Sony Electronics Inc. Monday announced new low-end tape drives for remote users and small businesses.
As part of the StorStation family, an external model called AITe90-UL connects to servers and workstations with USB or Firewire, while two internal models, AITi90-A/S and AITi130-A/S, connect via ATAPI ports, officials said.
Compared to backing up with recordable CDs, DVDs, or lower-capacity tapes, “convenience is whats important,” said Michael Nixon, senior manager, storage solutions, for San Jose, Calif.-based Sony.
AIT drives have larger capacities, so fewer are needed. In most cases theyre also faster than other entry-level tape formats.
The external drive, holding up to 35GB native or 91GB compressed, comes with a copy of 1Safe backup software for Windows, from Loveland, Colo.-based 1Vision Software Inc., and a copy of TapeCopy conversion and duplication software, from Simi Valley, Calif.s NovaStor Corp. It transfers data at up to 4MBps.
The internal models include the NovaStor software as well. The AITi90-A/S model has the same specifications as the external version, but the AITi130-A/S model holds 50GB of data, or 130GB compressed, transferring data at up to 6MBps.
All three drives are available now. The external model costs $899, the internal 35GB model is $779, and the internal 50GB version is $1,149.
Sony will soon announce a major national retail partner. Bundles with Computer Associates International Inc. and Veritas Software Corp. backup software and a one-touch feature for system restores are also on the roadmap, he said.
Latest Storage News:
Search for more stories by Evan Koblentz.
Find white papers on storage.