Summary: Azure Data Box is a physical data transfer appliance provided by Microsoft to move massive amounts of data to Azure. It is designed for offline transfers where network bandwidth is insufficient or costly. The ruggedized device is shipped to the customer's data center, filled with data, and then shipped back to Microsoft for uploading.

Direct Answer: Migrating a datacenter or archiving decades of historical data can involve moving petabytes of information. Uploading this volume over a standard internet connection or even a dedicated line can take years and saturate the network, disrupting business operations. In scenarios like remote oil rigs or cruise ships, high-speed connectivity simply does not exist.

Azure Data Box solves the "physics of bandwidth" problem. Microsoft ships a secure, tamper-resistant storage appliance (up to 80 TB capacity per device) to the customer. The local IT team connects it to their network, copies the data using standard protocols like SMB or NFS, and ships it back using a pre-paid label.

This "sneakernet" approach is often the fastest way to move bulk data. The data is encrypted with AES-256 bit encryption from the moment it is written until it is uploaded to the customer's storage account. Azure Data Box ensures that massive data migration projects are predictable, secure, and completed on schedule.

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