AWS Storage
S3 lifecycle policy design, Intelligent-Tiering, EBS snapshot hygiene, cross-region replication, and archive tier selection. The first job is usually an audit that pays for itself by finding orphaned volumes and old snapshots you are paying to keep but never use.
Overview
AWS storage costs are deceptive — the headline price per GB is low, but undeleted snapshots, cross-region replication, infrequent-access retrieval fees, and orphaned volumes compound into bills that grow faster than data. Effective AWS storage is about matching data to the right tier — hot, cold, or archive — and automating movement so you never pay premium rates for data nobody has touched in a year. We design the lifecycle policies, eliminate the waste, and keep your data durable and recoverable.
Clevertek scopes every engagement to your environment — capacity, sites, compliance and support model — so you get a tailored plan rather than a fixed SKU. Pricing is quote-only, and our solutions architects will work through your requirements before any proposal.
Our approach
We design and implement AWS storage architectures that match your data access patterns — not a one-size-fits-all bucket policy. The process starts with a storage audit that identifies what data you have, how frequently it is accessed, and what you are currently paying for each tier. We then design lifecycle policies that automatically transition data from hot to cold to archive as access patterns change, eliminating manual tier management. We configure versioning, replication, and backup policies for durability and recovery, and we test restores on a schedule so you know the backup works. Finally, we clean up the silent spenders — orphaned EBS volumes, old snapshots, incomplete multipart uploads — and set up cost visibility so you can see where every storage rupee goes.
Why work with us
Lifecycle automation from day one
We design S3 lifecycle policies that move data through tiers automatically — from frequent access to infrequent to archive — so you never pay hot-tier rates for cold data.
Storage audit that pays for itself
Our first engagement is usually an audit that identifies orphaned volumes, stale snapshots, and misconfigured tiers. The savings from cleanup alone often cover the engagement cost.
Tested recoverability, not just backup
Versioning, replication, and cross-region copies are configured and then tested. An untested backup is a hope, not a control — we drill restores on a schedule.
Retrieval cost visibility
We model retrieval and data-access costs into the architecture, not just storage cost. You see the total cost of making data available, not just the per-GB price.
Cost hygiene as a continuous practice
Monthly storage cost reviews identify new orphaned volumes, oversize snapshots, and data that has aged into a lower tier. Storage waste does not come back.
Multi-region and compliance-ready
Cross-region replication, encryption at rest and in transit, and compliance-aligned retention policies are designed into the architecture from the start.
Key benefits
What this solution delivers for your business.
Dramatically reduced storage costs
Lifecycle policies that automatically move cold data to cheaper tiers can reduce storage spend by 50-80% for data older than 90 days.
Elimination of orphaned storage waste
Regular audits identify and clean up unattached EBS volumes, old snapshots, stale S3 objects, and incomplete multipart uploads that silently accumulate cost.
Tested data recoverability
Versioning, replication, and scheduled restore drills mean you know your data is recoverable — not just backed up on paper.
Predictable storage budgeting
Lifecycle automation and cost visibility eliminate surprise bills. You know what each storage tier costs and can forecast accurately based on data growth trends.
Improved data durability and compliance
Cross-region replication and encryption meet compliance requirements while providing 99.999999999% durability for critical data.
Reduced management overhead
Lifecycle policies automate tier transitions, retention enforcement, and deletion of expired data — your team does not manually manage storage classes.
What's included
Part of this managed service.
Storage tier architecture
Design of S3, EBS, EFS, and FSx storage architectures with lifecycle policies that automatically match data to the cost-optimal tier.
- S3 lifecycle policy design
- Intelligent-Tiering configuration
- EBS volume type optimisation
- EFS and FSx throughput planning
Data protection and recovery
Versioning, replication, backup policies, and scheduled restore drills to ensure data is durable and recoverable within defined RPO/RTO targets.
- Cross-region replication
- AWS Backup policy design
- Scheduled restore exercises
- Ransomware protection architecture
Storage cost optimisation
Continuous identification and elimination of storage waste — orphaned volumes, stale snapshots, oversized resources, and misconfigured tiers.
- Orphaned EBS volume cleanup
- Snapshot age and size audit
- Incomplete multipart upload cleanup
- Storage cost allocation tagging
Compliance and encryption
Encryption at rest and in transit, retention policy enforcement, and access logging for audit and compliance requirements.
- S3 default encryption
- KMS key management
- Access logging and monitoring
- Retention policy with S3 Object Lock
Where it helps
Real-world scenarios where this solution delivers measurable outcomes.
A storage bill growing faster than data
Introduce lifecycle tiers that automatically move cold data to cheaper storage — cutting what you pay for data older than 90 days by an order of magnitude.
Backup that might not restore
Replicate critical data to a secondary region and drill restores on a quarterly schedule so we have recovered in a tested scenario, not just backed up on paper.
Storage estate nobody owns
Audit the full storage footprint, eliminate orphaned and wasted resources, and put ownership and cost visibility in place so storage is actively managed.
Questions buyers actually ask
Is S3 the right place for everything?
No, and that is the point. We match the storage service and tier to the access pattern and performance requirement. Putting cold archives in the hottest tier is the most common storage waste we fix.
What about retrieval costs?
They are the trap. We model retrieval into the design and keep frequently-needed data where fetching it is free. Cold data goes to archive where retrieval cost is acceptable for the access frequency.
Can you clean up what we already have?
Yes — the first job is usually an audit that pays for itself by identifying orphaned volumes, stale snapshots, and data in the wrong tier that you are paying too much to store.
How is EBS different from S3 for storage?
EBS is block storage attached to EC2 instances — fast, high-IOPS, but you pay regardless of usage. S3 is object storage for files and data at rest. Most storage waste comes from treating EBS volumes as long-term data storage rather than temporary compute storage.
What about cross-region replication costs?
We model them in the TCO. Cross-region replication doubles storage cost but is necessary for disaster recovery and compliance. We only recommend it for data that genuinely needs geographic redundancy.
Ready to scope a solution?
Talk to a Clevertek solutions architect about your requirements — no obligation.