Item: IBM Cloud Object Storage
Rating: 6
Author: Mike Koolwijk

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

For multinational companies, we use IBM Cloud [Object] Storage for regional and cross-region cloud storage. And that with a lot of data. We ended up "trying" IBM for having servers in specific countries and we wanted to lower the transfer times of data. This with the options to make private clouds and public clouds, to make specific files accessible, on [specific] locations based on geodata.

Pros and Cons

Security - We did many tests with many cloud solutions and IBM performed in the top options
They have a cold vault service that is perfect for backups
Easy to scale
Easy to setup with multiple devices

The speed, this was a important part, but we still have many desyncs.
Setup with specific rules and data migrations can be a hassle.
The UI can be daunting, it needs another look from UX perspective.

Return on Investment

A big central cloud to work from many locations on multiple devices.
A good tool for developers to use to work together on projects.

IBM Cloud Object Storage Built-in SQL Query

Yeh, we used this for web projects to create cloud-based databases for collaboration projects. And also to fetch data for creating reports with automated tools.

IBM Cloud Object Storage Data Transfer

Yeh, we had some issues here, national it had great speeds 0 delays. But [when] using it on active projects that were international we had many delays...

IBM Cloud Object Storage Flexible Storage Tiers

This is a good option they have, based on the type of project, budget, and storage you want to use. You have these options to choose from. So with some projects, we went all in, but some clients [preferred] the cold storage over the others, well that's also [an option] then. The flexibility and options helped us to land some projects.

Key Insights

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

Yes

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

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

Yes

Did implementation of IBM Cloud Object Storage go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy IBM Cloud Object Storage again?

Alternatives Considered

Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box

IBM is [on] another level against these products. I think IBM is more for the bigger companies with bigger projects. If you are smaller and already use MS Office or Google then check those products first, they also have more advanced options (sometimes paid) to enhance your "cloud". Where OneDrive is part of Microsoft and is integrated with all the Office applications and Google Cloud with Google applications.

Other Software Used

OneDrive, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox

Likelihood to Recommend

As told in the intro, it works well if you want a [globally] accessible cloud storage solution. They have servers in many locations making it great for big teamwork projects without thinking [too] much about the size because you can scale endlessly. And if you are looking for great security of data (and that is a big thing these days) then IBM has 1 of the best. Yet for us, they still are behind with the speed, and the UI is also [a] little bit outdated...Making it hard for some people to work with...In its price range we ended up with other solutions.

A good "secure" cloud storage solution - but may not be for everyone.

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Cloud Object Storage