Cloud data retention is the practice of storing, archiving, or otherwise retaining data in cloud storage. There are three types of cloud data storage that may be used to facilitate cloud data retention: Object Storage - Object storage designates each piece of data as an object, adds comprehensive metadata to every object, and eliminates the hierarchical organization of “files and folders”. Data in object storage is placed into a flat address space called a storage pool, a practice which results in faster data retrieval and more efficient analytics. File Storage - In a file storage system, data exists in named files that are organized into folders. Folders may be nested in other folders, forming a hierarchy of data-containing directories and sub-directories. Files may have limited metadata associated with them, such as the file name, date of creation, and the date it was last modified. Block Storage - Block storage technology separates data into blocks, breaks those blocks into separate pieces, assigns each piece a unique identifier code, and stores the data on a Storage Area Network (SAN). SANs present block storage to other networked systems, leveraging a high-speed architecture to deliver low-latency data access and facilitate high-performance workloads.