CompTIA Cloud+ (CV0-004)OperationsHard
A cloud administrator is tasked with optimizing the storage costs for an archival database that stores historical transaction data. This data is rarely accessed after 90 days but must be retained for 7 years due to regulatory requirements. Performance for retrieval is not critical for data older than 90 days, but cost-efficiency is paramount. Which storage class optimization strategy should the administrator implement?
- AImplement a lifecycle policy to move data older than 90 days to cold storage.
- BUse a distributed file system with replication across multiple regions.
- CMigrate all data to a content delivery network (CDN).
- DKeep all data in high-performance block storage.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Implement a lifecycle policy to move data older than 90 days to cold storage.
Implementing a lifecycle policy to automatically transition data older than 90 days to a cold (archival) storage class is the most cost-effective solution. Cold storage offers significantly lower costs for infrequently accessed data that needs long-term retention, aligning with the stated requirements.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Using a distributed file system with multi-region replication primarily addresses high availability and durability, not necessarily cost optimization for rarely accessed archival data; cold storage is far more cost-effective for this specific use case.
- C. A CDN is for caching frequently accessed static content closer to users, not for long-term, cost-effective archival storage of database transaction data.
- D. Keeping all data in high-performance block storage would be extremely expensive and unnecessary for rarely accessed archival data, contradicting the 'cost-efficiency is paramount' requirement.
Storage Lifecycle Management
The process of managing data throughout its lifecycle by automatically transitioning it between different storage classes (tiers) based on access patterns and retention requirements to optimize cost and performance.
- Automates data movement to colder, cheaper storage tiers.
- Balances cost, performance, and compliance needs.
- Crucial for managing large datasets with varying access frequencies.
Memory trick: Hot data is fast, cold data will last (cheaply).