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A media company stores large video files in Azure Blob Storage. These files are accessed frequently for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely accessed for the next 90 days, and finally, almost never accessed but must be retained for archival purposes. You need to optimize storage costs while ensuring data availability for each access pattern. Which storage tiering strategy should you implement?
- AHot tier for 120 days, then Archive tier.
- BCool tier for 30 days, then Hot tier for 90 days, then Archive tier.
- CHot tier for 30 days, then Cool tier for 90 days, then Archive tier.
- DArchive tier for 30 days, then Cool tier for 90 days, then Hot tier.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Hot tier for 30 days, then Cool tier for 90 days, then Archive tier.
This strategy aligns with the access patterns: Hot for frequent access, Cool for infrequent access, and Archive for rare, long-term retention. This minimizes costs by moving data to cheaper tiers as access frequency decreases.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Hot tier for 120 days is expensive for data that becomes rarely accessed after 30 days.
- B. Cool tier for frequent access is not cost-effective; Hot tier for rare access is also not cost-effective.
- D. Archive tier for initial frequent access is incorrect due to high retrieval costs and latency.
Azure Blob Storage Tiers
Azure Blob Storage offers different access tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive) to optimize storage costs based on data access frequency and retention requirements.
- Hot: Optimized for frequent access.
- Cool: Optimized for infrequent access (stored for at least 30 days).
- Archive: Optimized for rarely accessed, long-term data (stored for at least 180 days), with higher retrieval costs and latency.
Memory trick: Hot, Cool, Archive: Access determines cost.