This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Oluwanifesimi
In today’s fast-paced IT landscape, development and operations teams need secure, scalable, and flexible environments for testing and training. Microsoft Azure provides a suite of powerful storage options that can supercharge your IT department’s efficiency without breaking the bank. Whether you’re building a test lab, setting up a sandbox for app training, or prepping for certifications—Azure has your back.
What Is a Storage Account in Azure?
A Storage Account in Microsoft Azure is like a container for all your cloud-based data services. It’s the foundation for using Azure storage offerings such as Blob Storage, File Shares, Queues, and Tables.
When you create a storage account, you choose its location (region), performance tier (Standard or Premium), replication strategy (e.g., LRS, GRS), and access methods. Every storage solution in Azure—whether you’re storing logs, virtual disks, or test scripts—resides inside a storage account.
Why it matters:
A storage account gives you unified control over your data—how it’s stored, accessed, and secured.
Analogy:
Think of a storage account as a toolbox. Inside, you can organize and manage different tools (files, blobs, disks) based on what your IT department needs for testing, training, and development.
Why Cloud-Based Storage for Testing and Training?
On-premises infrastructure is often expensive and time-consuming to manage. With Azure storage solutions, IT departments can:
- Spin up environments quickly
- Avoid hardware procurement delays
- Scale resources based on demand
- Provide remote access for hybrid teams
- Optimize costs using pay-as-you-go models
Storage Options for Testing & Training Workloads
1. Azure Blob Storage
Best for storing unstructured data like logs, scripts, VHDs, datasets, and documentation.
- Tiered storage (Hot, Cool, Archive) to save on costs
- Great for automating DevOps pipelines
- Accessible via REST APIs or Azure SDKs
2. Azure Files
A fully managed file share you can mount from Windows, macOS, or Linux.
- Perfect for shared resources in test environments
- Supports SMB and NFS protocols
- Easy integration with Azure Virtual Machines
3. Azure Disk Storage
Enterprise-grade disks for Azure VMs used in sandbox environments.
- High performance for intensive workloads
- Ultra Disk, Premium SSD, Standard SSD/HDD options
- Ideal for full-stack test deployments
In this article, will be focusing on the steps.
Create a resource group and a storage account
- in the azure portal, search and select resource group on the search pane
click on create to create a resource group.
Give your resource group a unique name, select a region , click on review and create, click on create to deploy resource group.
Create and deploy a storage account to support testing and training.
- In the Azure portal, search for and select storage account
- select create
- On the Basics tab, select your Resource group.
- Provide a Storage account name. The storage account name must be unique in Azure, Set the Performance to Standard and select review and create
- Wait for the storage account to deploy and then Go to resource.
Configure simple settings in the storage account.
- The data in this storage account doesn’t require high availability or durability. A lowest cost storage solution is desired.
- In your storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade
- Select Locally-redundant storage (LRS) in the Redundancy drop-down, Be sure to Save your changes,
- Refresh the page and notice the content only exists in the primary location.
2. The storage account should only accept requests from secure connections.
- In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade, Ensure Secure transfer required is Enabled.
3. Developers would like the storage account to use at least TLS version 1.2.
- In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade. Ensure the Minimal TLS version is set to Version 1.2.
4. Until the storage is needed again, disable requests to the storage account.
- In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade. Ensure Allow storage account key access is Disabled. Be sure to Save your changes. “it Enhances security, Reduces risk of key leakage”
5. Ensure the storage account allows public access from all networks.
- In the Security + networking section, select the Networking blade. Ensure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks. Be sure to Save your changes.
Why This Matters:
- Setting “Enabled from all networks” allows:
- Easy testing and access during development or training (like in an IT department test setup).
- Connectivity from any public IP, without needing extra configuration like VNets or firewalls.
Final Thoughts
Setting up storage for testing and training shouldn’t be a hassle. Azure makes it easy to create secure, scalable, and cost-effective environments that empower your IT department to experiment, learn, and grow.
Written by Oluwanifesimi — Helping devs and IT teams build smarter with the cloud. 
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Oluwanifesimi