Which Storage Class Provides a Cost-Effective Solution for Long-Term Data Storage in Amazon S3?

Correct Answer - A.

S3 Intelligent-Tiering storage class can provide a cost-effective, high-performance option when the access pattern is unknown.

Data is automatically moved between frequently accessed & in-frequently accessed based upon data usage pattern with this class.

Option B is incorrect as if data is frequently accessed, using the S3 Standard-IA storage class will incur additional cost.

Option C is incorrect as if data is infrequently accessed, using the S3 Standard storage class will be costly.

Option D is incorrect as using the S3 One Zone-IA storage class will make data less resilient & chances of data loss with failure in one AZ.

For more information on Amazon S3 Storage Class, refer to the following URL-

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/dev/storage-class-intro.html

The Engineering firm needs to store all its project documents in an Amazon S3 bucket, and the data will be stored for a long time. However, the firm is unsure about the access patterns for the data. In this scenario, we need to choose the S3 storage class that provides cost-effective storage without performance impact.

Option A: S3 Intelligent-Tiering

S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a storage class that automatically moves objects between two access tiers based on changing access patterns. This storage class is designed for data with unknown or changing access patterns. It automatically optimizes costs for the customer by moving objects between two access tiers: frequent access and infrequent access.

The frequent access tier is designed for data that is accessed more frequently, and the infrequent access tier is designed for data that is accessed less frequently. If data is not accessed at all, it can be moved to the archive access tier. S3 Intelligent-Tiering is a good choice for data with unknown or changing access patterns, and it is designed to provide cost savings without impacting performance.

Option B: S3 Standard-IA

S3 Standard-IA is a storage class designed for data that is accessed less frequently but requires rapid access when needed. The pricing is lower than the S3 Standard storage class, but there is a retrieval fee for accessing the data. S3 Standard-IA is a good choice for data that is accessed less frequently but needs to be accessed quickly when needed.

Option C: S3 Standard

S3 Standard is the default storage class for Amazon S3, and it is designed for frequently accessed data. This storage class provides high durability, availability, and performance, making it a good choice for data that is frequently accessed.

Option D: S3 One Zone-IA

S3 One Zone-IA is a storage class that stores data in a single availability zone, which makes it less expensive than the other storage classes. However, if the availability zone becomes unavailable, the data stored in that zone will be lost. S3 One Zone-IA is a good choice for data that can be recreated easily, such as thumbnails or previews, or for data that is already backed up elsewhere.

In conclusion, the best storage class for the Engineering firm would be S3 Intelligent-Tiering. This storage class is designed for data with unknown or changing access patterns and automatically moves objects between two access tiers based on changing access patterns, providing cost savings without impacting performance.