 "Microsoft launches Azure Data Box having a storage capacity of up to 100 TB")
Microsoft has launched a 100 TB Azure Data Box to ease the process of cloud storage. [caption id=“attachment_4083173” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Screenshot of Microsoft Azure Data Box. Microsoft Azure.[/caption] There are already storage boxes available in the market which come up to 80 TB capacities, such as the 80 TB Snowball Box or those of from the likes of Amazon Web Services (AWS). According to a report by TechCrunch, Azure Data Box weighs around 45 pounds. In order to use this, the user has to buy a data box, upload it with their data followed by sending this box to Azure Cloud for cloud storage. The box is secured with 256-bit AES encryption. It also follows Microsoft’s SMB and CISF protocol. Microsoft has partnered with companies providing data services such as Commvault, Veritas, NetApp, Avid, Rubrik and CloudLanes. These companies will integrate their services with Azure. Microsoft describes it as a “ Microsoft describes it as a “ruggedised, tamper-resistant and human-manageable applications that will help organisations overcome the data transfer barriers that can block productivity and slow innovation.” The data box was also tested in Oceaneering International, where heavy data was stored in a data box even when there was no internet. This data is then put on Azure Cloud, which is then used by the company.
Back in 2015, Microsoft had launched a BizSpark Plus programme for startups in India. In the programme, the company **would offer** $120,000 per year of free Azure Cloud services to each of the qualified startups. The startups could use $10,000 worth of credits monthly, to invest in Microsoft services to power their business. Wipro’s Big Data Analytics-as-a-Service solution on Microsoft Azure Data Discovery Platform was made **available** for industries in August. Wipro’s ‘Data Discovery’ platform basically enables businesses, including banking and financial services, retail, energy, education, and manufacturing, to bridge the gap between the insights required by business and the information that is available.
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