Drop off your files: Amazon opens AWS drop-off points in the US

Amazon introduced the AWS Data Transfer Terminal service – points where you can quickly and securely upload large amounts of data to the AWS cloud. The first terminals are located in Los Angeles and New York, and in the future it is planned to add data reception points in other locations around the world.

Using AWS Data Transfer Terminal points will significantly reduce the time of data transfer (not counting travel time and back) to S3, EFS, etc. storages. For example, you can upload large datasets from a fleet of unmanned vehicles, video files or map data for further analysis and processing . You can also bring Snowball media with you, although in general AWS is gradually phasing out Snow services for physically delivering data to the cloud.

Image source: AWS

A list of terminals is available in the AWS Management Console, where you can pre-arrange the date and time of your visit and enter participants. At the appointed hour, an AWS employee will check the documents and lead you to a separate room where there is a patch panel, fiber optic cable and a PC. The patch panel is integrated into a small rack, and a computer can be used to monitor the data transfer process. It is noteworthy that for safety reasons there are no AWS symbols on buildings or premises. There are no per-gigabyte charges; instead, you’ll pay for upload time to AWS regions. In this case, only those regions that are located on the same continent as the user are available.