Files.com's integration with Azure Blob Storage allows you to integrate with files on a Azure Blob Storage bucket in several different ways.

Files.com's Remote Server Mount feature gives you the ability connect a specific folder on Files.com to the remote server in a real time manner.

That folder then becomes a client, or window, accessing the files stored in your remote server or cloud.

Once you configure a Mount, any operation you perform on or inside that folder will act directly on the remote in real time. Whether you are dropping a file into that folder, deleting a file, creating a subfolder, or performing any other file/folder operations your Files.com user has permissions for, those operations will "pass through" to the remote in real time.

This powerful feature enables a wide variety of use cases such as accessing files on a counterparty (client or vendor)'s cloud without provisioning individual access to individual users, reducing storage costs by leveraging on-premise or bulk storage solutions, enabling applications to access 3rd party clouds via Files.com API, FTP, SFTP, or Files.com Apps and many more.

Alternatively, Files.com's Remote Server Sync feature give you the ability to push or pull files to or from remote servers. This means that the files will exist in both places at the end of the sync process.

A remote sync can be a "push", where files from your Files.com site are transferred to the remote server, a "pull" where files are transferred from the remote server to your Files.com site, or a two-way "sync" where files that are new or changed in either location are pushed and pulled to maintain a synchronized state between the folder on your Files.com site and that on the remote server.

Add Azure Blob Storage as a Remote Server

Create a new Remote Server in your Files.com site using the Azure Blob Storage server type.

You must provide an Internal name for this connection. If you're managing multiple remote servers, make the name clear enough to easily identify this particular connection.

You must provide the required Authentication information.

Once Azure Blob Storage has been added as a Remote Server, you can integrate it with Files.com as either a Remote Server Mount or Remote Server Sync.

Authentication Information

Unlike Amazon S3, Azure Blob container names are not globally unique, so we need to know the Account and Container name in order to connect to your Blob storage. Files.com can authenticate to Azure Blob Storage using Access Key or Shared Access Signature (SAS) token.

The following items are required for connecting Files.com to Azure Blob Storage:

Account - The name of your Azure Storage Account, as shown in your Microsoft Azure web portal > Home > Storage Accounts page.

Container - The name of your Azure Container, as shown in your Microsoft Azure web portal > Home > Storage Accounts > selected storage account > Data Storage > Containers page.

Use Hierarchical Namespace (Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2) - Select this option if your Azure Container has been configured for Data Lake Storage by having its Heirarchical Namespace option enabled.

Test Path for Bucket/Container: This is an optional field for full path of the container. This field is useful when the user credentials provided do not have root access on the remote bucket/container.

Access Key or Shared Access Signature (SAS) Token - The Access Key, or SAS Token, for the selected Azure storage account, as shown in your Microsoft Azure web portal > Home > Storage Accounts > selected storage account > Access Keys, or Microsoft Azure web portal > Home > Storage Accounts > selected storage account > Shared Access Signature page.

Files.com does not currently provide for pass-through authentication to Azure Blob Storage via Azure AD if you are also using Azure AD with Files.com. However, we would love to learn more about the use-case of any customer that might be interested in such a capability.

Once your Remote Server is added, now you need to integrate it to Files.com as either a Remote Server Mount or Remote Server Sync.

Add Remote Server Mount

Remote Server Mounts are created by mounting them onto an empty folder in Files.com. This folder should not be the Root of your site, although that is supported if you need it.

Add Remote Server Sync

After creating the Remote Server, you can use it to perform Remote Syncs between your remote server and Files.com.

Automations

Folders that have been configured with either Remote Server Mount, or Remote Server Sync, to Azure Blob can also be used with automations, allowing you to include Azure Blob as source locations or destinations for your automations

Case Sensitivity

Be aware of case sensitivity differences when copying, moving, or syncing files and folders between Azure Blob storage and other storage locations. Azure Blob storage is a case sensitive system whereas other systems may not be. This can cause files to be overwritten, and folders to have their contents merged, if their case insensitive names are a match.