The correct answer is: Use AWS Snowball to transfer the backup data, and configure a lifecycle policy to move the data to Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive after upload.

AWS Snowball is a petabyte-scale physical data transport device ideal for large-scale offline transfers when time and bandwidth are constrained. With 700 TB of data and only a 500 Mbps connection, transferring the data over the internet would take much longer than 30 days. Snowball allows the firm to ship data securely to AWS, and once in S3, the files can be automatically transitioned to S3 Glacier Deep Archive using lifecycle policies to achieve the lowest long-term cost for infrequent access and long-term retention.

Why the other options are incorrect:

Using a VPN connection and the AWS CLI to upload data directly to S3 Glacier is unrealistic for the given bandwidth and time frame. At 500 Mbps, transferring 700 TB would take months, far exceeding the 30-day limit. Also, data cannot be uploaded directly into Glacier Deep Archive; it must first land in S3 before transitioning.

Provisioning a new 500 Mbps AWS Direct Connect connection would still not meet the time constraint due to the same bandwidth limitation. Moreover, setting up Direct Connect can take weeks to provision, making it an unviable option within a 30-day window. Its also more costly than using Snowball.

Using AWS DataSync with an on-premises agent to transfer data directly to S3 Glacier has a similar bandwidth limitation as VPN. Additionally, like Glacier Deep Archive, DataSync doesnt support writing directly to Glacier classes. Data must first land in S3 and then be transitioned, and the time-to-transfer would still exceed one month at the available speed.

Why this question matters: This scenario tests your ability to choose between online and offline data transfer services and to factor in bandwidth, timing, and long-term storage cost trade-offs. Knowing when to use Snowball vs. DataSync vs. network-based options is crucial for large-scale migration questions on the exam.

Tip: Always calculate how long a transfer will take at a given bandwidth when time constraints are mentioned. When dealing with hundreds of TBs and a short timeline, Snowball is usually the most viable choice.

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