Breaking down Azure Storage Pricing: Everything You Must Know

• Cool-tier blobs have a minimum storage period of 30 days
• Cold tier have 90 days
• Archive Tiers are 180 days

Azure Page Blobs 

Azure Page Blobs, as section of 512-byte pages are optimised for random read and write options. It excels in scenarios that require the ability to overwrite a random small segment at a known address, like storing index-based and sparse data structures.

Page blobs can be accessed via the REST protocol or attached to a VM to handle disk traffic as Unmanaged Disks. 

Azure Files

Azure Files are managed file shares for cloud or on-premises deployments. Azure Files (File Storage) uses the Server Message Block (SMB) or the Network File System (NFS) protocol to retrieve files. It can be used to mount file shares on Windows, Linux, and mac machines.

Azure Tables storage cost 

Azure Tables is a low-cost method of storing table-like data for apps. This type of storage is key-attribute storage and is most useful for NoSQL data.

The price you pay depend on the chosen tier: 

• LRS (locally redundant storage)
• GRS (geo-redundant storage)
• Read-access geo-redundant (RA-GRS)
• Zone-redundant storage (ZRS)
• Geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS). 

The pricing model for Azure Queue and Table Storage is consumption-based. You’re charged for the amount of data stored, the type of redundancy, and the transactions performed on your data. 

Here's the pricing breakdown for Azure Tables data storage (Central US): 

Deleting data is free, but additional charges apply for every 10000 operations. Your price is down to whether you batch, write, read, scan or list operations.

Here’s a breakdown of the price for each: 

As you can see, costs increase with redundancy (GRS is more expensive than LRS). This is due to data replication across multiple regions. 

Azure Queues Storage 

Azure Queue Storage is a messaging service used to retrieve and save messages. A queue may hold millions of messages. As opposed to Azure Blob Storage and Azure Files, Queues storage is more straightforward, offering the following tiers: 

• LRS 
• GRS 
• RA-GRS  

This is what Azure Queues Storage will cost you: 

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (DLSg2) is a cloud-based storage solution designed for big data analytics built into Azure Blob Storage. Data Lake storage is not a standalone service or account type; rather, it's a set of advanced features integrated with the Blob storage service in your Azure storage account.  

When you enable hierarchical namespace, you gain advanced features like NFS protocol and SFTP access, allowing you to move files, recurse through directories, and use native file system operations. Additionaly, DLSg2 is the base for creating data lakes in Azure.

Azure Managed Disks 

Azure Managed Disks provide high-performance, durable block storage for Azure virtual machines. Azure offers four disk storage options to choose from: 

• Ultra Disk Storage 
• Premium SSD 
• Standard SSD 
• Standard HDD 

When you first look at it, its pricing may feel somewhat confusing. Azure Managed Disks pricing varies depending on performance, the disk category and size, reservation period and the capacity. Actions like snapshots and excessive bursting can drive up your monthly costs.  

Now, let’s dive deeper into each one of these disk storage options. 

Ultra Disk Storage 

Ultra Disk is the next-gen SSD with the lowest latency and consistently high throughput. They come in various sizes, offering configurable IOPS and throughput (MB/s), and are billed hourly. However, Ultra Disks only support locally redundant storage (LRS). 

The total cost of Ultra Disk depends on the disk size, performance configuration, and the number of disks used.

This is what you pay based on 730 hours per month: 

Premium SSD 

Azure Premium SSD Managed Disks are high-performance storage options designed for I/O-intensive workloads with low latency and high throughput. The total cost of Premium SSDs depends on the disk size, number of disks, and the volume of outbound data transfers. Different disk sizes provide varying levels of IOPS, throughput caps, and monthly pricing per GiB.

Furthermore, they support both locally-redundant storage (LRS) and zone-redundant storage (ZRS) for added resilience and are compatible with multiple VM sizes. 

Besides, there’s also a Premium SSD v2 Disk Storage option, which is built for performance-sensitive workloads that need consistently low read and write latency and high IOPS and throughput. It’s ideal for data-intensive applications like SQL Server as it lets you scale without increasing storage.

Here's the full pricing breakdown for the Premium SSD v2 Disk: 

Standard SSD & HDD 

Standard SSDs are a cost-effective storage option, ideal for test environments and entry-level production workloads. They also handle big data workloads with high throughput demands.  

The table below shows the costs of the cheapest tiers of Standard SSD: 

*LRS as redundancy options
*Central US as region 

Standard HDDs are more suitable for dev/test environments and infrequent access workloads where performance isn’t a must. 

The total cost for both storage options depends on:

• Disk size
• Number of disks
• Transaction volume
• Outbound data transfers

Standard SSDs support both LRS and ZRS options, whereas Standard HDDs only support LRS. 

Best Practices for Managing Azure Storage Costs 

The amount of data stored in the cloud grows tremendously, making cost management essential. Strategic planning and the use of various features are key to optimising cost and enhancing efficiency in Azure storage.  

This also means implementing settings properly and using best practices to manage expenses without compromising performance or availability. These are some of the best practices for managing Azure Storage costs: 

Use the right storage access tier 

Organising data by access frequency is crucial for optimising storage costs in Azure. As discussed, Azure Blob Storage provides multiple access tiers (hot, cool, cold, and archive) for different data access patterns.  

Choose the appropriate tier based on access frequency and usage patterns. This can significantly reduce costs. Always assess carefully your data's access patterns.  

• If you often access data, you should opt for the Hot tier.
• For less frequently accessed data, you should use cooler tiers (cool, cold, and archive), which help lower storage costs.

However, retention periods apply for these tiers, so you cannot delete them whenever you want without associated costs. 

Enable blob storage lifecycle management 

Azure blob storage lifecycle management allows you to set rule-based policies to automate data transitions between storage tiers or delete data at the end of its lifecycle. This optimises your storage costs by ensuring data is stored in the most cost-effective tier based on access frequency. Storage capacity limits apply at the account level, allowing flexibility in using one or multiple tiers. 

Leverage tiering best practices 

Store unused append or page blobs, such as old log files or compliance data, in cooler storage tiers to reduce costs. Before transitioning data, combine smaller files into larger ones (e.g., zip archives) to minimise transfer operations and optimise storage efficiency.  

Leverage Azure Storage Reserved Capacity 

Azure Reservations are great for steady, predictable workloads. You can purchase reserved capacity for Blob Storage and achieve significant cost savings over pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing. This commitment allows you to secure a discounted rate for a set period, locking in discounted rates, which can make cloud storage more cost-effective. 

Organise data by retention duration 

Optimise storage costs by categorising data based on retention needs and storing it in the appropriate tier. You can configure a retention policy to delete old data that is no longer required automatically.  

For example, you can keep frequently accessed logs in the Hot tier for 30 days, then move them to cool storage for long-term retention. If unused after 180 days, they can be automatically deleted – saving you a fair chunk of your cloud bill. 

Use Azure Advisor 

Leverage Azure Advisor's cost optimisation recommendations to identify underused storage resources and get actionable insights on cutting unnecessary expenses. 

Minimise data egress by localising resources 

While data ingress (uploading data to Azure) is free, data egress (transferring data out of Azure) incurs charges. Data egress is an underestimated storage cost and can quickly add to the cloud bill.

To reduce cost, keep storage, compute, and services in the same region, especially for data-intensive applications.  

‍Use Calculators to estimate and understand Azure Storage Pricing 

Leverage Azure Pricing Calculator to estimate and understand storage costs before deployment, helping you budget effectively and avoid unexpected expenses. 

Optimise Azure Files for shared access workloads 

Based on your read/write patterns, Configure Azure Files with the right performance tier (Premium, Transaction Optimised, Hot, or Cool) for shared access workloads. 

Closing thoughts 

Azure storage pricing can be complex and get out of hand fast. It requires thoughtful planning, strategically choosing storage tiers, and using the best practices we’ve discussed. Remember to select the right storage options based on your access patterns, data retention needs and workload demands.  

Like with many services in Azure, pricing can be complex. At Intercept, we can help you to optimise your storage costs and everything cost-related in Microsoft Azure. Get the most out of your Azure subscription without overspending. Read about 12 tips for Azure Cost Optimisation and do not hesitate to reach out to us!