A multiclass cost–latency aware framework for multi-tiered cloud storage optimization via access pattern forecasting

Efficient management of cloud storage resources requires intelligent tier allocation strategies that balance cost optimization with performance requirements. While previous approaches have focused on binary classification schemes for storage tiering, real-world scenarios demand more granular solutions that can adapt to diverse user preferences and workload characteristics. This paper extends our previous work on access frequency prediction by proposing a comprehensive multiclass machine learning framework for intelligent cloud storage tiering. The proposed framework incorporates a novel three-tier classification system ( Cold / Warm / Hot ) and integrates user-centric preferences through a cost-weight parameter, enabling dynamic adaptation to varying preferences along the cost-latency spectrum. We demonstrate the framework’s effectiveness through extensive experiments on real-world access patterns, where we assess the performance of thirteen machine learning algorithms under various user preference profiles. The results show that our multiclass approach achieves cost reductions of up to 40% compared to a static tiering strategy, while providing Pareto-optimal solutions for different user profiles. Through comprehensive Pareto frontier analysis, we demonstrate the framework’s ability to provide transparent trade-off visualization, enabling informed decision-making for cloud storage administrators. Our main contributions are: a multiclass classification approach for storage tiering, the integration of user preferences via parameterized optimization, a comparative analysis of multiple algorithms across different preference configurations, and a practical validation of the framework’s applicability in production cloud storage environments.