In this article, you will learn:
- What AWS Snowball is and when it is worth using
- How to configure AWS Snowball for data migration
- How Snowball works in practice
- Whether data migration with Snowball is secure
Effective data migration at the petabyte scale does not have to mean months of network congestion or the risk of losing file integrity in isolated locations. The AWS Snowball solution eliminates bandwidth barriers by offering secure, physical transfer of massive datasets directly from oil rigs, film sets, or banking systems. In this article, you will learn how to properly configure the device and why migrating to the cloud using physical hardware guarantees the highest level of security and GDPR compliance. Discover the technical aspects of implementation that will allow you to move your infrastructure to AWS without worrying about verification errors or information transfer downtime.When to use AWS Snowball: use cases
AWS Snowball is one of many cloud management tools – it is an Amazon Web Services service that allows you to move large amounts of data between on-premises infrastructure and the cloud, which facilitates
cloud resource management. It is particularly useful when you need to move terabytes or even petabytes of data – for such large volumes, standard network transfer may be insufficient. Another situation where AWS Snowball works perfectly is when there are network bandwidth issues. Because Snowball allows for physical data transfer, it can be moved faster, which is also important for disaster recovery – for example, when you need to perform large amounts of backups, it is better to use AWS Snowball instead of doing it “manually.” Snowball is also effective for analyzing large amounts of data from Internet of Things devices, which can be sent directly to built-in AWS analytical tools like Amazon EMR. An example of this application could be collecting traffic data, which can be used for optimization. Another very interesting use case for AWS Snowball is using the tool to process data in hard-to-reach places – the AWS Snowball Edge extension also allows for local data processing before sending it to AWS, which is useful in places where cloud data processing is impossible, e.g., on oil rigs, at military bases, or on ships.
Deploying AWS Snowball begins with logging into the AWS Management Console. Next, you must select the Snow Family service and order a Snowball. To do this, you need to select the Create Job option, specify the device type, provide the location from which the data will be moved, then select the migration destination and specify the type and estimated amount of data to be transferred. The next step is preparing the data for migration – you need to not only identify it but also clean it and ensure it is properly secured. AWS Snowball encrypts data using 256-bit AES encryption, but you can add other security measures before migration. After that, you can proceed to configure migration policies – specify folders and files to move, select rules, set metadata and tags, and create transfer rules. Once AWS delivers the physical Snowball device to the location specified in the order, you must connect it to the local network and install the Snowball Client on the computer that will communicate with the Snowball device. The next stage is connecting the Snowball to the LAN via an Ethernet connection and powering on the device. All that remains is to transfer the data using the Snowball Client. Progress can be tracked using the Snowball Client tool or the AWS Management Console. After the data is moved, simply shut down the device, use the included return labels, and contact the courier to send it back to AWS. Upon receiving the device, AWS verifies data integrity and imports it into the cloud. Once the process is complete, it sends a notification in the AWS console or via email. The final stage is verifying that all data has been correctly imported. AWS erases the data from the Snowball – the data is encrypted, and the encryption keys are stored only on the specific AWS account.
Industry examples: effective application of AWS Snowball in practice
Beyond the use cases mentioned above, there are many other applications for this solution. It works great, for example, in the media industry for processing high-resolution video – film studios can use Snowball to move terabytes of 4K footage from physical production locations to the AWS cloud for editing and post-production. In the case of raw footage, moving it over a standard connection can be too time-consuming, especially when films are shot in remote locations (e.g., in the desert). Thanks to Snowball, you can quickly move materials to the AWS cloud, where they can be rendered and edited using Amazon S3 and AWS Lambda. Another example is the migration of archival data in a bank. In this context, AWS Snowball can be used to migrate petabytes of historical data from local server archives to the AWS cloud to, for example, accelerate financial analysis. Sending them over the Internet would take a lot of time and could violate GDPR requirements. Thanks to Snowball, you can quickly migrate data to Amazon S3, where you can immediately use the analytical tools built into AWS. Snowball can also be useful in processing geophysical data collected by, for example, mining companies. With the help of this technology, you can move and analyze data obtained from hard-to-reach regions of the world.
How to ensure data security during migration using Snowball
One of the reasons for using
cloud computing, and in particular
AWS, is data security during migration, a clear example of which is AWS Snowball. This solution automatically encrypts data using AES-256 encryption, both while transferring data to the device and during its transport to AWS. Encryption keys are managed by AWS Key Management Service, but only the account owner has access to them. AWS Key Management Service allows you to securely manage encryption keys. They are not stored on the Snowball, so even in the event of physical loss of the device, the data remains unreadable without the key, which never leaves the Key Management Service. AWS Snowball is also resistant to physical damage, shocks, and harsh weather conditions. It also has tamper-detection features that inform AWS if the device has been tampered with during transport. Access control to data and Snowball management is handled through AWS Identity and Access Management – with its help, you can create roles and policies to restrict who can initiate, monitor, and manage Snowball jobs, so only users with appropriate permissions can access the keys managed by KMS. All data migration tasks using Snowball are managed via the AWS Management Console. After the migration is complete, AWS automatically deletes the data from the device in accordance with standards such as NIST 800-88. Snowball also uses checksums to verify that data has been correctly transferred to the device. All operations related to using Snowball are logged in AWS CloudTrail, allowing you to monitor who had access to the data, when it was copied, and what operations were performed.
