A media company stores large volumes of video archives in Cloud Storage. These archives are rarely accessed after the first 30 days but must be retained for 10 years due to regulatory requirements. The company wants to optimize storage costs while ensuring data availability for the full retention period. What Cloud Storage class and lifecycle management policy should be implemented?
- ANearline storage class with a lifecycle policy to transition to Coldline after 30 days, then delete after 10 years.
- BColdline storage class with a lifecycle policy to transition to Archive after 30 days, then delete after 10 years.
- CStandard storage class with a lifecycle policy to delete objects after 10 years.
- DArchive storage class with a lifecycle policy to delete objects after 10 years.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Nearline storage class with a lifecycle policy to transition to Coldline after 30 days, then delete after 10 years.
Nearline storage is cost-effective for data accessed less than once a month. Transitioning to Coldline after 30 days further reduces costs for data accessed less than once a quarter, while still meeting the 10-year retention and availability requirements. Coldline has a 90-day minimum storage duration, so transitioning from Nearline (30-day minimum) to Coldline (90-day minimum) keeps costs optimal for data that becomes very infrequently accessed. Archive has a 365-day minimum, which is too long for the initial 30-day period.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Starting with Coldline is less cost-effective for the first 30 days if there's any chance of access, and Coldline has a 90-day minimum storage duration, so transitioning to Archive after 30 days would incur early deletion fees if the data was originally stored in Coldline for less than 90 days. The question implies initial access for 30 days.
- C. Standard storage is too expensive for rarely accessed data. Deleting after 10 years meets retention but not cost optimization.
- D. Archive storage has a 365-day minimum storage duration, making it unsuitable for data that might be accessed within the first 30 days or needs flexible transitions within that timeframe. Retrieving from Archive is also more expensive and slower.
Cloud Storage Lifecycle Management
Cloud Storage lifecycle management allows you to automatically transition objects between storage classes (e.g., Standard to Nearline to Coldline to Archive) or delete them based on age or versioning rules, optimizing costs and meeting retention policies.
- Rules can be based on object age, creation date, number of versions.
- Transitions data to cheaper storage classes as it ages.
- Helps enforce data retention and deletion policies.
- Minimum storage durations apply to each class (e.g., Nearline 30 days, Coldline 90 days, Archive 365 days).
Memory trick: Standard, Nearline, Coldline, Archive: Your data's journey, from fresh to old archive!