What is the MOST cost-effective way to make storage available to the company’s legacy backup system?
Launch an Amazon EC2 instance, add large Amazon EBS volumes, and connect using VPN
Ship backup tapes to AWS for storage in secure AWS Availability Zones
Use AWS Snowball on a weekly basis to transfer data to Amazon Glacier
Use AWS Storage Gateway to present a VTL using iSCSI to the legacy application
Explanations:
Launching an Amazon EC2 instance with Amazon EBS volumes is an expensive and complex solution. EC2 instances and EBS volumes would require ongoing costs, and setting up a VPN for connectivity introduces additional complexity. This is not the most cost-effective approach for integrating legacy backup systems with cloud storage.
Shipping backup tapes to AWS for storage in Availability Zones is not a practical or cost-effective solution for regular data backups. This option would introduce delays, logistical issues, and would not provide real-time backup capabilities. It is not suited for continuous or timely data backup needs.
Using AWS Snowball to transfer data on a weekly basis to Amazon Glacier involves physical shipment of devices, which adds operational overhead. Snowball is typically for large, one-time data transfers and not for ongoing, regular backup processes. Additionally, Glacier retrieval times may not meet the needs of frequent backup systems.
AWS Storage Gateway with a Virtual Tape Library (VTL) using iSCSI is specifically designed to integrate with legacy backup systems. It allows the legacy backup software to write to cloud storage as if it were a local tape device, without the need for significant changes to the existing backup system. This is the most cost-effective way to extend legacy systems to cloud storage.