If you’re running a large Salesforce org, you know the story: as users, integrations, logging, and automation scale up, so does the pile of files, attachments, case histories, and object records. Storage shows up as an ongoing line item in your budget, but it also shows up as a blocker when performance drops or when you need to justify spending to Finance.
This post is written for all the Salesforce Architects/IT Infrastructure Managers who must make a defensible, numbers-driven recommendation: keep operational data intact within Salesforce, but move cold, infrequently accessed archives to a low-cost cloud (AWS S3).
We suggest looking at Salesforce storage cost vs AWS archiving cost.
Below you’ll find the decision framework, an ROI methodology you can drop into internal decks, and a practical checklist to move from evaluation to procurement.
Why Salesforce Storage Costs Matter to IT
Salesforce separates storage concepts (data vs file storage) and charges accordingly. What matters to you is not just the per-GB price, but the operational consequences:
Direct spend: the line item your finance team can trace to the Salesforce invoice.
Indirect spend: performance degradation, added admin overhead, and accelerated needs for higher-tier editions or additional storage purchases.
Compliance & retrieval cost: if you keep everything in Salesforce to meet retention policies, you still pay for always-on storage even when records are rarely accessed.
A Quick Glance at Actionable Ways to Optimize Salesforce Storage
What your execs want: a clear, defensible CAGR-style forecast (1–3–5 years) on storage spend based on your current growth rate and retention windows.
| Cost Category | Options | Typical Annual Spend (Enterprise Salesforce Org) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Spend | Data + File Storage | $150,000 – $2,000,000 |
| Indirect Spend | Salesforce Performance + Admin Overhead + Forced Upgradation | $250,000 – $900,000 |
| Compliance & Retrieval Cost | Long Term Retention + Retrieval Costs | $500,000 – $1,500,000 |
Bottom line: A typical enterprise spends $1M–$4M per year on unnecessary Salesforce storage due to direct + indirect + compliance costs.
And, storing 1 TB in Salesforce can cost $60,000 to $3.6M, while AWS S3 costs $12 per TB, a staggering 99.98% cost reduction.
What Makes AWS S3 an Option Against Salesforce Storage Cost
AWS offers storage classes designed for different access patterns (hot, warm, cold, archive). For archiving purposes, the value propositions are:
- Lower per-GB cost for cold data: designed for long-term retention.
- Tiered retrieval: keep data in the cheapest tier and only pay to retrieve when needed.
- Mature security and compliance features: encryption at rest/in transit, IAM, logging, lifecycle rules.
- Massive scale and predictable billing: useful when you need to justify multi-year spend to Finance.
But the decision isn’t automatic. You must quantify the tradeoffs (storage vs retrieval, integration costs, and SLA expectations) and show them in CFO-friendly terms.
Let’s Put Together a Framework!
If you are debating the Salesforce storage cost vs AWS archiving cost, instead of debating per-GB sticker prices, go for options with these elements, where each is a line item you can measure in your environment:
- Current spend in Salesforce: annualized storage spend (if line item exists) or allocated cost per GB derived from contract/edition.
- Projected growth: your current rate of data growth (GB/month).
- Retention policy: percent of data to keep for 1, 3, 5, 10 years.
- AWS archival cost: per-GB storage in chosen tier + expected retrieval cost (per retrieval volume).
Operational benefits: estimated uplift in Salesforce performance, lower license tier churn, and fewer emergency storage purchases.
And, here’s how you calculate the ROI.
Annual Salesforce Cost (ASC) = Current annual storage spend (or estimated equivalent).
Annual AWS Archival Cost (AAC) = (Archived GB × AWS per-GB/year) + expected retrieval charges.
One-time Implementation Cost (IC) = integration or subscription cost (year 1 only).
Annual Maintenance (AM) = recurring management cost (if applicable).
Year 1 TCO (Archive) = AAC + IC + AM
Annual Savings (Year N) = ASC − Year N TCO (Archive)
Let’s see an example:
If ASC = $120,000/year and AAC = $18,000/year with IC = $12,000 and AM = $2,000, then Year 1 TCO = $32,000, Year 1 Savings = $88,000!
Why Building Custom Connectors Often Fails the ROI Test
While many businesses opt for DIY connectors between Salesforce and AWS, it isn’t a reliable and scalable option over time. Here’s why:
- Engineering time & ongoing maintenance: APIs change, edge-cases appear, and monitoring/alerting needs arise.
- Security & compliance burden: you’ll need to build audit trails, encryption key management, and role-based controls.
- Recovery & restore complexity: ad-hoc restores from S3 can be slow or require custom tooling to bring data back into the Salesforce context.
- Poor UX for users: archived records hidden behind custom UI increase support tickets and slow adoption.
DataArchiva to the Rescue: An Enterprise-Ready Archiving Solution
Here’s a clear, feature-only breakdown of what DataArchiva offers.
Archive Data on AWS as Easily as Making a Cup of Coffee. Within Minutes!
Native Salesforce Archiving
DataArchiva runs entirely inside Salesforce, eliminating external middleware or custom code. This ensures higher reliability, easier governance, and seamless platform compatibility.
Direct AWS Integration
Archive data directly into your own AWS S3 to retain full ownership and control, with encryption applied at every stage.
Up to 90% Reduction in Storage Costs
By moving inactive or long-term data to AWS, enterprises drastically reduce Salesforce storage expenses while keeping the CRM fast and clutter-free.
Salesforce UI-Level Access to Archived Data
Archived records remain viewable inside Salesforce through native page layouts and related lists.
No-Code Archiving Policies
Admins can configure archiving rules with simple point-and-click settings. Scheduling, object selection, and criteria-based archiving require zero development effort.
One-Click Data Restoration
Archived data can be restored into Salesforce instantly when needed. Parent–child relationships stay intact, making audits and investigations effortless.
Restore Files Even After Data Architecture Changes
Even if the Salesforce data model changes—objects, relationships, field structures—DataArchiva can restore archived data and files correctly into the updated schema.
Metadata Backup & Granular Recovery
Instead of one large metadata file, DataArchiva creates separate backups for Apex, Objects, Flows, Layouts, and other components. This allows selective, safer, and faster metadata restoration.
Compliance-Ready Retention Management
Set long-term retention policies aligned with GDPR, HIPAA, FINRA, SOX, and DORA. Immutable logs and controlled retrieval ensure audit-ready compliance.
Role-Based Access & Native Sharing Control
Archived data respects existing Salesforce permission sets and sharing rules. Access is tightly governed, keeping sensitive information fully protected.
High-Volume Archiving Engine
Optimized for organizations with millions of records, DataArchiva uses smart batching and parallel processing to deliver fast, uninterrupted archiving cycles.
Quick Deployment & Minimum Maintenance
Setup takes hours, not weeks. The app is admin-friendly with dashboards, automated error handling, and minimal ongoing upkeep.
Works Across All Salesforce Clouds
Compatible with Sales, Service, Experience, FSL, and industry clouds. Archiving scales smoothly across complex multi-cloud orgs.
Decision Checklist: When to Move Cold Data to AWS from Salesforce Storage
Use this checklist as objective triggers to act, and include it in your runbook:
- You are at or above 70–80% of allocated Salesforce storage.
- A sizeable portion (>30%) of your stored files is older than your primary retention window and rarely accessed.
- Finance or Procurement asks for a storage optimization plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Multiple performance incidents are traced to large volumes of files/attachments.
- Regulatory retention requires keeping data for many years, but with infrequent access.
200+ Businesses Save $80,000/Year with DataArchiva. Be One of Them!
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