Microsoft Azure Data Box is the best service to migrate large amount of data to Microsoft Azure storage. For small to medium size of cold data you can use Azcopy and Azure Import/Export service. Data Box is more secure than Azure Import/Export because it provides end-to-end data migration capabilities with the help of partners.

Let me explain you about Azure Data Box through visualization.

This service can be easily requested from Azure portal. Here is how it work:

1. Request for Azure Data Box service through Azure portal
2. Microsoft ships it to your address
3. You receive, connect and fill the data
4. You return it to the Microsoft
5. Microsoft upload the data based on your requirements
6. Microsoft erase the Data Box and wipe it as per NIST SP 800-88r1 standards

It is very fast process and doesn’t waste your time. You get only 10 days of time by default to copy your data to the Azure Data Box. These 10 days exclude the day you receive and the day carrier scans your package. For any reason, you couldn’t copy your data within 10 days then you need to pay fee extra on the daily basis. Here is a pricing details (Courtesy: Microsoft) for one full round-trip of this service:

If this device is lost or damaged due to any reason, you will have to pay USD $40,000 as a recovery cost. At present this service is in preview and the above pricing is only applicable to preview and may change any point of time. Here is the list of Azure regions, where this service is available at present (31/May/2018).

Now, look at the list of Azure partners for this service.

All these details are applicable to preview and may change at the time of GA.