AWS (Amazon Web Services) Certification Practice Exam

What type of AWS service is AWS Snowball categorized as?

1. Virtual service

2. Physical appliance

3. Cloud computing resource

4. Managed service

The correct answer is: Physical appliance

AWS Snowball is categorized as a physical appliance because it is a data transfer service that uses secure physical devices to move large amounts of data into and out of AWS. This service is particularly beneficial when transferring terabytes or petabytes of data, as it provides a more efficient and secure method than transferring data over the internet. The Snowball appliance is a ruggedized device that is designed for large-scale data transport. Once the data is loaded onto the Snowball appliance, it is shipped directly to AWS data centers, where the data can be imported into various AWS services. This physical approach addresses challenges such as bandwidth limitations and can reduce costs associated with data transfer. While AWS Snowball does interact with cloud services and can be considered a part of cloud infrastructure, its core function is tied to the physical device used for data transfer, making the classification as a physical appliance accurate and appropriate.