Azure Disk Storage – Consider Updating to Premium SSD v2

Premium SSD v2 disks offer significant cost savings and enhanced flexibility for Azure storage configuration. By allowing separate provisioning of size, IOPS, and throughput, these disks provide more granular control and potentially substantial cost reductions compared to their v1 counterparts.

Detailed Explanation

Why This Policy Matters

Premium SSD v2 disks represent a significant advancement in Azure storage technology, offering:

• Cost Efficiency: Approximately 30% lower costs compared to v1 disks
• Granular Performance Control: Independent scaling of storage size, IOPS, and throughput
• Improved Resource Management: More precise alignment with workload requirements

Cost Reduction Potential

Comparative Cost Example:

• V1 Disk: 1TB storage, 5000 IOPS, 200 MB/s throughput = $135/month
• V2 Disk: Equivalent configuration = $95/month
• Monthly Savings: $40 per disk

Potential Annual Savings:

• Single Disk: $480/year
• 10 Disks: $4,800/year
• 100 Disks: $48,000/year

Implementation Guide

Infrastructure as Code Example (Terraform)

# Before (V1 Disk)
resource "azurerm_managed_disk" "example" {
  storage_account_type = "Premium_LRS"  # V1 Disk
  disk_size_gb         = 1024
}

# After (V2 Disk)
resource "azurerm_managed_disk" "example" {
  storage_account_type = "PremiumV2_LRS"  # V2 Disk
  disk_size_gb         = 1024
}

Manual Migration Steps

1. Verify disk compatibility
2. Create a snapshot of the existing disk
3. Detach the original disk from the VM
4. Create a new Premium SSD v2 disk
5. Attach the new disk to the VM
6. Verify data integrity and performance

Best Practices

• Pre-Migration Checklist:
  • Confirm workload compatibility
  • Review Azure v2 disk limitations
  • Test performance in staging environment
  • Schedule migration during low-traffic periods

Implementation Tools

• Infracost: Automatically detect and recommend Premium SSD v2 disk upgrade
• Azure CLI
• Azure PowerShell
• Terraform Azure Provider

Example Scenarios

Web Application Hosting

• Scenario: High-traffic e-commerce platform
• Potential Savings: Reduce storage costs by optimizing disk performance
• Estimated Annual Savings: $5,760 for 12 disks

Database Workloads

• Scenario: Medium-sized PostgreSQL deployment
• Impact: Lower storage expenses while maintaining performance
• Estimated Annual Savings: $3,600 for 7-8 disks

Considerations and Caveats

Potential Limitations

• Not suitable for all workload types
• Requires careful performance planning
• Some legacy applications might need reconfiguration

Compatibility Constraints

• Unsupported Scenarios:
  • Ultra Disk replacement
  • Certain specialized workloads
  • Regions with limited v2 support

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)