When should an organization consider using Azure Archive Storage?

The most suitable scenario for utilizing Azure Archive Storage is when data is rarely accessed but needs to be retained. Azure Archive Storage is designed specifically for storing large volumes of infrequently accessed data that is retained for long periods of time, such as compliance records, backup data, or archival documents. This storage tier offers a cost-effective solution by significantly reducing storage costs compared to other, more frequently accessible tiers.

Organizations looking to manage historical data or implement a data retention policy without incurring high storage costs will find Azure Archive Storage advantageous, as it allows them to store data securely while meeting compliance requirements.

Other options, such as needing frequent access to data or requiring low latency for data retrieval, do not align with the primary purpose of Archive Storage. It is optimized for cost over speed, making it less suitable for scenarios where immediate or frequent access is a necessity. Similarly, for processing real-time analytics, other Azure storage options, like Blob Storage or Azure Data Lake, would be more appropriate, as they are designed for high performance and low latency access requirements.