Azure Data Box New Capabilities To Offline Data Migration

Azure Data Box documentation

What is Azure Data Box?

Microsoft Azure Data Box enables you quickly, cheaply, and reliably transport terabytes of data into and out of Azure. Shipping a customised Data Box storage device speeds up secure data delivery. Each 80-TB storage unit is delivered to your datacenter via a regional carrier. The robust case safeguards data during transport.

The Azure portal lets you order the Data Box device to import or export Azure data. The local web UI lets you rapidly set up the device after delivery. You can import or export data from your servers to the device or from the device to your servers, then return the device back to Azure. In the Azure datacenter, device data is automatically uploaded to Azure. Data Box in Azure tracks the entire process.

Use cases

Data Box excels at transferring data beyond 40 TBs without network access. There can be one-time, periodic, or massive data transfers followed by periodic transfers.

Here are some Azure data import possibilities using Data Box.

• Onetime migration: moving a lot of on-premises data to Azure.
  • Creating an online media library from offline tapes in Azure.
  • VM farm, SQL server, and application migration to Azure.
  • Moving historical data to Azure for HDInsight analysis and reporting.
• Initial bulk transfer Data Box (seed) followed by incremental network transfers.
  • Backup partners like Commvault and Data Box shift first large historical backups to Azure. After completion, incremental data is networked to Microsoft Azure Storage.
• When huge amounts of data are created periodically and need to be uploaded to Azure. Video is captured on oil rigs and windmill farms in energy exploration.

Here are some Azure data export scenarios using Data Box.

• Disaster recovery—restoring Azure data to an on-premises network. Most disaster recovery scenarios export a lot of Azure data to a Data Box. Data is quickly restored on your premises after Microsoft supplies this Data Box.
• Security requirements—when you must export Azure data for government or security reasons. Azure Storage is available in US Secret and Top Secret clouds, and Data Box can export Azure data.
• Export data via Data Box to migrate workloads back to on-premises or another cloud service provider.

Benefits

Data Box transfers enormous amounts of data to Azure without network effect. Benefits of the solution:

• Data Box transfers up to 80 TB of data into and out of Azure using 1-Gbps or 10-Gbps network ports.
• Secure – Data Box protects devices, data, and services.
  • The device has a sturdy housing with tamper-resistant screws and stickers.
  • AES 256-bit encryption protects device data at all times.
  • Unlocking the gadget requires an Azure portal password.
  • Azure security safeguards the service.
  • After uploading your import order data to Azure, the device’s disks are wiped clean per NIST 800-88r. The disks are wiped when the device approaches Azure for an export request.

Features and specs

Previous versions of Data Box, Disk, and Heavy didn’t offer cross-region data transfer. Data couldn’t cross trade boundaries except for UK-EU transactions.

Data Box’s preview cross-region data transfer features allow offline seamless transfers between numerous areas. Copy data from a local source to a destination within a different country, region, or boundary with this feature. Remember that the Data Box isn’t transported internationally. Your data is sent to an Azure data centre in your country or area. Azure’s network transfers data between the source and destination countries for free.

Cross-region data transfer is free, but it’s in preview and may change. Additionally, certain data transport scenarios span enormous geographic areas. Such transfers may have longer latencies.

The following countries and areas support cross-region transfers:

Previous versions of Data Box, Disk, and Heavy didn’t offer cross-region data transfer. Data couldn’t cross trade boundaries except for UK-EU transactions.

Azure Data Box’s preview cross-region data transfer features allow offline seamless transfers between numerous areas. Copy data from a local source to a destination within a different country, region, or boundary with this feature. Remember that the Data Box isn’t transported internationally. Your data is sent to an Azure data centre in your country or area. Azure’s network transfers data between the source and destination countries for free.

Cross-region data transfer is free, but it’s in preview and may change. Additionally, certain data transport scenarios span enormous geographic areas. Such transfers may have longer latencies.

Azure Data Box offline data transfer lets you deliver petabytes of data to Azure Storage quickly, cheaply, and reliably. Offline Azure data ingestion hardware transfer devices increase safe data transfer.

Azure is thrilled to introduce new services like:

• General availability of self-encrypted SSDs Azure Data Box Disk SKU for quick Linux transfers.
• Single-order data intake to several blob access tiers.
• Sample cross-region data transfers for seamless data import from source country to choice Azure destinations in other countries.
• Azure Storage Mover supports online catch-up data copy of active workload modifications during offline migrations using Azure Data Box.

The Azure Data Box cloud service is HIPAA/BAA, PCI 3DS, and PCI DSS certified. See below for details on each new capability.

Self-encrypted Azure Data Box Disks

The EU, US, and Japan now provide hardware-encrypted Azure Data Box Disk. Self-encrypting drives (SEDs) encrypt data using dedicated/native/specialized hardware without host machine software. These SEDs encrypt data using the disk’s intrinsic hardware without host machine software. Azure now provide Linux data transfer rates comparable to our BitLocker-encrypted Data Box Disk drives on Windows.

Data Box Azure Disk Some of Azure’s Automotive customers use SED because it links directly to in-car Linux-based data loggers via SATA, reducing time and eliminating the need for a backup data copy. Xylon, an automotive data logger manufacturer, leverages Azure Data Box Disk for ADAS sensor data migration:

Multi-access tier ingestion

One Azure Data Box order can now transmit data to several blob access tiers, including Cold Tier. Azure Data Box formerly only permitted transfers to Azure Storage Account basic access tiers. In an Azure Storage Account with the default set to hot, you would have had to first move data to hot tier using Azure Data Box and then use life cycle management to move it to cool tier after uploading to Azure.

Azure added “access tier” directories to the device folder structure. All data copied to the “Cool” folder will have its access tier set to cool, regardless of the destination Storage account’s default access tier. The same goes for data copied to other folders representing the other access levels. Explore multi-access tier ingestion.

Data transmission to Azure regions across regions

Azure is delighted to announce that Azure Data Box cross-region data transfer capabilities, now in preview, enable smooth ingest of on-premises data from a source country or region to chosen Azure destinations in another. You can copy on-premises data from Singapore or India to West US Azure with this functionality. Azure Data Boxes aren’t shipped over trade boundaries. Instead, it’s transmitted from and to an Azure data centre in the country or region of the on-premises data. Azure’s network transfers data to the destination Azure area without additional expenses.

Azure Storage Mover integration for online catch-up copy

Your data source may change while your Azure Data Box is in transit to Azure if it has active workloads. You must also make those changes to your cloud storage before moving a workload there. We’re pleased to announce that Azure Storage Mover and Data Box can now be used together to migrate files and folders to reduce workload downtime. Storage Mover operations can detect variations between on-site and cloud storage to transfer updates and new files not captured by Data Box. For instance, Azure Storage Mover will upload only the updated metadata of a file if its permissions have changed.

Azure Data Box cost