SmallBizResource Blog -- Storage

Seagate Serves Up Storage Solutions Especially For Small Businesses

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009, 01:50 PM ET

The smaller the business, the more each minute of digital downtime becomes magnified. The latest solution to keep you up and running at maximum efficiency comes from Seagate, which today has introduced a pair of network storage servers "to protect data for sustained business continuity and optimum uptime."

Hmm, Seagate debuts new server hardware amid all the cloud talk? Hold your horses, early adopter. According to bMighty's Winter/Spring 2009 server research report (PDF, free registration required), three-quarters of the 345 polled SMBs -- two-thirds of which have 50 or fewer employees -- intend to implement new server hardware in the next 12 months. (Interestingly, Seagate didn't make the cut in the list of vendors that provide their business servers; Dell and HP, by far, dominate.)

As PC World points out, Seagate's announcement represents a rebranding of its BlackArmor brand: "Previously, the BlackArmor brand was tied to Maxtor, and it was synonymous with Seagate's external full-disk encryption drive. Now, both the Maxtor brand and the full-disk encryption are gone -- and BlackArmor will be targeting small businesses as well as home office/multipurpose users."

The BlackArmor network storage family, aimed at the self-employed and small business networks with up to 50 PC workstations, comprises the NAS 420 and NAS 440 servers, "which are designed to provide organizations with a centralized, secure way to manage their business-critical information," the company said in a statement. The 2-TB, $799 NAS 420 is equipped with two drives in a four-drive chassis, while the 440 goes four for four with a maximum capacity of 8 TB ($1,200 to $2,000, depending on your storage requirements).

A few other features cited by InformationWeek:

• automatic backup for networked computers, file- and folder-level password protection, and encryption for secure access and sharing
  
• software for remote access of data through a Web browser
  
• the inclusion of four USB ports to attach external drives, an external power supply, and user-serviceable fan to avoid outside support and minimize downtown.
  
• support for Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later

Storage