A global online gaming company needs to store petabytes of game session data, user profiles, and in-game assets. This data is frequently accessed for a few weeks after creation for analytics and reporting, but then becomes infrequently accessed and eventually needs to be archived for compliance purposes for several years. The company wants to optimize storage costs while maintaining accessibility. Which S3 storage class strategy should be implemented?
- AStore data in S3 Intelligent-Tiering, then transition to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 60 days, and finally to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year.
- BStore all data in S3 One Zone-IA to save costs, and manually transition to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days.
- CStore all data in S3 Standard for immediate access and manually move to Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year.
- DStore data in S3 Standard-IA, then transition to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 30 days, and delete after 5 years.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Store data in S3 Intelligent-Tiering, then transition to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 60 days, and finally to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering automatically moves data between access tiers (Frequent, Infrequent, Archive Instant Access) based on access patterns, optimizing costs. For long-term archiving, transitioning to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval and then S3 Glacier Deep Archive (the lowest-cost option for multi-year retention) provides further cost savings while meeting compliance needs. This strategy aligns with the variable access patterns and long-term archival requirements.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. S3 One Zone-IA is not fault tolerant across AZs and is not suitable for critical data. Manual transitions are inefficient.
- C. Manually moving data is inefficient, and S3 Standard for all data is expensive for infrequently accessed data.
- D. S3 Standard-IA has retrieval fees and is not as cost-effective as Intelligent-Tiering for unknown access patterns. Deleting after 5 years might violate 'several years' compliance if it's longer.
S3 Intelligent-Tiering
An S3 storage class that automatically moves objects between four access tiers (Frequent, Infrequent, Archive Instant Access, Archive Deep Access) when access patterns change, optimizing storage costs.
- Optimizes costs without performance impact or operational overhead.
- No retrieval fees when moving between Frequent and Infrequent tiers.
- Ideal for data with unknown or changing access patterns.
Memory trick: Intelligent-Tiering is the smart butler, knowing exactly where to put your data for cheapest access.