Microsoft's Blob Storage system on Azure is designed to make unstructured data available to customers anywhere through REST-based object storage.
$0.01
per GB/per month
Dell ECS
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Dell ECS (formerly Atmos) is an object-based cloud storage platform. The vendor states that it has been engineered to support both traditional and next-generation workloads alike. Deployable in a software-defined model or as a turnkey appliance, the vendor boasts that ECS provides unmatched scalability, manageability, resilience, and economics to meet the demands of modern business.
In Azure, it is the storage to use, and in my view, the Blob Storage offers more, or finer-grained configuration options, than S3. So my recommendation would be to check in detail what is offered. As the Blob Storage is more or less a Microsoft exclusive product, the "interoperability" is more limited than, for example, with S3. The S3 is more widely adopted, and if you cannot exclude a migration scenario from one cloud provider to another, additional effort is needed.
Dell ECS is well-suited for organizations that can't afford to store data in the public cloud. It also provides a much cheaper solution to store archived data that is not frequently accessed. However, it's not suitable for small-scale storage requirements as it will not be cost-effective. Also, it can't be used for low-latency databases as it will cause performance issues.
Blob storage is fairly simple, with several different options/settings that can be configured. The file explorer has enhanced its usability. Some areas could be improved, such as providing more details or stats on how many times a file has been accessed. It is an obvious choice if you're already using Azure/Entra.
Dell ECS is working well for our organisation. On the one hand, we can leverage cloud technology; on the other, we can keep it in our own data centre, thus ensuring full security for sensitive data. With Dell ECS, we are saving a lot on the monthly bill that we used to pay for the cloud storage solution.
Microsoft has improved its customer service standpoint over the years. The ability to chat with an issue, get a callback, schedule a call or work with an architecture team(for free) is a huge plus. I can get mentorship and guidance on where to go with my environment without pushy sales tactics. This is very refreshing. Typically support can get me to where I need to be on the first contact, which is also nice.
Azure Premium Blob offers better latency than competitors. It works best with the Azure ecosystem, and competitors lack it. Azure Blob even stands out in storage durability, providing up to 16 nines. It can have various use cases that can suit all the organisation's needs. The Azure Blob solution can also be deployed on-premises.
Because of Dell's proven reliability and stability, it's well-suited to large enterprises compared to its competitors. Its Geo-distribution technology protects data across sites in a very cost-effective manner. It supports storage for both modern and legacy applications. Its archive storage costs are much lower than those of its competitors. It saves monthly bills as we own the hardware.
