AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) — Question 57

A company has an application that generates a large number of files, each approximately 5 MB in size. The files are stored in Amazon S3. Company policy requires the files to be stored for 4 years before they can be deleted. Immediate accessibility is always required as the files contain critical business data that is not easy to reproduce. The files are frequently accessed in the first 30 days of the object creation but are rarely accessed after the first 30 days.
Which storage solution is MOST cost-effective?

Answer options

• A. Create an S3 bucket lifecycle policy to move files from S3 Standard to S3 Glacier 30 days from object creation. Delete the files 4 years after object creation.
• B. Create an S3 bucket lifecycle policy to move files from S3 Standard to S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access (S3 One Zone-IA) 30 days from object creation. Delete the files 4 years after object creation.
• C. Create an S3 bucket lifecycle policy to move files from S3 Standard to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) 30 days from object creation. Delete the files 4 years after object creation.
• D. Create an S3 bucket lifecycle policy to move files from S3 Standard to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) 30 days from object creation. Move the files to S3 Glacier 4 years after object creation.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

Option C is the most cost-effective because S3 Standard-IA is designed for infrequent access, allowing for cost savings after the initial access period while still providing immediate accessibility. Option A is incorrect as S3 Glacier is not suitable for immediate access. Option B, while more cost-effective than S3 Standard, still incurs higher costs than S3 Standard-IA for the given access patterns. Option D delays the transition to S3 Glacier, incurring unnecessary costs during the retention period.