Amazon Onboarding with Learning Manager Chanci Turner

We trust you’ve had the opportunity to explore the recent updates on security and compute services announced at re:Invent. Now, let’s delve into the latest advancements in storage and ingestion services that will serve our public sector clientele.

AWS Snowball Edge: Efficient Data Transfer with On-Board Computing

AWS Snowball Edge is our latest 100TB data transfer device, designed to offer secure, on-board storage along with computing capabilities via AWS Greengrass. Organizations can leverage AWS Snowball Edge to efficiently transfer extensive data volumes to and from the AWS Cloud, utilize the device as a temporary storage solution for substantial local datasets, or support edge workloads in isolated or offline locations.

Snowball Edge integrates seamlessly with existing applications and infrastructure through standard storage interfaces, simplifying the data transfer process, reducing setup and integration complexity, and ensuring uninterrupted application performance even during cloud access interruptions.

How Does Snowball Edge Enhance Cloud Data Transfer?

With a network speed that is four times higher than the original AWS Snowball, this device includes built-in Wi-Fi and cellular communication, a Network File System (NFS) interface, and an Amazon S3-compatible endpoint. All data stored on the device is automatically encrypted, with encryption keys managed through the AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and are never stored on the device, safeguarding your sensitive data both onsite and during transfer.

The AWS Snowball Edge also comes equipped with AWS Greengrass, enabling the execution of AWS Lambda functions and local data processing. This capability facilitates the collection and analysis of sensor data streams, multimedia transcoding, real-time image compression, or operating a local Amazon S3-compatible file server.

Operational Process

Jobs can be initiated directly from the AWS Management Console. Upon job creation, AWS will promptly dispatch a Snowball Edge device to your location. After receiving the device, connect it to your local network and link your applications. When the device is ready for return, the E Ink shipping label will automatically update to the appropriate AWS facility, and you can monitor the job status via Amazon SNS notifications or directly within the console.

AWS Snowball and HIPAA Compliance

AWS has broadened its HIPAA compliance program to encompass AWS Snowball, allowing for the secure and economical transfer of large volumes of data, including Protected Health Information (PHI), in and out of AWS. For more details, refer to the HIPAA Compliance whitepaper.

AWS Snowmobile: Rapid Migration of Exabytes to the Cloud

Transferring petabyte and exabyte-scale data to the cloud has historically posed challenges even with high-capacity connections. The AWS Snowmobile secure data truck, capable of storing up to 100 PB of data, enables customers to migrate significant datasets to the AWS Cloud in a matter of weeks rather than years.

The tamper-resistant AWS Snowmobile shipping containers connect to your network and appear as a local, NFS-mounted volume. Each Snowmobile requires approximately 350 kW of AC power and includes a high-speed switch capable of supporting data transfer rates of 1 Tb/second across multiple 40 Gb/second connections.

New Amazon S3 Features

Amazon S3 CloudWatch Metrics: Enhance application performance by monitoring 13 new Amazon S3 CloudWatch metrics, which allow for rapid identification and resolution of operational issues.
Amazon S3 Object Tagging: Manage and control access to Amazon S3 objects using key-value pair tags that can be created, updated, or deleted throughout the object’s lifecycle.
Amazon S3 Analytics, Storage Class Analysis: Analyze storage access patterns to optimize costs by transitioning data to the appropriate storage classes with automated lifecycle policy recommendations.
Amazon S3 Inventory: Streamline business workflows with scheduled inventory reports that provide a flat-file output of your objects and their metadata.

New Amazon EFS Features

Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) allows for file storage accessible from Amazon EC2 instances and on-premises data centers. You can now migrate file data to and from on-premises systems into Amazon EFS, accommodating cloud bursting workloads and backups via AWS Direct Connect.

Updated AWS Storage Gateway

The new AWS Storage Gateway provides a virtual on-premises file server, enabling secure and durable cloud storage access for Amazon S3 objects through standard file protocols. This solution simplifies data migration into Amazon S3 for in-cloud workloads, offering cost-effective storage for backup and archiving.

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