Azure Blob Storage Access Without Losing SharePoint's Interface

Most organizations face an impossible choice: keep SharePoint's great user interface but pay premium storage costs, or move to cheaper Azure storage but lose the familiar SharePoint experience. There's a third option.

The Traditional Approaches (And Why They Don't Work)

Option 1: Migrate Everything to Azure Files

Many IT departments consider moving files from SharePoint to Azure Files to save money. The problem? Users lose:

• SharePoint's web-based file browser
• Integrated search across documents
• Seamless Office 365 integration
• Permission management through SharePoint groups

The result: users complain, productivity drops, and you end up moving back to SharePoint.

Option 2: External Storage Links

Some organizations create links from SharePoint to external Azure storage. This creates a disjointed experience where users have to:

• Leave SharePoint to access files
• Learn new interfaces
• Manage separate permissions
• Deal with broken workflows

The Hybrid Solution: Best of Both Worlds

What if you could keep SharePoint's interface but save files directly to Azure Blob Storage? That's exactly what BlobBridge does.

How It Works

BlobBridge is a SharePoint web part that provides a native file manager interface within your SharePoint sites, but connects directly to Azure Blob Storage containers. Users get:

• Familiar interface - Drag & drop uploads, folder browsing, file search - all within SharePoint
• No retraining needed - Looks and feels like SharePoint's document libraries
• Blob storage pricing - Pay ~£22/TB/month instead of £225/TB/month
• Better performance - Direct uploads to Azure, no SharePoint sync delays

Real-World Example

A design agency was paying £450/month for 2TB of SharePoint storage to store large .tif and .psd files. After implementing BlobBridge:

• Storage costs dropped to £44/month (£406 monthly savings)
• Upload speeds improved (direct to Azure)
• No user complaints or retraining needed
• Same SharePoint permissions and workflows

Technical Benefits

For IT Administrators

• Deploy once per tenant (£500 one-time cost)
• Works with existing SharePoint permissions
• No data migration required
• Scales with your Azure subscription

For End Users

• No behavior change required
• Faster file uploads and downloads
• Access files from anywhere SharePoint works
• Same security and compliance as existing SharePoint

When This Approach Makes Sense

The hybrid SharePoint + Azure Blob approach works best when you have:

• Large files - Media, design files, archives over 100MB
• Growing storage needs - Adding several GB per month
• Budget pressure - SharePoint storage costs becoming significant
• User satisfaction concerns - Can't afford to disrupt workflows

Considerations

Like any solution, there are trade-offs to consider:

• Bandwidth costs - Azure charges for downloads, though usually minimal
• Different backup approach - Files are in Azure, not SharePoint backups
• Custom web part - Not a native Microsoft solution

Getting Started

If your organization is spending over £100/month on SharePoint storage and users need to keep their familiar interface, the hybrid approach could save thousands annually while maintaining productivity.

BlobBridge provides exactly this solution - SharePoint's user experience with Azure Blob Storage's pricing. Learn more about implementation or contact us to discuss your specific needs.