Drobo Storage Device Promises Faster Data Transfer
According to Data Robotics, the upgrades mean Drobo S can transfer data as much as 50 percent faster than its Drobo predecessor.
Drobo S will be sold through the channel, according to the company, and also to consumers. The basic Drobo S device -- without any hard drives -- goes for $800, and will be available through B&H, Amazon.com and also Data Robotics' web site.
"Drobo S represents our continued commitment to our customer base of professionals and small and home office users," said Dr. Geoff Barrall, CEO and founder of Data Robotics, in a statement. "Significant performance enhancements, the addition of eSATA, increased capacity, and the flexibility of single- or dual-drive redundancy make the Drobo S an ideal solution for this increasingly sophisticated set of users."
Drobo S also includes Data Robotics' BeyondRAID, a virtualized storage platform that according to Data Robotics improves on basic RAID systems for faster and more reliable performance, allowing users to effectively mix various discs regardless of their storage size.
Other features include single and dual-drive redundancy, a "scrubbing" feature in BeyondRAID that pre-emptively examines data blocks for problems, FireWire800, and USB 2.0 connections.
"Data Robotics' Drobo S is an important addition to the company's product line because it offers professional users a larger, faster, more reliable data storage solution with all of the automation and simplicity that Drobo fans are accustomed to," wrote Brian Babineau, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, in a statement. "Small offices and creative professionals generate large quantities of data that need to be kept secure for both short and long term storage. With its automatic capacity expansion and self-healing technology, Drobo S is an ideal way for customers to manage explosive data growth without becoming or hiring storage experts."