Intel Atom Processor-Based Storage Platform Brings the Cloud to SMBs

Intel’s platform, featuring Atom processors, is already available on storage systems from QNAP, Asustor and Thecus, with more on the way.

With organizations of all sizes struggling to deal with the growing volume of data vital to their business, Intel is reaching out to small and midsize businesses with the Oct. 4 release of its Atom processor-based storage platform, formerly codenamed  Milstead, featuring the company’s D2550 and D2500 Atom processors.

Asustor, QNAP Systems, and Thecus have integrated into their AS 6 Series, TS-x69 Series and N5550 and N4800 NAS server storage appliances. Intel said additional companies would be integrating the platform into their storage solutions in the near future. "Turbo NAS showcases the potential of the graphics capability of the Intel Atom processor,” QNAP product manager Jason Hsu said in a statement.

Content can be shared anytime across a broad selection of devices, including smartphones, tablets and notebooks, and accessed anywhere to create a personal cloud. In addition, the solution also supports multiple file transfer protocols so businesses can share data and content regardless of the operating system, including Microsoft Windows and Linux, and devices featuring the solution can also serve as centralized media platforms for storing various forms of media content and other data.

"Intel's next-generation Atom processor provides an ideal solution for powering intelligent storage system designs that will act as a personal cloud inside the office or home, and will deliver better ways to store and access data," David Tuhy, general manager of Intel’s storage division, said in a statement. "With a range of systems designers on board, the Intel Atom processor-based storage solution raises the bar in how data is stored, managed and shared."

Intel has also integrated security solutions from McAfee into the platform to help IT departments safeguard data from corruption and virus attacks. The platform also offers centralized data backup for additional security. Remote replication can provide additional copies of data, for recovery in the event of a breach, theft or loss of a device, a hard drive failure or other disaster. Businesses with video surveillance systems can attach up to two monitors to a single platform-based storage device and view up to four camera feeds boasting HD-quality clarity.

Built-in hardware acceleration allows users to connect HDMI-ready displays and watch 1080p HD video, while the platform also boasts scalable input/output (I/O) connectivity, which supports four to six SATA drives with hot-plug capability of up to 14 USB ports as storage requirements increase. The platform also offers up to 4GB of main memory to facilitate fast response times.

A June report from SMB security specialist Symantec found as online file sharing becomes increasingly common as a business practice, SMBs are more at risk than ever before and SMB employees are increasingly adopting unmanaged, personal-use online file sharing solutions without permission from IT. A staggering 71 percent of small businesses that suffer from a cyber-attack never recover. The loss of confidential or proprietary information and breach of confidential information were cited as top concerns of small business owners.