AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) — Question 387

A company needs to transfer 600 TB of data from its on-premises network-attached storage (NAS) system to the AWS Cloud. The data transfer must be complete within 2 weeks. The data is sensitive and must be encrypted in transit. The company’s internet connection can support an upload speed of 100 Mbps.

Which solution meets these requirements MOST cost-effectively?

Answer options

• A. Use Amazon S3 multi-part upload functionality to transfer the files over HTTPS.
• B. Create a VPN connection between the on-premises NAS system and the nearest AWS Region. Transfer the data over the VPN connection.
• C. Use the AWS Snow Family console to order several AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized devices. Use the devices to transfer the data to Amazon S3.
• D. Set up a 10 Gbps AWS Direct Connect connection between the company location and the nearest AWS Region. Transfer the data over a VPN connection into the Region to store the data in Amazon S3.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

With a 100 Mbps internet connection, transferring 600 TB of data would take over 500 days, making online transfer methods like S3 multi-part upload or VPN completely unfeasible for a 2-week deadline. Setting up a 10 Gbps AWS Direct Connect connection is highly expensive and typically takes several weeks to provision, which violates the time constraint. Ordering multiple AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized devices is the most cost-effective and secure physical transport solution that can easily meet the two-week requirement.