The 14 Best Block and File Storage Solutions for 2025

Solutions Review’s listing of the best block and file storage solutions is an annual mashup of products that best represent current market conditions, according to the crowd. Our editors selected the best block and file storage solutions based on each solution’s Authority Score; a meta-analysis of real user sentiment through the web’s most trusted business software review sites and our own proprietary five-point inclusion criteria.

The editors at Solutions Review have developed this resource to assist buyers in search of the best block and file storage solutions to fit the needs of their organization. Choosing the right vendor and solution can be a complicated process — one that requires in-depth research and often comes down to more than just the solution and its technical capabilities.

To make your search a little easier, we’ve profiled the best block and file storage solutions all in one place. We’ve also included platform and product line names and introductory software tutorials straight from the source so you can see each solution in action.

Note: The best block and file storage solutions are listed in alphabetical order.

The Best Block and File Storage Solutions

AWS

Platform: Elastic Block Store, Elastic File System

Description: The product line includes Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) for block storage, which offers persistent storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances in the cloud. For file storage, AWS presents Amazon Elastic File System (EFS), a scalable file storage system for use with AWS Cloud services and on-premises resources. Both solutions are designed to support a wide range of performance-intensive and latency-sensitive use cases, such as database applications, enterprise applications, and big data analytics.

Cohesity

Platform: SmartFiles

Description: Cohesity offers innovative data management solutions that simplify the way enterprises handle their data across multiple locations, including data centers, edge environments, and the cloud. Their product line includes Cohesity SmartFiles, a software-defined, data-centric, multiprotocol file and object solution that consolidates files and objects in a single platform, optimizing efficiency and reducing complexity. SmartFiles is designed to support various enterprise workloads and applications, offering features like deduplication, compression, and file locking to enhance performance and security for block and file storage needs.

Dell EMC

Platform: Dell EMC Unity XT, Dell EMC PowerStore

Description: Dell EMC provides a diverse range of block and file storage solutions tailored to meet the needs of modern data centers. Their offerings include Dell EMC Unity XT for midrange data storage, offering both file and block storage capabilities, and Dell EMC PowerStore, designed to support any workload with a data-centric, intelligent, and adaptable infrastructure. These solutions enhance performance, efficiency, and scalability, making them suitable for a variety of applications from business-critical workloads to virtualized environments. Dell EMC’s storage solutions are recognized for their reliability, innovation, and comprehensive data services.

Hitachi

Platform: Hitachi Content Platform

Description: Hitachi Vantara offers robust storage solutions through its Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) which seamlessly integrates block and file storage. HCP is designed to handle large-scale, complex data environments efficiently, making it suitable for enterprise-level data management requirements. The platform supports high levels of scalability and reliability, providing secure, hybrid cloud storage options. Hitachi’s storage solutions are particularly noted for their advanced data governance, regulatory compliance, and intelligent data management capabilities, enabling businesses to optimize data mobility and protection across diverse IT infrastructures.

HPE

Platform: Nimble Storage, 3PAR StoreServ

Description: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) offers advanced block and file storage solutions through its Nimble Storage and 3PAR StoreServ product lines. HPE Nimble Storage provides flash-optimized arrays that offer predictive analytics to automatically identify and resolve issues, enhancing data availability and performance. HPE 3PAR StoreServ offers a highly scalable and efficient storage solution that provides rapid provisioning and multi-tenant capabilities, ideal for handling diverse and dynamic workloads across all file and block storage environments. These systems are designed to support both large enterprises and smaller organizations with complex storage needs.

IBM

Platform: FlashSystem, Spectrum Scale

Description: IBM provides comprehensive block and file storage solutions tailored for high performance and reliability across various industries. IBM’s storage portfolio includes IBM FlashSystem, which offers end-to-end NVMe-powered flash storage for enhanced data speed and efficiency, suitable for both block and file storage requirements. Additionally, IBM Spectrum Scale provides high-performance, scalable file storage capable of handling large data volumes across different environments, including cloud. These solutions are integrated with IBM’s enterprise-level data management software, ensuring robust data protection, disaster recovery, and operational flexibility.

Infinidat

Platform: InfiniBox

Description: Infinidat offers high-performance data storage solutions designed to meet the needs of large enterprises and data-intensive applications. Their flagship product, InfiniBox, provides petabyte-scale storage capacity and delivers high throughput and low latency for both block and file storage. InfiniBox supports multiple petabytes in a single rack, ensuring efficient data management and scalability. This platform is well-suited for organizations requiring robust disaster recovery, high availability, and seamless data migration capabilities across diverse IT environments.

Microsoft

Platform: Azure

Description: Microsoft Azure provides flexible and scalable storage solutions tailored for a variety of enterprise needs. Azure offers Azure Blob Storage for unstructured data, which can be used for block storage scenarios, and Azure Files for managed file storage that supports SMB and NFS protocols, ideal for migration of on-premises file shares to the cloud. Azure’s storage solutions are integrated within a comprehensive cloud ecosystem, supporting hybrid capabilities, advanced data protection, and seamless global deployment. These features make Azure suitable for businesses seeking robust, enterprise-grade storage solutions that support both traditional and cloud-native applications.

NetApp

Platform: ONTAP

Description: NetApp offers versatile and innovative storage solutions, notably through its NetApp ONTAP data management software, which provides unified storage for both block and file shares. This integration allows for scalable and flexible storage systems that support cloud integration and virtualization effectively. NetApp’s AFF (All Flash FAS) and FAS (Fabric-Attached Storage) systems deliver high performance and robust data protection features, ideal for enterprises that require efficient data management across hybrid cloud environments. These systems are designed to enhance data control, accessibility, and security, making them suitable for complex enterprise storage requirements.

Pure Storage

Platform: FlashArray, FlashBlade

Description: Pure Storage provides cutting-edge block and file storage solutions with its FlashArray and FlashBlade product lines. FlashArray delivers all-flash performance for block storage with a strong focus on simplicity and reliability, suitable for critical applications and databases. FlashBlade, on the other hand, is an all-flash storage solution optimized for file and object storage, designed to handle modern data analytics and artificial intelligence workloads with ease. Both systems offer significant advantages in terms of speed, scalability, and efficiency, supporting a seamless data experience across multiple environments.

Qumulo

Platform: Qumulo

Description: Qumulo offers a flexible and scalable file storage solution designed to manage billions of files with real-time visibility and control over data at a massive scale. Their platform supports both file and block storage needs and is engineered to run in the cloud, on-premises, or in hybrid environments. Qumulo’s file services are built to handle the intensive demands of data-driven industries such as media and entertainment, healthcare, and life sciences, providing users with continuous replication and snapshots for data protection and business continuity.

Scality

Platform: RING

Description: Scality is known for its RING software-defined storage that excels in handling large-scale data storage needs, supporting both file and object storage. This platform is engineered to provide durability, flexibility, and performance, which are crucial for data-intensive applications like media streaming, IoT, and cloud services. Scality’s storage solutions offer petabyte-level scalability and are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing applications and hardware, providing robust disaster recovery, native replication, and high availability features to ensure data security and accessibility across distributed environments.

SUSE

Platform: Enterprise Storage

Description: SUSE Enterprise Storage, powered by Ceph technology, is an open-source, software-defined storage solution designed to scale without limits. It supports block, file, and object storage, making it extremely versatile for handling data-intensive environments such as cloud computing, data analytics, and archival storage. SUSE’s platform is particularly noted for its cost-efficiency and scalability, allowing enterprises to manage exponential data growth by using commodity hardware and integrating seamlessly with existing software ecosystems. This makes it ideal for businesses looking to optimize their storage infrastructure for flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

WEKA

Platform: WEKA

Description: WEKA offers a data platform that optimizes storage for high-performance environments, supporting both file and block storage systems. Designed to excel in handling large-scale data sets, WEKA’s storage solutions are ideal for applications that require high throughput and low latency, such as AI, machine learning, and big data analytics. The system is engineered to work seamlessly in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, offering scalable data orchestration and management to maximize operational efficiency and data accessibility.

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Tim King

Executive Editor at Solutions Review

Tim is Solutions Review's Executive Editor and leads coverage on data management and analytics. A 2017 and 2018 Most Influential Business Journalist and 2021 "Who's Who" in Data Management, Tim is a recognized industry thought leader and changemaker. Story? Reach him via email at tking@solutionsreview dot com.

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