The storage system must balance cost, simplicity, and access patterns: high initial access, decreasing

over time, with some files remaining popular. Google Cloud Storage offers tailored options for this:

Option A: Custom Object Lifecycle Management (OLM) policies (e.g., transition to Nearline after 30

days, Archive after 90 days) are effective but static. They don’t adapt to actual usage, so popular old

files in Archive would incur high retrieval costs.

Option B: Autoclass automatically adjusts storage classes (Standard, Nearline, Coldline, Archive)

based on object access patterns, not just age. It keeps frequently accessed files in Standard (low

latency/cost for access) and moves inactive ones to cheaper classes, minimizing costs while

preserving simplicity. This fits the “some files remain popular” nuance.

Option C: A Cloud Scheduler job to manually change classes daily is complex (requires scripting,

monitoring), error-prone, and less cost-effective than automated solutions like Autoclass or OLM.

Option D: Defaulting to Archive is cheapest for storage but disastrous for access—retrieval costs and

latency would skyrocket for initial high-access periods.

Why B is Best: Autoclass simplifies management (no rules to define) and optimizes costs dynamically.

For videos, where access varies unpredictably, it ensures popular files stay accessible without manual

intervention, aligning with Google’s cost-optimization guidance.

Extract from Google Documentation: From "Autoclass in Cloud Storage"

(https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/autoclass): "Autoclass automatically transitions objects to

the most cost-effective storage class based on access patterns, simplifying management and

reducing costs for workloads with variable access, such as media files."

Reference: Google Cloud Documentation - "Cloud Storage Autoclass"

(https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/autoclass).