Storage new-product news usually involves items that are bigger, faster and
cheaper, as disk drives themselves become more capacious and cutthroat
competition lowers pricing.
However, EMC's Iomega, well-known
for personal disk storage products such as the Zip and Jaz drives, is coming
out with new products that are smaller—yet "bigger" in capacity—and
cheaper.
Iomega on Oct. 15 introduced the StorCenter
ix2, a 1TB-capacity network storage drive with a desktop footprint that the
company describes as "smaller than a large dictionary." The price:
$300.
The StorCenter ix2 is the first co-produced storage drive Iomega has a launched
since the company's acquisition
by storage giant EMC last August.
"When we were acquired by EMC, we talked a lot
about taking advantage of EMC's technologies to differentiate ourselves in the
consumer and small-business space," Iomega division President Jonathan
Huberman told me. "Here is the first substantial example of where that's
happening."
The StorCenter ix2 comes in 1TB and 2TB ($479) versions and provides a
centralized network storage repository that can be used in the home to share,
secure and protect data and files—including databases, photos, MP3 files,
videos and financial records.
"These are market-based prices," Huberman said. "It's ridiculous
how cheap these things are, but it is what it is. A great value for the
consumer."
The ix2 includes built-in support for Bluetooth, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)
and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified devices; it even sports an
integrated iTunes server.
The ix2 includes security software from RSA, also
owned by EMC.
"My perspective on this is that you're getting an enterprise-quality
set of functionality at a price point and ease of use that a small business or
consumer can afford," Huberman said.
StorCenter ix2 uses EMC's LifeLine software,
a fully developed Linux operating environment and a suite of applications that
can be used to add new storage management features in the future.
For more information, go here.
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