AWS Certified Security – SpecialtyDomain 5: Data ProtectionEasy
A research institution is storing petabytes of genomic data in Amazon S3. This data is rarely accessed (less than once a year) but must be retained for regulatory purposes for at least 10 years. When access is required, it can tolerate retrieval times of several hours. The institution needs the most cost-effective storage solution while meeting these requirements. Which S3 storage class should be used?
- AAmazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA)
- BAmazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
- CAmazon S3 Glacier
- DAmazon S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for archival data in S3, designed for data accessed once or twice a year, with retrieval times of 12-48 hours. This perfectly matches the requirement for rarely accessed data, 10-year retention, and tolerance for multi-hour retrieval times.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. S3 Standard-IA is for data accessed less frequently but requiring millisecond access, making it more expensive than necessary for this scenario.
- C. S3 Glacier is more cost-effective than S3 Standard-IA but offers faster retrieval options (minutes to hours) than required, making S3 Glacier Deep Archive a better fit for lowest cost.
- D. S3 One Zone-IA is similar to S3 Standard-IA but stores data in a single Availability Zone, offering lower cost but less durability, and still more expensive than Deep Archive for this access pattern.
Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive
The lowest-cost Amazon S3 storage class for long-term archival, designed for data that is accessed once or twice a year and can tolerate retrieval times of 12-48 hours.
- Lowest storage cost among S3 classes.
- Ideal for long-term data retention (7-10+ years).
- Retrieval times range from 12 to 48 hours for standard requests.
Memory trick: When data sleeps deep, cost savings you reap.