TechED Venture Limited
Case Study: Media & Recording Production

Large-Scale AWS Snowball Data Migration & S3 Cost Optimisation

Media Production Company
Media & Recording Production • 40+ TB data footprint

Services Used:

AWS Snowball EdgeAmazon S3S3 GlacierS3 Batch OperationsIAMCloudTrail
Large-Scale AWS Snowball Data Migration & S3 Cost Optimisation

Key Results

Measurable outcomes delivered for our client

40.6 TB
Data Migrated
202,404
Objects Transferred
100%
Storage Cost Savings
Zero
Data Loss

Executive Summary

A New York-based media production studio had over 40 TB of legacy audio files across 200,000+ objects in S3 Glacier and Deep Archive. With no active need for cloud access, TechED Venture migrated the entire archive to local storage via AWS Snowball Edge — from Glacier restoration to device coordination and full S3 account cleanup — eliminating all ongoing storage costs.

Business Challenge

Escalating Storage Costs

  • 40+ TB of legacy production files in S3 Glacier/Deep Archive with no active cloud access need
  • Monthly AWS storage bills accumulating for rarely accessed data
  • Client lacked technical expertise to navigate Glacier restoration and Snowball workflows

Technical Complexity

  • Glacier and Deep Archive objects require explicit restoration before transfer
  • S3 Batch Operations needed to restore 200,000+ objects concurrently
  • Snowball Edge device requires specific configuration and custom scripting
  • Full account cleanup required versioned object deletion across multiple buckets

Technical Solution

Strategic Approach

We designed a phased migration strategy covering inventory analysis, bulk restoration, physical data transfer, and complete account decommissioning.

S3 inventory analysis across all storage classes
Bulk Glacier/Deep Archive restoration via S3 Batch Operations
AWS Snowball Edge coordination for physical data transfer
Custom Python tooling with resume capability
Full S3 account cleanup post-migration

Architecture Components

Data Migration Infrastructure:

AWS Snowball Edge:Physical data transfer device for secure, high-volume migration
Amazon S3:Source storage with 40+ TB across Glacier and Deep Archive tiers
S3 Batch Operations:Bulk restoration of 200,000+ archived objects
S3 Inventory:Object cataloguing for migration planning and verification

Custom Tooling & Automation:

Glacier Inventory Scripts:Storage class analysis and restoration manifest generation
Restoration Monitor:Concurrent status tracking across 200K+ objects
Snowball Downloader:Resume-capable multi-threaded download with drive tracking
Bucket Cleanup Utility:Automated versioned object deletion with logging

Security & Verification:

IAM Role Scoping:Least-privilege roles for Batch Operations and Snowball
CloudTrail Auditing:Full API logging throughout the migration
Object Verification:Post-transfer integrity checks against source inventory
Progress Reporting:CSV/JSON reports at every phase for client transparency

Implementation Overview

The migration was executed in four phases with custom tooling at each stage:

1
Phase 1: Inventory & Analysis

Generated S3 inventory reports, analysed storage class distribution, and created restoration manifests.

2
Phase 2: Glacier Restoration

Bulk restore of 200,000+ objects from Glacier/Deep Archive via S3 Batch Operations with progress monitoring.

3
Phase 3: Snowball Transfer

Configured Snowball Edge on-site and executed multi-threaded download to three 20 TB external drives.

4
Phase 4: Verification & Cleanup

Verified data integrity, then deleted all objects, versions, and delete markers across 10+ S3 buckets.

Results & Business Impact

Immediate Outcomes

  • 40.6 TB successfully migrated to local storage
  • 202,404 objects transferred with zero data loss
  • Complete S3 account decommissioned — all ongoing storage costs eliminated
  • Full audit trail provided via CloudTrail logs and detailed reports

Migration Metrics

Data Volume:40.6 TB across 202,404 objects
Cost Savings:100% elimination of ongoing S3 fees
Data Integrity:Zero data loss — all objects verified
Account Cleanup:10+ S3 buckets decommissioned

Process Efficiency

  • Resume-capable tooling eliminated manual re-runs on interruption
  • Concurrent processing (10–20 workers) accelerated restoration and download
  • Automated reporting reduced manual tracking effort by over 90%

Client Deliverables

  • Three 20 TB external drives with complete production archive
  • Detailed migration report with full object inventory
  • CloudTrail audit logs for compliance records

Long-term Benefits

  • No more monthly S3 storage bills for dormant data
  • Client retains full local control of their production archive
  • Clean AWS account ready for future use
“

Very helpful in facilitating a confusing AWS export job through Snowball Edge. Can't recommend Sameer at TechED Venture Limited enough!

Addison Domina
Studio Director
Media Production Company

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