Abstract: The disclosure provides methods and systems for transparent data movement between a private cloud storage ecosystem and another storage system. The other storage system may be local storage or external storage separate and apart from the private cloud storage ecosystem. Originally, metadata and the data contents of a file are both stored on local storage in the private cloud storage ecosystem. The method separates the metadata from the data contents of a file such that the metadata and data contents are independently operable. After separation and based on policy, the data content is transparently moved between the private cloud storage system and the other storage system. The data is managed and tracked such that a user, e.g., a client or external program/entity, may access the data content using the original metadata stored on the private cloud storage ecosystem, despite the movement of the data contents to the other storage system.