Storage Class Optimization

Stop Paying Hot Storage Prices
for Cold Data

Most companies store everything on expensive hot storage. Move infrequently accessed data to cool/archive tiers automatically.

60-90%
Storage Cost Savings
Automated
Lifecycle Policies

The $1,200/Month Storage Waste

"We had 85TB of data in hot storage (Azure Blob Premium tier). $1,840/month in storage costs."

"Turns out 70TB hadn't been accessed in 6+ months. Old backups, archived logs, historical reports. Nobody needed instant access."

"We implemented lifecycle policies to auto-move data to cool/archive tiers. New storage cost: $640/month. Saved $1,200/month - $14,400/year."

— Infrastructure Lead, Media Company

Storage tier pricing differs by 5-15x. Hot tier: $0.020/GB. Archive: $0.002/GB.

100TB on hot storage = $2,000/month. Same data on archive = $200/month. Most companies have 50-80% of data that could be archived.

Storage Tier Economics

Understanding the massive cost difference between tiers

Hot / Premium

$0.018
per GB/month
  • ✓ Instant access
  • ✓ High throughput
  • ✓ Low latency
  • ✗ Most expensive
100TB: $1,800/mo

Cool

$0.010
per GB/month
  • ✓ Quick access (seconds)
  • ✓ Good throughput
  • ✓ 45% cheaper than hot
  • • Retrieval fee applies
100TB: $1,000/mo

Archive

$0.002
per GB/month
  • ✓ 90% cheaper than hot
  • ✓ Perfect for compliance
  • • Access in hours
  • • Higher retrieval fees
100TB: $200/mo

Deep Archive

$0.0009
per GB/month
  • ✓ 95% cheaper than hot
  • ✓ Long-term archives
  • • Access in 12+ hours
  • • Highest retrieval fees
100TB: $90/mo

Real World Example: 500TB Data

All Hot Storage:
500TB × $0.018 = $9,000/month
Optimized (80% archived):
100TB hot + 400TB archive = $2,600/month
Save $6,400/month ($76,800/year)

How Storage Optimization Works

Automated lifecycle policies that save money without manual intervention

1

Analyze Access Patterns

We analyze your storage to understand access frequency:

  • Last access time: When was each blob/object last read?
  • Data age: How old is the data?
  • File type analysis: Logs, backups, media, documents
  • Bucket/container classification: Production vs archive

Example Analysis Results

Frequently Accessed (15TB)
Accessed in last 30 days
Keep on Hot tier
Infrequent Access (40TB)
Accessed 30-180 days ago
Move to Cool tier
Cold Data (45TB)
Not accessed in 180+ days
Move to Archive tier
2

Create Automated Lifecycle Policies

We configure intelligent tiering rules:

Rule 1: Cool After 30 Days
If not accessed for 30 days → Move to Cool tier
Save ~45% per GB
Rule 2: Archive After 180 Days
If not accessed for 180 days → Move to Archive
Save ~90% per GB
Rule 3: Delete After 7 Years
Compliance-based retention, then auto-delete
Eliminate storage cost entirely
# Azure Blob Lifecycle Policy
{"
"rules": [
{
"name": "moveToCool",
"type": "Lifecycle",
"definition": {
"filters": {
"blobTypes": ["blockBlob"]
},
"actions": {
"baseBlob": {
"tierToCool": {
"daysAfterModificationGreaterThan": 30
},
"tierToArchive": {
"daysAfterModificationGreaterThan": 180
}
}
}
}
}
]
}
3

Monitor & Optimize Continuously

Monthly Reports

See how much data moved between tiers and total savings achieved.

Anomaly Alerts

Get notified if archive data is being accessed frequently (may need hot tier).

Policy Tuning

Adjust lifecycle rules based on actual access patterns for maximum savings.

Where Storage Costs Hide

Old Backups on Hot Storage

Daily backups accumulate on expensive hot storage. Backups older than 30 days rarely accessed but cost the same as production data.

Fix: Archive backups >30 days old. Save 85-90%.
$500-3K
monthly waste

Application Logs on Premium Storage

Debug logs, access logs, audit trails stored indefinitely on premium/hot storage. Logs older than 90 days almost never accessed.

Fix: Cool after 30 days, archive after 90, delete after 1 year.
$300-2K
monthly waste

Historical Media Files

Old marketing assets, archived videos, legacy product images. Taking up space but never viewed. Perfect candidates for archive or deletion.

Fix: Archive files >6 months old, delete after 3 years.
$400-5K
monthly waste

Compliance Data Without Lifecycle

Financial records, legal documents, healthcare data kept for compliance. Required for 7-10 years but accessed maybe once. Perfect for deep archive.

Fix: Archive immediately, auto-delete after retention period.
$1K-10K
monthly waste

Real Customer Savings

Companies that implemented intelligent storage tiering

$87K/year
Healthcare SaaS
Before: 300TB patient records on hot storage
After: 80% moved to archive (accessed <1% per month)
Reduced storage costs by 72%
$43K/year
Video Platform
Before: All videos on hot storage for instant access
After: Videos >90 days old moved to cool tier
Reduced storage costs by 58%
$124K/year
Financial Services
Before: 7 years of transaction logs on premium storage
After: Logs >1 year moved to deep archive
Reduced storage costs by 89%

Works Across All Cloud Providers

Azure

  • • Blob Storage lifecycle
  • • Hot / Cool / Archive tiers
  • • Premium to Standard migration
  • • Automated policy rules

AWS

  • • S3 Intelligent-Tiering
  • • S3 Glacier / Deep Archive
  • • Lifecycle transitions
  • • Storage class analysis

Google Cloud

  • • Cloud Storage classes
  • • Nearline / Coldline / Archive
  • • Object lifecycle management
  • • Autoclass transitions

More Cost Optimization Features

Database Optimization

Right-size database tiers to match actual usage patterns.

Weekly Change Tracking

Track storage growth trends and catch unexpected usage spikes.

View all features

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