Item: IBM Cloud File Storage
Rating: 8
Author: James Freeman

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

IBM Cloud [File] Storage is a great way for businesses to manage their object storage requirements. When working with clients, I have found it to be both flexible and powerful and helps my clients with their asset storage needs. For example, it is excellent for storing large content that might need to be streamed by end-users, especially that which needs to be stored across multiple geographies. The customizable metadata really helps with analytics.

Pros and Cons

Archival of large files which would otherwise need on-premise storage solutions.
Multi-geography storage (important in terms of data protection laws) means that data can be stored in the appropriate jurisdiction.
Infinitely scalable, so no concerns about capacity or building the next generation of storage solutions.

I have personally struggled with the NFS integration.
Still an early generation of product compared to competitors.
Ease of use could be improved upon.

Return on Investment

We recommend this to our clients to assist with their cloud storage needs, but I can't comment on their individual cases.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox Business, OneDrive and Google Cloud Storage

IBM has a really compelling offering for businesses, offering greater scalability, and flexibility over the competing solutions. This is an ever more important area of cloud operations, and IBM offers a service backed by one of the biggest names in the industry, offering guaranteed flashbacked storage over an industry-standard NFS interface - most of the competing products looked at required some kind of proprietary software to integrate them.

Key Insights

Do you think IBM Cloud File Storage delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with IBM Cloud File Storage's feature set?

Yes

Did IBM Cloud File Storage live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of IBM Cloud File Storage go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy IBM Cloud File Storage again?

Yes

IBM Cloud Portfolio

IBM Cloud Virtual Servers

Whilst we are very much getting started on the integration of multiple IBM Cloud portfolio services, we can already see the benefits of offering clients a unified management platform, unified billing, and a consistent user interface/terminology - this reduces the learning curve and helps speed up future adoptions from the portfolio.

Other Software Used

Microsoft 365 Business Premium, LastPass for Business, OVH Dedicated Servers

Likelihood to Recommend

IBM Cloud [File] Storage is well suited for environments where it is important to store files in the appropriate geography, and where capacity could be an issue. For example, rather than having to purchase or expand an existing storage array, and worry about complexities such as redundancy and hardware failure, all of this is abstracted away by IBM's Cloud File Storage solution. In this ever more connected world, it is vital that files are always available, and IBM Cloud File Storage is well suited for this.

Massive capacity, flexible pricing, and an industry standard inferface.

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Cloud File Storage