A Comprehensive Guide to Providing Storage for IT Department Testing and Training.

INTRODUCTION

The IT department is the foundation of any organization's technological infrastructure. To ensure that systems work effectively, staff frequently demand specialized settings to test applications, simulate scenarios, and teach personnel on new tools and technologies. One key part of this process is to provide appropriate storage that is suited to the specific requirements of these operations. Storage is important in cloud computing because it stores all data, including files, images, videos, backups, and app data. People can store large volumes of data on Azure, keep it secure, and access it whenever needed, which is critical for running businesses and successfully maintaining apps.This article discusses the significance of storage in IT testing and training and offers practical strategies for implementing an effective storage system.
In this article, I will walk you through the steps of creating storage for IT department testing.
Step 1: Create a resource group and a storage account.

• In the Azure portal, search for and select Resource groups

• Select + Create

• Give your resource group a name. For example, storagerg
• Select a region. Use this region throughout the project
• Select Review and create to validate the resource group.

• Select Create to deploy the resource group.

Step 2: Create and deploy a storage account to support testing and training.

• Select + Create

• On the Basics tab, select your Resource group.
• Provide a Storage account name. The storage account name must be unique in Azure
• Select region

Note: select the resource group you created from the dropdown, make sure to give the storage a unique name then select the region required from the dropdown

• Set the Performance to Standard.
• Select Review, and then Create.

Note: on the primary service, you can choose from the dropdown if you wish the data stored on the storage to be limited. Since the performance is on standard, we have to choose LRS on the redundancy

• Wait for the storage account to deploy and then Go to resource

We have succeeded in creating the resource group and storage for the IT department. Now, I will walk you through the configuration stage.

Configuration of simple settings in the storage account.
Since the data in this storage account doesn’t require high availability or durability. A lowest-cost storage solution is desired.

Step 1: 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 4: Until the storage is needed again, disable requests to the storage account.

• In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
• Ensure that Allow storage account key access is Disabled.
• Be sure to Save your changes.

Step 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.

Conclusion
Providing reliable storage solutions for the IT department's testing and training requirements is critical for encouraging innovation, maintaining efficiency, and assuring organizational resilience. By examining your requirements, researching available technologies, and adhering to best practices, you can design a storage system that meets your IT department's aims while aligning with larger corporate objectives.