Cold Storage in Microsoft Azure

Cold storage in Microsoft Azure refers to a low-cost storage solution designed for data that is infrequently accessed but still needs to be retained for long-term storage. This service is part of Azure’s Blob Storage offerings, specifically targeting scenarios where data does not require immediate availability or high access speeds.

Overview of Azure Cold Storage

• Cost-Effectiveness: Cold storage offers significant savings compared to regular storage options. For instance, the Cool Blob Storage tier costs between $0.01 to $0.048 per GB per month, which is more than 50% less than the Hot Blob Storage tier, which ranges from $0.0223 to $0.061 per GB.
• Designed for Infrequent Access: Cold storage is ideal for data that is rarely accessed, such as backups, media files, scientific data, and compliance archives. It allows businesses to save on storage costs while keeping their data safe for future use.
• Service Competitiveness: The introduction of Azure’s cold storage service is a response to established offerings from competitors like Amazon’s Glacier and Google’s Cloud Storage Nearline, which have provided similar services for several years.

Technical Aspects

• Pelican Architecture: Microsoft’s cold storage system is built on the Pelican architecture, which was designed for exascale cold storage. Pelican offers a converged design where mechanical systems, hardware, and software are integrated to optimize storage efficiency. It can handle significant amounts of data, sustaining read rates of up to 1GB per second per petabyte.
• Availability and Redundancy: The Cool access tier guarantees 99.9% availability, while the Hot access tier offers 99.99%. Azure allows for redundancy options (like RA-GRS) that further enhance data availability, making it possible for customers to achieve a 99.9% uptime SLA for cold access.

Use Cases

1. Backups: Storing backup copies of important data that do not require frequent access.
2. Media Content: Retaining large media files (e.g., videos, images) for potential future use.
3. Scientific Data: Archiving research data that may need to be referenced later.
4. Compliance and Archival Data: Keeping records that must be retained for legal or regulatory reasons.

Benefits of Azure Cold Storage

• Performance: While the Cool Blob Storage is optimized for lower-cost storage, it still provides acceptable latency and throughput for infrequently accessed data.
• Scalability: Azure Blob Storage scales easily with growing data needs, allowing organizations to expand without significant overhead.
• Security and Durability: Data stored in Azure benefits from Azure’s security protocols and redundancy features, ensuring that it is both secure and durable.
• Global Reach: Azure has a global presence, making it easier for businesses to store data close to their operational regions.

Management and Tools

Users can manage Azure Blob Storage through several platforms, including:

• Azure Portal: A web-based interface for managing Azure services.
• PowerShell: A command-line tool for automating tasks.
• Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer: A GUI-based tool that allows users to interact with their Azure storage resources easily.

Integration with Third-Party Solutions

Several third-party vendors have integrated support for Azure Cool Storage, including:

• Commvault: Provides enterprise data management solutions compatible with Azure’s storage offerings.
• Veritas: Offers NetBackup for data protection and management across various storage environments.
• SoftNAS: Plans to support Azure Cool Storage, enabling efficient cloud migration with enterprise-class features.
• Cohesity: Focuses on integrating with Azure for long-term data preservation and tiering infrequently accessed data.
• CloudBerry Lab: Provides backup solutions that now support Azure Blob Storage accounts, allowing for secure and encrypted data backups.