Many of our customers use Microsoft SharePoint for collaboration and file management, and it does a great job! However, an increasing number of SharePoint administrators are facing an important truth. While it was easy to migrate their non-M365 organizational data into SharePoint, the impact of rising storage costs means they need to consider different file data storage solutions. SharePoint’s native storage limits and premium pricing tiers can quickly become a financial challenge, particularly when storing large volumes of static, archival, or infrequently accessed data. The difficulty is in maintaining the rich end-user experience SharePoint offers while lowering storage costs.
The Challenges with Native SharePoint Storage
For enterprises managing large-scale file repositories, the native SharePoint storage model presents several challenges:
- High costs for additional storage beyond default quotas, with limited flexibility
- Inefficient handling of large files, including media, backups, and design assets
- Limited compliance-driven retention options for data no longer requiring active collaboration
- No built-in tiered storage options to reduce costs based on file usage
- Minimal real-time reporting and analytics make it challenging to track cost drivers
- No dynamic performance tuning, which can impact user experience
The result? Growing storage expenses without meaningful ways to optimize or reduce costs.
A Smarter, Cost-Effective Strategy
The solution is to offload non-essential or infrequently accessed data from SharePoint’s premium storage into a lower-cost tier, while still preserving accessibility, metadata integrity, and the Microsoft SharePoint user experience.
This is where the Qumulo SharePoint File Storage Solution comes in.
How the Qumulo SharePoint File Storage Solution Works
Our proof-of-concept solution decouples storage-heavy workloads from SharePoint without disrupting user workflows or compliance. Here’s how:
- A small Python-based application automatically migrates files from SharePoint into Azure Native Qumulo (ANQ) storage.
- Within SharePoint, the original file is replaced by a stub file or link.
- When a user clicks the link, the file is retrieved from ANQ, preserving the full SharePoint experience.
Why Choose Azure Native Qumulo (ANQ)?
Azure Native Qumulo brings the scalability, economics, and performance needed for large-scale SharePoint data:
- Multi-protocol support for file and unstructured data
- Massive scalability, from 100 TB to 100+ PB in a single namespace
- Immediate metadata access with SSD-backed storage
- Auditability, validation, and a repeatable migration process
- Copilot integration via the M365 Graph Connector
- Improved economics, reduce costs by 30–50% for environments with 1 PB or more
Real-World Cost Savings
SharePoint Storage Costs
- Additional storage: $190–$210 per TB per month (retail)
- 1 PB of storage over licensing entitlements: $190,000–$210,000 per month
Azure Native Qumulo Costs
- ANQ Hot (frequently accessed data): 1PB of data equates to ~$35,000 per PB/month (with automatic discounts)—an 81% savings
- ANQ Cold (archival data): 1PB of data equates to ~$10,500 per PB/month (including retrieval fees)—a 94% savings
While the math often shows even higher potential savings, we conservatively advertise 50% or more savings to account for SharePoint enterprise-level discounts specific to practical customer scenarios.
Additional Notes
- Microsoft networking charges apply during migration.
- Qumulo offers free architectural consultations to minimize migration costs and design the most efficient end-state system possible.
Ready to Cut Your SharePoint File Storage Costs?
By integrating the Qumulo SharePoint File Storage Solution with Azure Native Qumulo, you can eliminate storage inefficiencies, reduce costs, and maintain full SharePoint functionality—all without disrupting collaboration. Contact us today to schedule your free architectural review and see how you can reduce SharePoint storage costs by up to 50%.
