Amazon Web Services, the omnipresent cloud platform that runs large parts of the internet, has launched a new feature that may leave some onlookers scratching their heads in confusion—at least initially. The tech giant has announced the launch of physical portals where you can go to upload your data into its massive digital repository.
The feature was announced in a blog post on Sunday that outlined the new offering. AWS says that the new portals—which it calls “data transfer terminals”—are “secure, physical locations for quick transfer of data to AWS.” To use a terminal, you’ll need to reach out to Amazon and reserve a time to visit one of the company’s several locations. Currently, terminals are only located in Los Angeles and New York, but AWS has noted that it plans to add more locations in the future.
Upon first glance, Amazon’s new offering might seem somewhat mystifying. The cloud—notably—is digital. Indeed, that is perhaps its most basic, advertised benefit. You can upload large tranches of data to most cloud systems with the click of a button. Why, then, would you want to physically transport your data to Amazon’s servers? The answer would appear to be: safety and security. The internet is notably a fucked up place, and there are plenty of opportunities for your data to be stolen or corrupted while digitally en route to its storage destination. With a physical portal, Amazon appears to be promising that your data will not get lost in translation.
Humorously, AWS has made the whole process somewhat secretive—again, for the apparent purposes of security. “Don’t be surprised if there are no AWS signs in the building or room,” the blog states. “This is for security reasons to keep your work location as secret as possible.” The blog includes photos of one of the data upload centers, a nondescript office in a high-rise that gives the whole data transmission process some high-level conspiratorial intrigue.
It might be safe to assume that AWS portals are designed (mostly) for companies and other large organizations and not average web users. In its blog, AWS notes the benefits of large data transfers as such: “You can upload large datasets from fleets of vehicles operating and collecting data in metro areas for training machine learning (ML) models, digital audio and video files from content creators for media processing workloads, and mapping or imagery data from local government organizations for geographic analysis,” the blog states.
Of course, the cloud, itself, is not exactly an impenetrable fortress. Cloud systems are breached all the time, which is one reason that some security buffs prefer to store their data locally, on whatever devices they happen to have in their home or office. AWS, itself, has had its own share of security failures over the years, so just because you securely upload data to its system, that doesn’t mean that it’ll be safe forever.
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