Many organizations default to storing all EFS data in the Standard class, regardless of how frequently data is accessed. This results in inefficient spend for workloads with significant portions of data that are rarely read. EFS IA and Archive tiers offer lower-cost alternatives for data with low or near-zero access, while Intelligent Tiering can automate placement decisions. Failing to leverage these options wastes storage spend and reduces cost efficiency.
EFS charges separately for data stored in each class. Standard storage is priced highest, while IA and Archive offer lower storage costs but charge for data retrieval. Intelligent Tiering automatically transitions data between classes based on access patterns. Placing all data in Standard when much of it is infrequently accessed leads to unnecessary cost.
