Iomega keeps cramming more and more capacity into its toaster-sized network storage machines for a desktop at home, at a small business, or at a corporate division office. Just when one thinks perhaps a limit is reached, the company comes out with an even more capacious device.
This time it is the StorCenter px2 series — both of which are server-class devices that feature a diskless option so you can use disks you may already have on hand — and up to a whopping 12TB of hot-swap storage capacity.
Twelve terabytes in one desktop device? You read that correctly; 3TB disks are available now and 4TB ones will be here in a few months.
Aimed at Small and Startup Businesses
“This is a great product for a small office, or a company that’s just getting started with network storage system. Or it could be added in as a point-add for fast extra capacity,” Iomega marketing director Mark Tanguay told eWEEK.
Iomega launched two models on Oct. 18, one with Intel Atom dual-core chips (px2-300d) and another with Marvell processors (ix4-300d). The two-bay Intel version, the top capacity of which is 6TB, has an unusual value-add in that it is the only network storage product of its type to feature preloaded McAfee VirusScan Enterprise security software in the firmware, which includes automatic antivirus scanning and cleaning.
“This threat scanner runs resident on theNAS drive itself, instead of counting on a cloud interaction and exchange,” Tanguay told eWEEK. A free three-year-long subscription to VirusScan comes with the device.
The four-bay StorCenter ix4-300d options range from diskless to 12TB of network storage, Tanguay said. “Both network storage product lines protect and share all types of files locally and remotely with multiple cloud options,” Tanguay said.
All Devices Are Configurable
Of course, 3TB disks may be overkill for many use cases. Configurations are flexible for these devices; they can be fully populated with 1TB, 2TB and 3TB enterprise-grade 7200 rpm hard drives for the px2-300d, and 1TB, 2TB and 3TB SATA II drives for the ix4-300d. Both product lines offer diskless models, enabling users to plug in their own HDDs.
Iomega is qualifying 4TB drives for future models in both lines, Tanguay said.
Iomega StorCenter px2-300d machines are now shipping. The diskless model is listed at $499.99, the 2TB model is $699.99, the 4TB model is $999.99, and the 6TB model is $1,199.99.
The StorCenter ix4-300d also is shipping, with the diskless model listed at $599.99. The following storage capacity versions of the new StorCenter ix4-300d will be available in the next few weeks: the 4TB model will be $749.99, the 8TB $949.99, and the 12TB model $1,299.99.