ORLANDO, Florida – Data migration and management vendor Archive360 extended integration of its platform deeper into the Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystem.

The extensions, which were announced today at the Microsoft Ignite event, include an update to its FastCollect for SharePoint product that now offers analysis and reporting of file consumption within Microsoft’s SharePoint and SharePoint Online product. SharePoint is Microsoft’s long-standing document management and storage system. SharePoint Online is the cloud-based extension of the platform.

The analysis allows users to identify the amount of data stored on their SharePoint sites. This includes the number of files; size of files; age of files based on create date; file type; and last accessed date.

That information can then be used in the FastCollect online extension to create automated, policy-derived control of those files. This allows companies to select where they want that data stored, selecting less expensive options if desired.

Tibi Popp, CTO and co-founder of Archive360, explained the platform includes analysis that allows an enterprise to extract historical usage and storage data. They can then take this knowledge to decide what data they want to continue to archive, or what data they want to purge and free up resources.

“Cloud usage can be expensive, so we are trying to optimize cloud costs as much as possible,” Popp said.

Customers can also decide to move some of that data to Azure for storage that Popp said was at “basically half of the cost of SharePoint.” However, the data stored in Azure are not the actual active files, but are instead copies used mostly for reading or reference purposes. Popp said this makes them more aligned with organizations like law firms or hospitals that need to access read-only files.

Popp said the SharePoint platform includes a search engine that allows companies to search for specific data across storage models.

The platform may sound a bit like software-defined storage (SDS), with Popp explaining “it falls right in there, but is a really rich application. He likened it more to “archive defined storage.”

Archive360 has also extended it Archive2Azure platform to support new Microsoft storage pricing and capabilities.

The storage pricing support taps Microsoft’s just launched Archival storage tier, which slides in below the “hot” and “cool” tiers. Popp said the new tier is ideal for long-term archiving of “low-touch and inactive files.”

This feature also takes advantage of the FastCollect products.

For the cognitive and media support, the Archive2Azure product takes advantage of Microsoft’s machine learning work to enhance audio and video storage. The Archive360 product can automatically index and store audio and video files into the most cost-efficient depot, whether it’s online or on-premises.

Archive360 began in 2011, with a focus on helping companies migrate their data from legacy archives. The firm’s founders emerged from Mimosa Systems following that company’s acquisition by Iron Mountain Digital, and then Autonomy, and finally Hewlett-Packard.

Popp said that while the company’s product is currently tied to Azure, it is adaptable to other platforms.

“It use Azure today, but could use IBM Watson tomorrow,” he said. “It’s modular enough to go with another cloud provider.”