Azure: Providing private storage for internal company documents

#azure #cloudcomputing #devops

What is Microsoft Azure?
Azure is a platform and service for cloud computing. Through Microsoft's extensive global network of data centres, it offers a broad range of cloud services, such as computing, analytics, storage, and networking, enabling developers and companies to create, implement, and oversee applications. In this exercise, we will be using Azure to provide private storage ideal for internal company documents. This article will provide a visual demonstration the process outlined in this exercise provided my Microsoft: https://microsoftlearning.github.io/Secure-storage-for-Azure-Files-and-Azure-Blob-Storage/Instructions/Labs/LAB_02b_storage_private_docs.html

Requirements for this exercise:

You need an Azure subscription and to have created a Resource Group. Refer to this exercise to learn how to create the necessary Resource Group: https://dev.to/johnogbonna/providing-storage-for-a-public-website-in-azure-3fl3

Create a storage account and configure high availability.

1. Create a storage account the internal company documents:

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.
Click Create
Select the Resource group created in the previous lab.
Set the Storage account name to private. Add an identifier to the name to ensure the name is unique.
Select Review, and then Create the storage account.
Create the storage account.

Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

2. This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Read access in the secondary region is not required.

Configure the appropriate level of redundancy:

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade
Ensure Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is selected.
Save your changes.
Refresh the page.
Review the primary and secondary location information.

Create a storage container, upload a file, and restrict access to the file.

1. Create a private storage container for the corporate data

In the storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.
Ensure the Name of the container is private.
Ensure the Public access level is Private (no anonymous access).
As you have time, review the Advanced settings, but take the defaults.
Select Create.

2. For testing, upload a file to the private container. he type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice. Test to ensure the file isn’t publicly accessible:

Select the container.
Select Upload.
Browse to files and select a file.
Upload the file.
Select the uploaded file.
On the Overview tab, copy the URL.
Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
Verify the file doesn’t display and you receive an error.

3. An external partner requires read and write access to the file for at least the next 24 hours. Configure and test a shared access signature (SAS).

Select your uploaded blob file and move to the Generate SAS tab.
In the Permissions drop-down, ensure the partner has only Read permissions.
Verify the Start and expiry date/time is for the next 24 hours. Select Generate SAS token and URL.
Select Generate SAS token and URL.
Copy the Blob SAS URL to a new browser tab
Verify you can access the file. If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types will be downloaded.

Configure storage access tiers and content replication

1. To save on costs, after 30 days, move blobs from the hot tier to the cool tier

Return to the storage account. (Follow steps earlier in the tutorial)
In the Overview section, notice the Default access tier is set to Hot.
In the Data management section, select the Lifecycle management blade.
Select Add rule.
Set the Rule scope to Apply rule to all blobs in the storage account.
Select Next.
Ensure Last modified is selected.
Set More than (days ago) to 30.
In the Then drop-down select Move to cool storage.
As you have time, review other lifecycle options in the drop-down.
Add the rule.

2. The public website files need to be backed up to another storage account

In your storage account, create a new container called backup.
To do this go to the storage account, in overview, select Upload
Click "Create new" under Select an existing container
Name the container "backup" and click ok
Navigate to your publicwebsite storage account. This storage account was created in the previous exercise
In the Data management section, select the Object replication blade.
Select Create replication rules.
Set the Destination storage account to the private storage account.
Set the Source container to public and the Destination container to backup.
Create the replication rule.
Optionally, as you have time, upload a file to the public container. Return to the private storage account and refresh the backup container. Within a few minutes your public website file will appear in the backup folder.