Azure Files is a fully managed, secure, and enterprise-grade file storage service by Microsoft Azure. It allows organizations to seamlessly share and mount cloud-based file shares using the SMB or NFS protocols across Windows, Linux, and macOS systems. Azure Files simplifies cloud migration, hybrid file access, and scalable data sharing while ensuring enterprise-grade security, compliance, and manageability.

Features of Azure Files:

• Provides shared access to files using the SMB or NFS protocols.
• Supports concurrent access from cloud and on-premises environments.
• Integrates with Azure Active Directory and on-prem AD for access control.
• Offers encryption at rest and in transit, with full Azure compliance support.
• Supports snapshots, backup, redundancy options, and file sync capabilities.
• Can be mounted on Linux systems including Ubuntu via CIFS with `cifs-utils`.

To get started with Azure Files on Ubuntu 24.04, follow these basic steps:

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/azurefiles
$ sudo nano /etc/azure-credentials
# Add:
# username=<your_storage_account_name>
# password=<your_storage_account_key>
$ sudo chmod 600 /etc/azure-credentials
$ sudo mount -t cifs //<storage_account_name>.file.core.windows.net/<file_share_name> /mnt/azurefiles \
-o vers=3.1.1,credentials=/etc/azure-credentials,dir_mode=0777,file_mode=0777,serverino
$ mount.cifs -V

Disclaimer: Azure Files is part of the broader Microsoft Azure platform and may require subscription, configuration of storage accounts and file shares, and network access to port 445. Usage must comply with your organization's security and compliance policies.