Dell intros `Plug-n-Play` NAS

Dell South Africa has announced an easy-to-install, low-cost network-attached storage (NAS) product for small businesses and corporate workgroups that provides rapid access to large amounts of data.

Dubbed PowerVault 705N, the new product plugs into virtually any network environment and offers four disk drives - representing 120GB of networked storage. "It installs in less than 15 minutes, simplifying administration for organisations with limited IT personnel and resources," says Sean Wainer, product manager: enterprise products at Dell SA.

"The straightforward installation and low cost of this product enables our small business and corporate workgroup customers to add storage quickly and easily for fast and flexible access to information."

Research by International Data Corporation indicates that the NAS market will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66 percent, growing from $850 million in 1999 to $6.57 billion by 2003.

At under two inches high Dell`s new NAS system is compact, designed to fit in a standard server rack or on a tabletop, and engineered to perform one specific function - network file storage and sharing. "Because it connects directly to the local area network (LAN) and not to any specific server, users can access data directly over the network, even if the primary server goes down," explains Wainer.

"The addition of PowerVault NAS servers could well increase overall performance of general purpose servers by offloading the file-serving function - freeing them up for other business-critical computing tasks, such as network directory services or application hosting," he adds.

Management and configuration is performed via a Web-based interface enabling users with no previous IT experience to install and manage the server from almost any location using a standard Web browser. "When installed, it automatically responds and connects to all client protocols, requiring no additional configuration of other servers or clients," notes Wainer.

The PowerVault 705N offers out-of-the-box connectivity and multi-platform support across Windows NT, Novell NetWare, Unix, Linux and Macintosh environments. The product also supports all major network protocols, including TCP/IP, IPX, NetBEUI and AppleTalk.

The product provides maximum data protection, shipping with RAID 5 enabled on each of the four 30GB drives and can be configured for peak performance through RAID 0 (striping to one large virtual drive), or for instant backup through RAID 1 (internal disk mirroring).

Dell offers a range of maintenance services from 1 year on-site, next business day to 4hr response, 7x24hrs.