Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-304) Practice Test

What is a suitable service for transferring rarely accessed data from an on-premises file server to Azure while minimizing costs?

1. Azure Blob storage with Hot tier.

2. Azure Archive storage account.

3. Azure Data Lake Storage.

4. Azure Cool access tier storage account.

The correct answer is: Azure Cool access tier storage account.

The most suitable service for transferring rarely accessed data from an on-premises file server to Azure while minimizing costs is Azure Archive storage account. This option is particularly designed for scenarios where data is infrequently accessed, making it a cost-effective solution for long-term storage. Azure Archive storage offers significantly lower storage costs compared to other tiers, such as Hot or Cool. However, access times for data stored in the Archive tier are longer, which aligns well with the requirement for data that is rarely accessed. Additionally, transferring data to an archive means that you are prepared to store it securely, while also ensuring that it doesn't incur high costs since you aren't frequently retrieving it. In contrast, while the Cool access tier may also reduce costs compared to the Hot tier for infrequently accessed data, it is still more expensive than the Archive tier. The Cool tier is better suited for data that is accessed less frequently than Hot but more regularly than Archive. Although Azure Blob storage with the Hot tier and Azure Data Lake Storage are valuable services, they are not designed primarily for minimizing costs associated with rarely accessed data. Hot tier storage is intended for data that is accessed frequently, and Azure Data Lake Storage is more suited for big data analytics rather than simply minimizing storage costs for rarely accessed files