In this lab, I created a simple Azure storage solution tailored for the IT department’s testing and training needs. Since the data wasn’t mission-critical, I focused on minimizing cost and complexity, while still following security best practices.

The idea was to create something that’s easy to deploy, easy to change, and disposable if needed — perfect for internal experimentation and onboarding new staff.

🧠 Scenario

The IT team needed a storage space to prototype different configurations and train new team members. The data wouldn’t need backup or recovery — just a straightforward, no-frills storage account that could be wiped clean without concern.

🛠️ Skilling Tasks

  • ✅ Create a storage account
  • ✅ Configure basic settings for security and networking

🔧 Step-by-Step Guide

🔹 Step 1: Create the Resource Group

To keep things organized, I started by setting up a resource group:

  1. Searched for “Resource groups” in the Azure Portal.
  2. Clicked + Create.
  3. Named it storagerg.
  4. Chose the East US region.
  5. Hit Review + Create, then Create.

🗂 Resource groups are like folders that contain and manage everything you need for a project.

🔹 Step 2: Create the Storage Account

Next, I created a standard Azure Storage account with minimal configuration:

  1. Searched for “Storage accounts” and clicked + Create.
  2. Selected the storagerg resource group.
  3. Gave it a globally unique name: az104bobstg1.
  4. Set the Performance to Standard.
  5. Skipped advanced settings for now and clicked Review + Create.
  6. Waited for deployment, then selected Go to resource.

🔹 Step 3: Configure for Simplicity & Cost Savings

Since we didn’t need durability or geo-redundancy, I optimized the setup for cost:

  • Redundancy:
    • In the Basics section, I switched to Locally-redundant storage (LRS).
    • Saved the changes and refreshed the page — now I could see that the data only exists in the primary location.

🔹 Step 4: Security Configuration

Although the data wasn’t sensitive, I still followed security best practices:

  • Secure Transfer:

    • In the Advanced section, I made sure Secure transfer required was Enabled.

  • TLS Version:

    • Set the Minimum TLS version to 1.2, as requested by the developers.

  • Shared Key Access:

    • Disabled Allow storage account key access to prevent access via shared keys.

Saved all changes after these steps.

🔐 Security is always important — even in test environments.

🔹 Step 5: Networking Configuration

To keep things simple and accessible:

  • In the Networking section, I confirmed that Public network access was set to Enabled from all networks.

🌍 This ensures the training team can access the storage account from anywhere while testing.

🎓 Key Takeaways

By the end of this lab, I had successfully created a simple, secure, and low-cost storage setup ideal for training environments. Here's what I learned:

  • Azure Storage Accounts support various storage types — blobs, files, queues, tables — and are perfect for many scenarios.
  • LRS redundancy is cost-effective for non-critical data that doesn’t require failover or recovery.
  • Security configurations like TLS 1.2 and secure transfer are easy to implement — and worth doing, even for internal projects.
  • Disabling key access adds an extra layer of control, especially when using managed identities in production.

🧪 Overall, this was a quick and clean lab — and a great reminder that not everything needs to be production-grade. Sometimes, simple is perfect.