What is Azure Blob Storage?
Azure Blob Storage is an integral component of Microsoft Azure. It is basically Microsofts object storage solution for the cloud. Therefore, users can store enormous amounts of unstructured data in the cloud without any hassles using Azure blob storage. Furthermore, Azure Blob storage comes handy in several scenarios. For example,
- Streaming video & audio,
- Serving images or documents directly to a browser.”
- Storing files for distributed access.”
- “Writing to log files.”
- Storing data for backup, disaster recovery and archiving.”
- Storing data for analysis by an on-premises or Azure-hosted service”.
What is Unstructured Data?
Unstructured data is any data that does not conform to any particular or pre-set data model or schema, or definition like image, video files, audio files, text, binary & application data, etc. As a result, you cannot store them in traditional relational databases.
Why is Azure Blob Storage Important?
At Dhyey Consulting, we believe that data is the new fuel driving the economy. We also understand that to gain a competitive edge over others in this era of data, businesses, especially small & mid-sized businesses (SMB’s), must manage their data sources effectively. However, 90 % of the data generated is unstructured and paves the way for data silos. And with our 11+ years of industry experience, we know how expensive & challenging it is for SMBs to store and manage unstructured data sources.
Therefore, as a Consultant & Microsoft Gold Partner, we offer a modern solution in the form of Azure Blob Storage. By using this secure & scalable solution, SMBs can store vast amounts of data economically & seamlessly.
Different Types of Blobs in Azure Storage
Block Blobs
It comprises blocks of data, and SMB’s can use it for storing binary data and text. Further, “it can store up to about 190.7 TiB.”
Append Blobs
It also comprises blocks of data and is like block blobs. However, SMB’s can specifically use it for appending operations like logging data from virtual machines, etc.
Page Blobs
It serves as a disk for Azure Virtual Machines and SMB’s can use it for storing virtual hard drive files. Moreover, “it can store random access files up to 8 TiB in size.”
Benefits of Azure Blog Storage
Comprehensive Data Management
Azure blob storage offers multiple storage tiers and automated lifecycle management. As a result, SMBs can store enormous amounts of data sources in the most cost-efficient manner. Moreover, they can also optimize costs by seamlessly integrating with hot, cool & archive storage tiers.
Supports Cloud-Native Applications
Azure Blob Storage is built from the ground up to support the scale and security needed by mobile web and cloud-native app developers. Moreover, Azure Blob storage supports the most popular development frameworks, including Java, .NET, Python and Node.js. Likewise,” it is the only cloud storage service that provides SMBs with a premium, SSD-based object storage tier for interactive & low-latency scenarios.”
Scalable & Durable
Azure blob storage comprises designed durability with geo replications and flexibility to scale and enables SMBs to meet their unique business needs. Moreover, along with scalability, it also supports the high throughput requirements of HPC applications.
Highly Secure
Azure blob storage provides Authentication with Azure Active Directory and role-based access control (RBAC). Moreover, it also offers advanced threat protection along with plus encryption at rest.
