Digital storage solutions specialist Western Digital (NYSE: WDC),
announced the release of the WD Sentinel DX4000, a network storage
solution aimed at small and midsize businesses. The DX4000 includes the
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials operating system software and
the Intel D525 Dual Core Atom CPU. The DX4000 offers centralized shared
storage and automatic server-based backup and restore for up to 25
devices (PC and Mac) in the network, as well as data protection with
built-in hardware and software redundancy for all of the connected
devices in the network.
Sentinel comes preconfigured with enterprise-class drives, RAID
storage protection, built-in server based backup and recovery software,
redundant networking ports and a redundant power option. In addition,
WD Sentinel offers users the ability to connect to a "public cloud"
storage provider. With capacities including 4TB and 8TB, the DX4000
small office storage server acts as the "on-premise cloud storage" for
the SMB. The DX4000 is available at select U.S. retailers and online
via the company’s Website, starting at $949.99 for 4TB and $1,449.99
for the 8TB.
The DX4000 provides five levels of data protection for every device
on the small office network and is supported by WD Guardian Services.
Automatic backup and recovery software provides daily full system back
ups for up to 25 devices on the network, and Dual Gigabit Ethernet
configured in Adaptive Fault Tolerance (AFT) automatically switches to
a second network port in the event of a network failure.
Sentinel is certified to be compatible with a variety of operating
systems including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. In addition,
Sentinel is compatible with Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard for file
sharing among Windows, Mac and Unix/Linux operating systems and allows
businesses to share files with clients, consultants, and inter-office
personnel regardless of the OS used.
"The WD Sentinel small office storage server is the ideal storage,
backup, and secure remote access solution for any SMB," said Thomas
Gallivan, vice president of marketing for WD's SMB solutions group.
"The ability to have centralized storage that is both on-premise and
offers secure remote access provides a small business owner and
employees the flexibility needed for today's mobile lifestyle. WD is
providing small business owners with a hands-free solution that offers
complete data protection and unparalleled peace of mind."
In conjunction with the DX4000 launch, the company is also
introducing SelectWD SMB Partner Program, a channel program that
supports IT professionals and VARs servicing the needs of midmarket
companies. The program is designed to help enable partners to grow
their businesses by providing all of the tools and resources required
to locally market, sell and support the DX4000 and WD Guardian service
plans.
"The requirement for collaboration across multiple devices and
locations necessitates the need for a centralized storage solution in
today's SMB environment," said David Tuhy, general manager of Intel’s
data center and connected systems group. "Intel is working closely with
the industry and companies like Western Digital to provide the
technology that is at the core of these storage solutions and provide
SMBs a platform to manage, organize and secure their data to ensure
business continuity."
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