AWS SAA-C03 - Practice Test #2
65 complete questions for AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam preparation.
A media company stores 500 TB of high-resolution images in Amazon S3. Access analysis shows that images are frequently retrieved for the first 30 days after creation. After this period, access is extremely rare, but if an image is requested, it must be available in milliseconds. Which storage solution should the Solutions Architect implement that is the MOST cost-effective?
Category: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
Explanation
Detailed breakdown of the correct answer
Amazon S3 Storage Classes & Lifecycle Policies
S3 Standard-IA is ideal for infrequently accessed data that requires rapid access (milliseconds) when needed. Knowing the exact pattern (30 days), transitioning to S3 Standard-IA via Lifecycle Policy is the cheapest way to maintain millisecond access without monitoring fees.
Therefore, the correct answer is: Configure a Lifecycle Policy to transition objects from S3 Standard to S3 Standard-IA after 30 days.
The option that says: S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is incorrect because Glacier does not provide millisecond access (takes minutes to hours).
The option that says: S3 Intelligent-Tiering is incorrect because it charges a monthly automation and monitoring fee per object. Since the access pattern is 100% predictable (exactly 30 days), standard lifecycle to Standard-IA is more cost-effective.
The option that says: S3 One Zone-IA is incorrect because it stores data in a single AZ, reducing resiliency. It is not recommended for critical media assets unless explicitly stated they are easily reproducible.