NIGHTMARE - Large media files and Microsoft 365 Cloud Storage!

[ConceroEdu_Brad]

Just had a fantastic technical consultancy conversation around cloud storage and larger files.

The Microsoft-focused Academy I was speaking with delved into Adobe Creative Cloud and the challenges of accessing large media files in M365 cloud storage via school broadband connectivity.

While this isn't a new issue, there are various approaches to consider. Here are some options we discussed:

Azure Lab Services: A fantastic solution, especially if you're familiar with Azure Virtual Desktop. Microsoft has a dedicated page that focuses on this service in conjunction with Adobe Creative Cloud.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/lab-services/class-type-adobe-creative-cloud

Azure File Sync: This option might feel like a cheat, as it utilises the speed and efficiency of local network storage, but with all of the access-anywhere cloud capabilities.

Introduction to Azure File Sync | Microsoft Learn

Both solutions are powerful and have other potential use cases.

Keep in mind that there may also be alternative options available for managing larger files.

 

Feel free to ping me if you are having the same challenges or, come and meet me at BETT - I'm there for the duration and I'll be on the Microsoft stand:

Thursday 10am - 1pm

Friday 4pm - 6pm

[mavhc]

Or just store the files on a server we bought and put on the LAN

[mrbios]

If only you could combine the OneDrive/SharePoint collaboration capabilities, with Azure File Syncs tiered storage capability for the best of both worlds. Write everything locally, instantly like an on-prem file server while keeping all that cloud collab stuff.

 

Will keep dreaming.

[DrCheese]

I looked at this, but it seemed like just local file shares but... on the cloud, without any of the nice pretty interface we get on Onedrive & integration to thousands of apps. It didn't seem to offer any real benefit to just having it locally.

 

In an ideal world we'd be able to set a large chunk of cheap local storage as a "cache" for onedrive/sharepoint - So that users would "save" onto onedrive, but in the background it's actually the server that's doing the sync'ing/heavy lifting. Although that'd be an nightmare with all the collabration stuff which needs the live version of the file to be on the cloud rather than either on a cache or online.

[robyholmes]

Even just allowing OneDrive client to continue to sync after logg off would help. Assuming the machine isn't switched off.

[free780]

Using FSLogix containers can create a local cache. You do need the local storage to hold all your users profiles. You may be able to use deduplication .Even if the user doesn’t wait for sync to finish. The only downside is that if they want access when off site the files won’t be in their OneDrive. It’s all designed for 1:1 scenarios.

[Mr.Ben]

I do wonder if the answer here isn't just to ensure 1:1 devices for media students with OneDrive syncing when it can. Might be cheaper than storage!

[psydii]

Seating plans also offset the ‘slow to sync’ problem.

[ConceroEdu_Brad]

This was another option we discussed and we have already started to explore the viability in the school with the fully funded Accelerate and Demonstrate programme from Microsoft delivered by TA education

[DrCheese]

I do wonder if the answer here isn't just to ensure 1:1 devices for media students with OneDrive syncing when it can. Might be cheaper than storage!

 

Media likely needs high specification devices beyond what most places would afford for 1:1 - I wouldn't want to be doing any kind of media work (Especially encoding) on an average spec'd device.

[mavhc]

Encoding is in hardware now though