs, How To, Storage Accounts
How to get the Size of your Azure Blob Containers
Something we get asked quite often is, how can I see the size of my Containers in each Storage Account? We know that Azure storage is one of the fastest growing aspects of Azure because it offers almost a limitless supply of storage, so companies are consuming more and more storage at an explosive rate. The question of being able to track this consumption is becoming more and more relevant.
OK, so how can I get the size of my containers in a Storage Account? Azure offers a few ways to do this, but each of the methods available are quite time consuming unless you only want to see the size of one or two containers, otherwise you’re in for some effort.
One way of course is good old PowerShell. We love PowerShell but a lot of people don’t want to be using scripts and code, either because they don’t feel comfortable with it or don’t have the time to be changing scripts to suit their specific environment and requirements, so I’m going to skip this aspect.
Why is it’s important to track the size of containers in Azure?
Tracking the size of containers in Azure is important for a number of reasons:
- Cost control: Knowing the size of containers helps to control the costs associated with using Azure storage. Azure storage is a pay-as-you-go service and the costs depend on the amount of data stored. By monitoring the size of containers, organizations can ensure they are only paying for the storage they need.
- Resource management: By monitoring the size of containers, organizations can determine which containers are growing quickly and need additional resources, such as increased storage capacity, to accommodate the growth.
- Compliance: In certain industries, regulations require organizations to keep track of the data they store. Knowing the size of containers helps organizations ensure they are in compliance with these regulations.
- Data analysis: The size of containers can provide valuable insights into the growth and usage patterns of the data stored in Azure. This information can be used to make informed decisions about future data storage requirements.
Overall, tracking the size of containers in Azure is important for ensuring the efficient and effective use of storage resources, staying in compliance with regulations, and making informed data management decisions.
No Powershell Required
OK, if we skip PowerShell what other options do I have?
First I’ll show you how to get the size of the Containers using the Azure Portal and then I’ll show you how much easier, quicker and better it is to use our FREE TOOL, Cloud Storage Manager.
*Note: Before we start, when using the Azure Portal to find the size of a Container, you need to know which Storage Account the Container resides in.
How to get the size of a Container in a Storage Account using the Azure portal
1. Log into the Azure portal
2. Select Storage Accounts from the panel or use the search bar at the top
3. Here you will see all your Blob Storage Accounts. Select the Storage Account you want to view.
Blob Container View
4. Select Containers on the left pane next under the Blob Service section.
This will take you to the Storage Container view of that Storage Account you have selected, showing all the containers within.
List all Blob Containers
5. Here you will see a list of all the Containers in that Storage Account.
Select the Container you are interested in.
Blob Container Properties
6. Once inside the Container, select Properties on the left hand side.
Azure Blob Container Size
7. Inside the Properties view you will have a button at the bottom to “Calculate Size”. Click on this button to get the size of the Container.
Azure Blob Container Total Size
8. Now you are presented with the Blob Container Size.
What if you want to see the Consumption of all your Storage Accounts?
So that is how you can get the size of a Container in a Storage Account using the Azure portal. Not too bad if you have one or two Containers you want to see. But what if you have 50 or 5,000? That method is not realistic.
The Azure portal method for determining the size of a container is limited when it comes to multiple containers as it becomes time-consuming and unrealistic. For example, if you have 50 or 5,000 containers, using the Azure portal to manually calculate the size of each container is not a feasible solution. Additionally, if you don’t know which storage account a container is in, it becomes difficult to find the size of that container using the Azure portal method.
Also, what if you don’t know which Storage Account the Container is in? Good luck!
So what is the solution? Glad you asked.
Get your Azure Blob Storage Consumption
All you have to do, is launch Cloud Storage Manager. No, seriously that’s it. Once it’s finished scanning your environment, all you have to do is launch it.
Azure Blob Storage Usage Information
On the left side you’ll see a list of all your Subscriptions (with total size), Storage Accounts (with total size) and Azure Storage Containers (with total size).
And if you want even more information, the right hand panel shows you how many Blobs in each Container in Azure, the Container size and what the percentage of total size it’s consuming relative to the Storage Account.
Furthermore you can get historical growth reports on your Azure Blob consumption providing you with great insights in to your Azure Storage growth.
As you can see, Cloud Storage Manager is by far the easier and simpler way of finding out how much storage a Container is consuming in Azure.
Download it for FREE and use it today.
by Mark | Oct 1, 2020 | Azure, How To
The Top Azure blogs we follow
As Microsoft is forever releasing new functionality within Azure and all its offerings its often hard to keep abreast of the latest changes in technology.
To do so, we here at SmiKar Software often follow influential and knowledgeable people that are experts in the their fields, to keep up to date ourselves. In no particular order, here are some of the noteworthy Azure Blogs that we follow.
They all help us understand and keep up to date with Azure and technology in general, hopefully they can do the same for you too.
Where to get the best Microsoft Azure News
Founded by Chris Pietschmann in 2015 (originally as BuildAzure.com) with a focus on Microsoft Azure, Hyper-V, VMware and Citrix content. Articles are written by both Chris and Dan Patrick which are both Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVP) and their blog provides great weekly content with over 11,000 subscribers.
Robert Smit’s has over 20 years experience and is another Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) in both Clusterings and Cloud and Datacentre. His blog provides great insight in to Azure with lots of relevant how to guides.
Dishan Francis’s provides a comprehensive blog that is over 7 years old. His blog is not just about Microsoft Azure but also on Azure Active Directory. His blogs are very informative and often go quite in to technical detail.
Aavisek Choudhury works for Unisys as a Lead Azure Cloud Platform Architect. He has been working with Microsoft technologies since 2000 and his blog provides his knowledge and insights in to Azure.
Now any blog list for Azure cant be complete without Microsoft’s own blog on Azure. Great site to quickly find information on Azure new services and updates.
Christiaan has a great blog primarily focused on Virtual Desktop technology where he gives his views and knowledge on everything Microsoft, VMware and Citrix.
Sarah Lean works for Microsoft and while her blog is fairly new, she provides a great blog to follow on Azure and Microsoft Teams. Her expertise inst just in those but also her career has been focused on Microsoft Exchange, SCCM and Patch Management.
Ryan Mangan is the Chief Technology Officer at Systech IT Solutions and is passionate about End User Computing. His blogs are a great guide for Azure and Virtual Desktop information.
Michael Coutanche’s blog is focuesd on Azure, Hyper-V, System Centre Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) and Remote Desktop Services with great informative articles and how to guides.
Practical 365 is a joint effort from Steve Goodman and Paul Robichaux, who both happen to be Microsoft Most Valued Professionals.Their blog provides information on Azure, Office 365, Exchange, Sharepoint and more.
Kenneth van Surksum is a senior consultant at Insight24 (and yet another Microsoft Most Valued Professional) and his blog provides information on Azure and Office 365 solutions as well as System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Intune.
Tao Yang is another great blogger and also yet again another Microsoft Most Valued Professional who in his blogs shares his thoughts about Azure and Office 365 technologies.
Thomas Janet’s check has over 15 years experience in both on premises and cloud infrastructure solutions. His great blog provides his thoughts on Azure and cloud based technologies. He is also another Microsoft Most Valued Professional.
Shabaz Darr writes a great blog called I am IT Geek (Aren’t we all at heart). His blog delves in to his experiences with technology, especially Microsoft Azure and Teams.
Daniel Neumann is a mutli time Microsoft Most Valued Professional. His blogs are a great source of information on Azure, with a good focus on Kubernetes.
Jamie has been in the software industry for years and worked mainly with Microsoft .Net. We find his blogs a great source for coding and Azure in general. Jamie is another Microsoft Most Valuable Professional.
Another Microsoft Most Valuable Professional, Marcos Nogueira’s blog Azure Centric is just that. A great informative blog that provides you with great how to guides on the setup of various Azure Services.
Thomas Thorton is highly accredited in Microsfot Azure technologies. His blog has a heavy devops focus and has insightful information on deploying services in Microsoft Azure.
Sam Smith is also hold accreditation as an Azure Architect and Azure Developer / Devops. His blogs go in to great detail around his coding passion and of course Azure.
Richard Hooper (yes, another Microsoft Most Valuable Professional) provides a blog on Azure as well as great study guides to help you get certified.
These are the Top Cloud Blogs that we follow
Hopefully you agree. If you know of any Azure blogs or even Microsoft Blogs that we should know of or even if you are new Azure Blogger yourself, please contact us and we would be happy to review the site, and add it to the list.
by Mark | Sep 23, 2020 | Azure, Azure Blobs, Blob Storage, Storage Accounts
Azure Blob Storage
Blobs, Blobs and more Blobs.
If you have ever had the need to store large amounts of files and data, then Azure’s Blob Storage is made for you.
Microsoft’s Azure Cloud provides huge benefits with not only their fantastic services, locations, availability and support, but also in their almost seemingly infinite capacity.
Azure Blob Storage is not only scalable, durable and almost always available it also provides flexibility to scale as your business requirements need.
A huge benefit to using Azure services is the pay as you go service model, that allows you to only pay for the services you consume. No more need to over provision local file servers hard drives for expected capacity, with Azure Blob Storage you upload your files to Azure and only pay for the space you need.
What is Azure Blob Storage?
Azure Blob Storage Overview
Azure Blob Storage (Blob stands for Binary Large Object) is storage provided by Microsoft’s Azure for unstructured data. Perfect for massive amounts of data. Example use cases are as a target for your log or analytics data, or Blob Storage can be used as a backup and archival location, and even things like files, pictures and music files. Basically Azure Blob Storage is a great dumping ground for huge amounts of your data. A Blob is actually a file which is stored in a directory like structure called a Container, then within an Azure Storage Account, and an Azure Resource Group and finally an Azure Subscription.
Access to each Azure Blob is provided by a HTTPS link directly to the Blob itself, meaning you can access the file from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Obviously if you dont want the data exposed to the whole world, you can lock this down to meet your security needs.
Azure Blob Storage Hierachy
| Concept |
Description |
Azure Resource Group
|
Used to contain related resources together for a solution. Logical collection of configuration items within Azure. Can contain Virtual Machines, Virtual Networks, and other items. |
Azure Storage Accounts
|
Top level of Storage Services within Azure. Contains Blobs, Queue Tables, File Shares and Virtual Machine disks. Can be accessed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Default limit of 250 Storage Accounts per region and per subscription, with no limits on the number of Azure Storage Containers or Blobs contained within. |
Azure Storage Containers
|
Used like a folder that contains all your blobs. Unlimited amount of Storage Containers per Storage Account. |
Azure Blobs
|
Any type of file that is unstructured and stored within an Azure Storage Container. Can store large amounts of Blobs within each container, and these could be things like document files, images, and other multimedia.
|
Azure Blob Storage Availability
Additionally when creating your Azure Storage Account you can choose how much redundancy / availability for your Azure Blob Storage. While Microsoft provides an SLA on the uptime of your storage, choosing the correct availability of your Azure Storage Account will ensure your Azure Blobs are accessible in the event of failure.
- LRS – Locally Redundant Storage – Keeps a synchronous copy of your Azure Blobs three times within the same Azure Datacentre. This is the least cost option
- ZRS – Zone Redundant Storage – Replicates your Azure Blobs synchronous across three Azure Availability Zones in the primary region.
- GRS – Geo-Redundant Storage– Copies your Azure Blobs synchronous three times within the same Azure Datacentre, then copies the same Azure Blobs asynchronously across to one other single location in another secondary Azure Region.
- GZRS – Geo-Zone-Redundant Storage– Copies your Azure Blobs synchronous across three Azure Availability Zones in the primary region, then copies the same Azure Blobs asynchronously across to one other single location in another secondary Azure Region.
Azure Blob Storage Tiering
Microsoft provides different storage tiering models for the storing of your data.
Each one has a different storage pricing model in Azure (per GB) and access requirements.
- Hot – Best for data that is accessed frequently. (most expensive per GB)
- Cool – Great for data that is accessed infrequently. (not as expensive as Hot, but no where as cheap as the Archive Tier)
- Archive – Perfect for data that is very rarely accessed. (cheapest per GB)
Azure Blob Storage Types
Azure Blob Storage has three different types
These are;
- Block Blobs – Perfect for storing documents, text files or even your media files
- Append Blobs – cannot be modified and requires you to upload a new blob.
- Page Blobs – are used for storing Azure Virtual Machine disks.
Azure Blob Storage Limitations
Although Azure Blob Storage seems limitless, there are always some technical limitations that you should be aware of.
Some of these limitations are;
- Service Level Agreement – Microsoft provides an uptime 99.99% on Azure Blob Storage
- Maximum size of Storage Account – 500TB
- Maximum size of a Single Blob – 5TB
- Number of Blocks in a Blob – 50,000 blocks
- Maximum size of a block – 100MB
- Minimum size of a block – 64KB
- Maximum Storage Account Capacity – 5PB
- Number of Storage Accounts per Subscription – 200
- Tiering – Only the Hot and Cool Access Tiers can be set at the root of the Storage Container. Archive Tier is per individual Blob. (you can select multiple files using Cloud Storage Manager to change to the Archive Tier. This isnt possible using the Azure Portal)
- Archive Tier stores the data offline. This requires time to retrieve the Blob from the offline storage. There is additional cost to retrieve this data and the retrieval time can take several hours.
- Archive Tier Rehydration – When a Blob is in the Archive Tier the data cannot be modified as it is actually offline. To modify a Blob in this Tier you would first need to rehydrate the Blob to an Online Tier (Hot or Cool)
Azure Blob Storage Configurations and Options
Azure Blob Storage Pricing
As with anything cloud-based, be careful which options you select as there will be cost impacts. As an example, Locally Redundant Storage is the cheapest availability option for Microsoft’s Azure Blob Storage, whereas Geo Zone Redundant Storage provides the highest Availability, but costs significantly more.
For Azure Blob Tiering, the Archive Tier is the cheapest at almost a tenth of the cost of Cool and Hot Tiers..
| Tiering |
LRS – Locally Redundant Storage |
ZRS – Zone Redundant Storage |
GRS – Geo-Redundant Storage |
RA-GRS – Read Access Geo-Redundant Storage |
GZRS – Geo Zone Redundant Storage |
RA-GZRS – Read Access Geo Zone Redundant Storage |
| Blob Storage – Archive Tier |
0.03 cents for 10GB |
Option not available for Archive Tier |
0.07 cents for 10GB |
0.07 cents for 10GB |
Option not available for Archive Tier |
Option not available for Archive Tier |
| Blob Storage – Cool Tier |
0.21 cents for 10GB |
0.26 cents for 10GB |
0.41 cents for 10GB |
0.53 cents for 10GB |
0.48 cents for 10GB |
0.60 cents for 10GB |
| Blob Storage – Hot Tier |
0.28 cents for 10GB |
0.35 cents for 10GB |
0.56 cents for 10GB |
0.70 cents for 10GB |
0.66 cents for 10GB |
0.82 cents for 10GB |
Now while the price does fluctutate at times, and even differentiates between the different Microsoft Azure Datacentres, the pricing table above has been given as a reference to the differences in costs and options on your Azure Storage.
To work out how much the cost differences, you can use the Microsoft Azure Pricing Calculator to work out the cost impacts to your solution
Azure Blob Storage Best Practices
Azure Blob Storage is a highly scalable, durable, and cost-effective object storage solution from Microsoft Azure. It is a great option for storing unstructured data, such as text and binary data, in the cloud. To get the most out of Azure Blob Storage, it’s important to follow some best practices. In this article, we will discuss the key best practices for Azure Blob Storage.
Use appropriate storage tiers:
Azure Blob Storage offers three storage tiers: Hot, Cool, and Archive. Hot storage is optimized for frequent access to data, Cool storage is optimized for infrequent access, and Archive storage is optimized for long-term data retention. Choose the right storage tier based on your data access patterns and the costs associated with each tier.
Enable versioning:
Versioning allows you to keep multiple versions of the same blob, so you can easily recover from accidental deletions or updates. To enable versioning, you can use the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure Storage REST API.
Use a content delivery network (CDN):
A CDN can help distribute your blobs globally and improve the performance and responsiveness of your applications. You can configure a CDN for your Blob Storage account by using the Azure portal or Azure CLI.
Use shared access signatures (SAS) wisely:
SAS is a secure way to grant access to your blobs without exposing your storage account key. However, it’s important to limit the scope of access granted by the SAS and to set an appropriate expiration time.
Enable encryption:
Azure Blob Storage supports encryption of data at rest using Azure Storage Service Encryption. This feature encrypts your data before it is written to disk and automatically decrypts it when you access it.
Use Azure Blob Storage events:
Azure Blob Storage events allow you to trigger serverless functions or logic apps when specific events occur in your storage account. You can use events to implement complex workflows or integrate with other Azure services.
Monitor and manage your storage account:
Regularly monitor the usage and performance of your storage account using Azure Monitor. You can set up alerts to receive notifications when certain thresholds are met, and you can also use Azure Policy to enforce policies and control access to your storage account.
Monitor usage and storage consumption:
Reduce cost by using Cloud Storage Manager to gain insights in to your cloud storage consumption.
Use the right tools for the job:
Azure Blob Storage provides a number of tools and SDKs for working with your blobs, including Azure Portal, Azure CLI, and Azure Storage REST API as well as our own Cloud Storage Manager. Choose the tool that best fits your needs and make sure to follow the best practices for each tool.
In conclusion, following these best practices can help you get the most out of Azure Blob Storage and ensure that your data is secure, scalable, and accessible. Whether you’re storing unstructured data or building applications that rely on Blob Storage, following these best practices can help you maximize your investment and minimize risks.
Do you want information on all your Blobs in Azure?
Azure Blob Storage Insights
Now that you have some background in to what Azure Blob Storage can do for you and are ready to take the jump and start uploading huge amounts of data to your Azure Storage Containers.
Cloud Storage Manager provides you with further insights in to your Azure consumption. Providing you with quick to see capacity information, searching through all your Blob Storage, as well as historical reporting of your Azure Storage Accounts consumption.
If you want to see exactly what is in your Azure Storage Accounts, download Cloud Storage Manager and test it for yourself for free.
Azure Blob Storage Architecture
Azure Blob Storage is designed with a distributed architecture that provides high availability, durability, and scalability. The architecture comprises three layers:
Front-End Layer
The front-end layer handles incoming requests from clients and routes them to the appropriate back-end nodes.
Back-End Layer
The back-end layer consists of multiple storage nodes that store the data in a distributed manner. The data is stored in a redundant manner to ensure high availability and durability.
Blob Service Layer
The Blob Service Layer provides the APIs and SDKs for accessing the Blob Storage service. It also provides features such as authentication and authorization, metadata, and access control for Blob Storage.
