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Microsoft Azure Data Import & Export Job: Secure Offline Data Transfer

Microsoft Azure’s Data Import and Export service provides a reliable solution for transferring large volumes of data to and from Azure storage accounts without using network bandwidth. By shipping physical drives directly to Azure data centers, clients can securely import or export encrypted data, ideal for bulk data transfer needs.

Microsoft Azure - Data Import & Export Job

Azure's Data Import and Export service allows clients to transfer large amounts of data to or from their Azure storage account without using the network. This service enables clients to ship physical hard drives to Azure data centers, where the data is uploaded to or downloaded from their storage account. All data is encrypted for security purposes.

Data Export Job

Follow these steps to create an export job and copy large amounts of data from your Azure storage account:

Create an Export Job

  1. Log in to the Azure management portal and select Storage from the left panel.
  2. Choose the storage account from which you want to export data.
  3. Click Import/Export from the top menu.
  4. Click Create Export Job to start the process.
  5. Enter your contact and shipping details.
  6. Select the Blob data you wish to export by specifying a path or choosing to export all blob data.
  7. Provide a name for the export job using lowercase letters. The shipping address displayed will be based on the storage account’s location.
  8. Provide shipping details for sending the hard drive to the Azure data center and for its return.
  9. Click Next to finalize the setup.

Preparing and Shipping Hard Drives

Use the Microsoft Azure Import/Export Tool to determine the number of hard drives needed. Only 3.5-inch SATA hard drives (I/II) up to 6TB are supported. After preparing the drives, ship them to the address provided during the export job creation and enter the tracking number in the portal if not already provided.

Decrypting the Data

After receiving the hard drives, use the decryption key provided in the management portal under the export job name to access the data.

Data Import Job

To store large amounts of data in your Azure storage account, you can save the data on a hard drive and ship it to an Azure data center. Follow these steps:

Prepare the Hard Drives

Use the Microsoft Azure Import/Export Tool to prepare your hard drives. The tool will create a drive journal file required for the import job, saved on your computer. Only 3.5-inch SATA hard drives are supported.

Create an Import Job

  1. Log in to the Azure management portal and select your storage account.
  2. Click Import/Export at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Click Create Import Job.
  4. Check the required checkbox and click Next.
  5. Provide contact details for the return shipping address.
  6. Upload the drive journal file created during the hard drive preparation.
  7. Enter a name for the import job.
  8. Provide shipping details for sending and returning the hard drives.

Shipping the Hard Drives

Ship the hard drives to the address provided during the import job creation. Complete the process by entering the tracking number in the management portal.

This process ensures secure and efficient data transfer to and from Azure storage, making it ideal for handling large datasets.