Azure Archive Storage
Author: Ronald Fung
Creation Date: 2 June 2023
Next Modified Date: 2 June 2024
A. Introduction
Azure Storage is a cloud-based storage solution that provides a range of storage options for businesses, including archive storage. Archive storage in Azure is a cost-effective and durable storage solution for data that is rarely accessed, but still needs to be retained for compliance or other purposes.
Azure Archive Storage provides a highly scalable and secure storage solution for long-term retention of data, such as backup archives, compliance data, or historical records. It is designed for data that is infrequently accessed and requires long-term retention, with a minimum storage duration of 180 days. Azure Archive Storage provides low-cost storage options with flexible access tiers, allowing you to optimize your storage costs based on your data access patterns.
Azure Archive Storage provides advanced security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, helping to protect the privacy and security of your data. It also provides high durability and availability, with multiple copies of your data stored across different data centers and geographic regions, ensuring that your data is always accessible and protected.
Overall, Azure Archive Storage provides a cost-effective, durable, and secure storage solution for long-term retention of data that is rarely accessed, making it an ideal option for businesses that need to retain data for compliance or other purposes. By leveraging Azure Archive Storage, you can effectively manage your data storage needs and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research efforts.
B. How is it used at Seagen
As a biopharma research company using Microsoft Azure, you can use Azure Archive Storage for long-term retention of data that is rarely accessed, but still needs to be retained for compliance or other purposes. Here are some ways you can use Azure Archive Storage:
Backup archives: Azure Archive Storage can be used for backup archives, allowing you to securely store backup data for long-term retention.
Compliance data: Azure Archive Storage can be used for compliance data, allowing you to securely store compliance data for the required retention period.
Historical records: Azure Archive Storage can be used for historical records, allowing you to securely store historical data for future reference or analysis.
Cost-effective storage: Azure Archive Storage provides a cost-effective storage solution for long-term retention of data, allowing you to optimize your storage costs based on your data access patterns.
High durability: Azure Archive Storage provides high durability, ensuring that your data is always available and protected.
Advanced security: Azure Archive Storage provides advanced security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, helping to protect the privacy and security of your data.
Scalability: Azure Archive Storage is highly scalable, allowing you to easily scale up or down as your data needs change.
Multiple access tiers: Azure Archive Storage provides flexible access tiers, allowing you to optimize your storage costs based on your data access patterns.
Overall, by leveraging Azure Archive Storage, you can effectively store and manage data that is rarely accessed but still needs to be retained for compliance or other purposes. By using Azure Archive Storage for backup archives, compliance data, historical records, cost-effective storage, high durability, advanced security, scalability, and multiple access tiers, you can effectively manage your research data and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research efforts.
C. Features
Azure Archive Storage is a cost-effective and durable storage solution designed for long-term retention of data that is rarely accessed, but still needs to be retained for compliance or other purposes. Here are some key features of Azure Archive Storage:
Cost-effectiveness: Azure Archive Storage provides a cost-effective storage solution for long-term retention of data, allowing you to optimize your storage costs based on your data access patterns.
Durability: Azure Archive Storage provides high durability, ensuring that your data is always available and protected.
Advanced security: Azure Archive Storage provides advanced security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, helping to protect the privacy and security of your data.
Scalability: Azure Archive Storage is highly scalable, allowing you to easily scale up or down as your data needs change.
Multiple access tiers: Azure Archive Storage provides flexible access tiers, allowing you to optimize your storage costs based on your data access patterns.
Long-term retention: Azure Archive Storage is designed for long-term retention of data, with a minimum storage duration of 180 days.
Automated data lifecycle management: Azure Archive Storage provides automated data lifecycle management, allowing you to easily transition data between storage tiers based on your data access patterns.
Multiple geographic locations: Azure Archive Storage provides multiple geographic locations for storing your data, ensuring that your data is always available and protected.
Compliance support: Azure Archive Storage provides support for compliance with industry and government regulations, ensuring that your data meets regulatory requirements.
Overall, by leveraging Azure Archive Storage, you can effectively store and manage data that is rarely accessed but still needs to be retained for compliance or other purposes. By using Azure Archive Storage for cost-effective storage, durability, advanced security, scalability, multiple access tiers, long-term retention, automated data lifecycle management, multiple geographic locations, and compliance support, you can effectively manage your research data and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research efforts.
D. Where Implemented
E. How it is tested
Testing Azure Archive Storage involves verifying that the service is properly configured and that it is effectively storing and managing data for long-term retention. Here are some steps you can take to test Azure Archive Storage:
Verify configuration: Verify that Azure Archive Storage is properly configured and integrated with your Azure account and applications and websites.
Test data storage: Test Azure Archive Storage by storing and retrieving data, ensuring that the service is effectively storing and managing your data for long-term retention.
Test data processing: Test Azure Archive Storage by processing data in the cloud, ensuring that you can easily process data and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research goals.
Test analytics: Test Azure Archive Storage by storing data for analytics purposes, ensuring that you can analyze large volumes of data and gain insights into your biopharma research efforts.
Test security: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service provides advanced security features, helping to protect the privacy and security of your data.
Test availability: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service provides high availability and disaster recovery capabilities, ensuring that your data is always accessible and protected.
Test durability: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service provides high durability, ensuring that your data is always available and protected.
Test data integration: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service can be used for data integration tasks, allowing you to move data between systems and perform data integration tasks.
Test scalability: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service is highly scalable, allowing you to easily scale up or down as your data needs change.
Test performance: Test Azure Archive Storage by verifying that the service provides high performance data processing capabilities, allowing you to quickly and efficiently manage your data for long-term retention.
Overall, testing Azure Archive Storage involves verifying that the service is effectively storing and managing data for long-term retention, and providing powerful data storage, data processing, analytics, security, availability, durability, data integration, scalability, and performance capabilities. By taking these steps, you can ensure that you are effectively using Azure Archive Storage to manage your research data and make data-driven decisions that support your biopharma research efforts.
F. 2023 Roadmap
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G. 2024 Roadmap
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H. Known Issues
As with any software or service, there may be known issues or limitations with Azure Archive Storage that users should be aware of. Here are some of the known issues with Azure Archive Storage:
Retrieval times: Retrieval times for data stored in Azure Archive Storage can be slower than other storage options, due to the nature of the storage tier and the need for data to be restored from long-term storage.
Minimum storage duration: Azure Archive Storage requires a minimum storage duration of 180 days, which may not be suitable for all data retention needs.
Access limitations: Access to data stored in Azure Archive Storage is limited, with retrieval times and costs based on the storage tier and access patterns.
Data lifecycle management: Automated data lifecycle management in Azure Archive Storage may not be suitable for all data retention needs, and may require additional configuration and management.
Data transfer costs: Data transfer costs for data stored in Azure Archive Storage can be high, especially when moving data between storage tiers or geographic regions.
Cost optimization: Optimizing storage costs in Azure Archive Storage can be complex, requiring careful management of data access patterns and storage tiers.
Compliance limitations: Compliance requirements may impact the suitability of Azure Archive Storage for certain data retention needs, and may require additional configuration and management.
Overall, while Azure Archive Storage offers a powerful and cost-effective storage solution for long-term retention of data, users must be aware of these known issues and take steps to mitigate their impact. This may include carefully managing data retrieval times, data lifecycle management, data transfer costs, cost optimization, compliance requirements, and storage tiers. By taking these steps, users can ensure that they are effectively using Azure Archive Storage to manage their research data and make data-driven decisions that support their biopharma research efforts.
[x] Reviewed by Enterprise Architecture
[x] Reviewed by Application Development
[x] Reviewed by Data Architecture