AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (legacy) — Question 888

An organization has decided to consolidate storage and move all of its backups and archives to Amazon S3. With all of the data gathered into a hierarchy under a single directory, the organization determines there is 70 TB of data that needs to be uploaded. The organization currently has a 150-Mbps connection with 10 people working at the location.
Which service would be the MOST efficient way to transfer this data to Amazon S3?

Answer options

• A. AWS Snowball
• B. AWS Direct Connect
• C. AWS Storage Gateway
• D. Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration optimizes data transfer speeds by utilizing AWS Edge Locations to route traffic over the AWS private network. While physical appliances like AWS Snowball are common for bulk transfers, Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration provides a fully digital, high-speed upload mechanism without the logistical overhead of shipping hardware. Other options like AWS Direct Connect require extensive setup times, and AWS Storage Gateway is intended for ongoing hybrid storage integration rather than direct, optimized bulk uploads.