Microsoft Azure Databox is a 45-pound, super rugged, tamper-resistant, human-managed hardware appliance that can transfer up to 100TB of data capacity to copy, store, then send to the Azure cloud. This solution is easy to use, plugs directly into your network, and uses NAS protocols. The device uses 256-bit encryption on the data to ensure safe transport. Microsoft Azure Databox is a huge time saver when migrating data to Azure.
Microsoft Databox is pricey and takes a good level of expertise to run and manage. Some of our team were not confident that Microsoft Databox could perform a complete network backup of our data
AWS Snowball is a secure, rugged data transport device (weighing in at 47 pounds) with on-board storage and compute capabilities. This solution can accelerate data transfers into and out of Amazon Web Services. AWS Snowball helps us save time and cut costs. What we like most about it is the prepaid shipping label in the E Ink display that will automatically update to indicate the correct AWS partner location to ship to, and you can track the job status using several different options from text messaging or directly from the console.
AWS Snowball is not an easy solution to jump into; there is a bit of a learning curve. Using AWS Snowball we had some instances where things were a little buggy. There are also some potential stability issues that should be investigated.
Conclusion:
AWS was first to the databox market with Snowball; then Microsoft answered with Azure Databox. AWS Snowball remains a few steps ahead with certain features. The smart E Ink labeling coupled with Amazon’s incredible reach with global shipping really sets them apart and keeps them way ahead in the actual movement of the databoxes back and forth from one physical location to the other. Additionally, AWS Snowball seems to be more adept at the actual migration of data to the cloud, the speed of transfer, and the amount of data AWS Snowball is capable of moving - e.g. Petabytes as opposed to Terabytes with Microsoft Azure Databox. AWS Snowball just seems to do it better.
However, AWS Snowball is most effective in an AWS ecosystem, and of course, Azure Databox works primarily with Azure Cloud. Which works better for you may depend on the ecosystem in which you are currently working.
Microsoft Azure Databox is a 45-pound, super rugged, tamper-resistant, human-managed hardware appliance that can transfer up to 100TB of data capacity to copy, store, then send to the Azure cloud. This solution is easy to use, plugs directly into your network, and uses NAS protocols. The device uses 256-bit encryption on the data to ensure safe transport. Microsoft Azure Databox is a huge time saver when migrating data to Azure.
Microsoft Databox is pricey and takes a good level of expertise to run and manage. Some of our team were not confident that Microsoft Databox could perform a complete network backup of our data
AWS Snowball is a secure, rugged data transport device (weighing in at 47 pounds) with on-board storage and compute capabilities. This solution can accelerate data transfers into and out of Amazon Web Services. AWS Snowball helps us save time and cut costs. What we like most about it is the prepaid shipping label in the E Ink display that will automatically update to indicate the correct AWS partner location to ship to, and you can track the job status using several different options from text messaging or directly from the console.
AWS Snowball is not an easy solution to jump into; there is a bit of a learning curve. Using AWS Snowball we had some instances where things were a little buggy. There are also some potential stability issues that should be investigated.
Conclusion:
AWS was first to the databox market with Snowball; then Microsoft answered with Azure Databox. AWS Snowball remains a few steps ahead with certain features. The smart E Ink labeling coupled with Amazon’s incredible reach with global shipping really sets them apart and keeps them way ahead in the actual movement of the databoxes back and forth from one physical location to the other. Additionally, AWS Snowball seems to be more adept at the actual migration of data to the cloud, the speed of transfer, and the amount of data AWS Snowball is capable of moving - e.g. Petabytes as opposed to Terabytes with Microsoft Azure Databox. AWS Snowball just seems to do it better.
However, AWS Snowball is most effective in an AWS ecosystem, and of course, Azure Databox works primarily with Azure Cloud. Which works better for you may depend on the ecosystem in which you are currently working.