CV0-004 Cloud Architecture and Design Practice Question
A cloud engineer needs to store database backups that must be retained for seven years. The backups are rarely accessed. Which storage type is most cost-effective for this use case?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests the confusion between storage architecture (object, block, file) and storage cost tier (hot, cool, archive), causing candidates to pick 'object storage' when the question is really about the cheapest retention tier.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Archive storage
Archive storage (also called cold or archival tier) is purpose-built for data that is rarely accessed and must be retained for long periods, offering the lowest per-gigabyte storage cost among storage classes. It trades off higher retrieval costs and longer retrieval times (minutes to hours) for minimal storage cost, which is exactly the profile of seven-year database backups that are rarely accessed. Object storage is a storage architecture, not a cost tier, and standard object storage tiers are more expensive than archive.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Object storage
Why it's wrong here
Object storage can be used but archive tier is more cost-effective for rarely accessed data.
- ✗
Block storage
Why it's wrong here
Block storage presents raw volumes for virtual machines and databases, billed for provisioned capacity regardless of access, so idle archival data keeps incurring cost. It is tempting because backups originate from databases, but long-term retention of rarely read data belongs in object storage with lifecycle tiering.
- ✓
Archive storage
Why this is correct
Archive storage offers the lowest per-gigabyte cost of Azure's blob tiers, designed for data retained for long periods and rarely accessed. It meets the seven-year retention requirement at minimal expense, unlike hot or cool tiers.
- ✗
File storage
Why it's wrong here
File storage provides SMB or NFS shares for lift-and-shift workloads needing shared file semantics, and its per-GB cost exceeds archival tiers. It is tempting where applications expect a mounted filesystem, but seven-year rarely accessed backups need object storage's cold tiers and lifecycle policies.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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