A distributed system for content storage and access includes a storage platform having at least a first storage component, and an access platform having one or multiple access components. Each access component is associated with at least one access service. The access service may be an administrative service for receiving a service request initiated by a first user, the service request being associated with a first item of content, and for identifying a characteristic of the service request, a content management service for determining, based at least in part on the characteristic of the service request, a specification of a data transfer operation to be executed in association with the first storage component, and a directory service for maintaining information associated with the first item of content.