--- description: CTERA Data Archiving Solution pairs InsightAI with CTERA Archive to flag inactive files by metadata and move them off primary storage. title: CTERA Data Archiving Solution Pairs InsightAI With CTERA Archive to Move Inactive Files Off Primary Storage With an Audit Trail image: https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/StorageReview-CTERA-InsightAI-hero.jpg --- [![Storage Review]()](https://storagereview.com/) --- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/@storagereview) [X (Twitter)](https://twitter.twitter.com/storagereview) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/storagereview-com) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/storagereview?sub_confirmation=1) [Email](mailto:info@storagereview.com) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0) [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/StorageReview/) [Discord](https://discord.gg/TwMHb4azdC) [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/@storagereview) [X (Twitter)](https://twitter.com/storagereview) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/storagereview-com) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/storagereview?sub_confirmation=1) [Email](mailto:info@storagereview.com) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0) [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/StorageReview/) [Discord](https://discord.gg/TwMHb4azdC) [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview) [![StorageReview.com](https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Storage-Review-2x.png)](https://www.storagereview.com) ≡ Menu - [Home](https://www.storagereview.com/) - [Storage Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/review) - [End User Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/consumer) - [Enterprise Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise) - [Ubiquiti Reviews](https://www.storagereview.com/best/ubiquiti-reviews) - [SR Merch](https://store.storagereview.com) - [Leaderboards](https://www.storagereview.com/best) - [Best Storage Arrays](https://www.storagereview.com/best/storage-arrays) - [Best Enterprise SSDs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/enterprise-ssds) - [Best Servers](https://www.storagereview.com/best/servers) - [Best Enterprise GPUs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/enterprise-gpus) - [Best Desktops for Local AI](https://www.storagereview.com/best/desktops-local-ai) - [Best Laptops for Local AI](https://www.storagereview.com/best/laptops-local-ai) - [Best Local LLM Tools](https://www.storagereview.com/best/local-llm-tools) - [Agentic AI Hardware](https://www.storagereview.com/best/agentic-ai-hardware) - [Best SSDs & Hard Drives](https://www.storagereview.com/best_drives) - [Best Portable SSDs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/portable-ssds) - [Best Business Laptops](https://www.storagereview.com/best/business-laptops) - [Best Mobile Workstations](https://www.storagereview.com/best/mobile-workstations) - [Best Desktop Workstations](https://www.storagereview.com/best/desktop-workstations) - [Best Mini PCs](https://www.storagereview.com/best/mini-pcs) - [Best Laptop Battery Life](https://www.storagereview.com/best/laptop-battery-life) - [Storage Reference Guide](https://www.storagereview.com/storage-reference-guide) - [About SR](https://www.storagereview.com/about-storagereview) - [StorageReview.com Sweepstakes Rules and Regulations](https://www.storagereview.com/storagereview-com-sweepstakes-rules-and-regulations) Search [Home](https://www.storagereview.com/) » [News](https://www.storagereview.com/news) » CTERA Data Archiving Solution Pairs InsightAI With CTERA Archive to Move Inactive Files Off Primary Storage With an Audit Trail # CTERA Data Archiving Solution Pairs InsightAI With CTERA Archive to Move Inactive Files Off Primary Storage With an Audit Trail by Harold Fritts on September 17, 2026 [Data Protection](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise/data-protection)  ◇  [Enterprise](https://www.storagereview.com/enterprise) CTERA has launched the CTERA Data Archiving Solution, which pairs its InsightAI data service with CTERA Archive so the platform can recommend which files to move off primary storage and then execute the move under retention policy and an audit trail. It’s the product follow-through to the [Cold Data Storage Report](https://www.storagereview.com/news/just-4-4-of-enterprise-nas-capacity-is-active-ctera-cold-data-storage-report-finds) CTERA published a day earlier: across 856 file-share discovery scans covering more than 16PB of live production data, 4.4% of stored capacity was data users and applications regularly access, 88.3% of files hadn’t been accessed in more than a year, and less than 10% of capacity had been touched in the prior 90 days. The solution is part of the CTERA Intelligent Data Platform. ![CTERA InsightAI graphic with a query box reading Ask CTERA InsightAI, what team is consuming the most storage, above folders scattered across a world map, CTERA marketing art](https://www.storagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/StorageReview-CTERA-InsightAI-hero.jpg) ## InsightAI Picks the Archive Candidates The identification step is where CTERA is putting the AI. InsightAI agents infer what a file contains from its metadata, meaning the filename, path, extension, and directory context, and assess its value to the business, then combine that with age, type, size, and usage patterns to surface archive candidates. CTERA’s argument is that age alone is a poor archiving signal; a five-year-old contract and a five-year-old build log have the same timestamp and very different retention value. InsightAI launched earlier this year as a natural-language interface for querying the platform’s file metadata, and CTERA has been steadily pointing the platform at AI workloads through its [n8n integration](https://www.storagereview.com/news/ctera-integrates-with-n8n-to-extend-enterprise-file-data-to-ai-workflows) and [Fusion Direct](https://www.storagereview.com/news/ctera-fusion-direct-targets-files-and-object-storage-for-ai-driven-workload). ![CTERA InsightAI report builder showing a monthly IT leadership briefing on storage growth and file system usage, a User Activity Analysis system template card, and an Ask Insight chat panel, CTERA product screenshot]() ## CTERA Archive Moves and Governs the Data Once InsightAI has flagged the files, CTERA Archive moves them to a dedicated, isolated archival tier inside the same CTERA environment, and the target can be lower-cost on-premises hardware or cloud object storage; CTERA’s product page lists Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval and other S3 storage classes along with Azure Blob Cool and Cold tiers. Because the archived files stay inside the Intelligent Data Platform, CTERA says they remain governed and reachable by AI and analytics tools with no separate retrieval or rehydration step, so cold data leaves primary storage without leaving reach. On the governance side, CTERA Archive carries configurable retention policies, with two retention modes per the product page, and logs every archive and restore operation with the operator, source, destination, reason, file count, size, and timestamp; the logs are exportable for compliance reporting and legal discovery. CTERA also frames archiving as a security control, since moving inactive data out of SMB and NFS shares shrinks the volume of sensitive information exposed in the file system, and CTERA Vault can add WORM protection to the archived set. “Enterprise data volumes are going to continue to grow, but not all data needs to remain on primary storage or be immediately accessible. The challenge has always been knowing what data can safely move and then providing a practical path to execute that migration,” said Oded Nagel, CEO of CTERA. “By pairing CTERA InsightAI, which understands what data means to the business and not just how old it is, with the governance and controls of CTERA Archive, the CTERA Data Archiving Solution gives IT teams a much simpler, AI-guided way to bring discipline to the enterprise data lifecycle without sacrificing access. Archived data stays usable for AI and analytics rather than locked away.” CTERA didn’t state availability for the Data Archiving Solution in its announcement. ### [CTERA Data Archiving Product Page](https://www.ctera.com/challenge/data-archiving/) **Engage with StorageReview** [Newsletter](https://www.storagereview.com/storage_newsletter) |  [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/StorageReview "Opens in a new window") | Podcast  [iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/storagereview-com-storage-reviews/id1060681115 "Opens in a new window")/ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6VnznABhHeOSMOmbDTz0 "Opens in a new window") |  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/storagereview/ "Opens in a new window") |  [Twitter](https://twitter.com/storagereview "Opens in a new window") |  [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@storagereview? "Opens in a new window") |  [RSS Feed](https://www.storagereview.com/rss.xml) ![]() ### Harold Fritts I have been in the tech industry since IBM created Selectric. My background, though, is writing. So I decided to get out of the pre-sales biz and return to my roots, doing a bit of writing but still being involved in technology. 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