Data Management Glossary
Cloud Archiving
Cloud archiving, a term that is often used interchangeably with cloud tiering, is a data storage strategy that involves moving inactive or infrequently accessed data from primary storage systems to long-term archival storage in the cloud. The primary goal of cloud archiving is to free up space on primary storage systems while retaining access to archived data for compliance, legal, or historical purposes.
Key characteristics and considerations of cloud archiving include:
- Long-Term Retention: Cloud archiving solutions are designed for storing data for extended periods, often spanning years or even decades. They typically offer features such as data durability and integrity checks to ensure that archived data remains intact and accessible over time.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Cloud archiving services often provide cost-effective storage options optimized for long-term retention. These storage options typically offer lower data storage costs per unit compared to primary storage systems, making them suitable for storing large volumes of inactive data.
- Scalability: Cloud archiving solutions offer scalability to accommodate growing volumes of archived data without the need for significant upfront investments in infrastructure. Organizations can scale their archival storage resources on-demand based on their evolving storage requirements.
- Data Security and Compliance: Cloud archiving solutions prioritize data security and compliance by implementing encryption, access controls, and other security measures to protect archived data from unauthorized access or tampering. Additionally, they may offer features such as audit logs and compliance certifications to help organizations meet regulatory requirements.
- Data Accessibility: While archived data is typically accessed infrequently, cloud archiving solutions ensure that archived data remains accessible when needed. They provide mechanisms for retrieving and accessing archived data, such as retrieval APIs or web-based interfaces, allowing organizations to retrieve specific data sets or perform data restores as necessary.
- Data Lifecycle Management: Cloud archiving solutions often include features for managing the entire data lifecycle, from initial archiving to eventual deletion or retention expiration. They may offer automated policies for migrating data to archival storage, as well as retention policies for specifying how long data should be retained in the archive.
Overall, cloud archiving enables organizations to effectively manage their data storage needs by offloading inactive data to cost-effective, scalable, and secure cloud-based archival storage solutions. By doing so, organizations can optimize their primary storage resources, reduce data storage costs, and ensure compliance with data retention requirements.
