Iomega releases removable disk backup with hard drive performance

Iomega, a global leader in data storage, today began shipping the new Iomega REV 35GB/90GB* drive, an alternative to tape and other backup and archiving solutions that brings proven hard drive reliability and performance to the world of removable storage.

Iomega`s new REV drive and 35GB removable REV disks deliver state-of-the-art server and desktop backup, while also providing businesses and home users with the ideal portable storage device for sharing and archiving large files.

"The new Iomega REV drive is a unique and versatile product that changes the rules of data backup, combining superior reliability and performance with breakthrough pricing," said Robert Kennedy, Account Manager for Iomega in South Africa. "Backing up to tape has always involved compromises because tape is a relatively fragile, slow and expensive linear-access technology. Iomega`s new REV drive makes backup and system or file recovery tasks faster, easier and less costly, so SMEs and IT managers will save immediately in terms of manpower, hardware costs and system downtime."

Offering the removability of tape with the speed and ease of use of a hard drive, the Iomega REV disks transfer data up to eight times faster than tape, are smaller than a deck of playing cards, and can be rewritten approximately more than a million times. With a maximum sustained transfer rate of 25 MB/sec, and using drag and drop random access technology, users can copy and restore individual files in seconds.

With patent-pending advanced two-stage error correction and automatic head cleaning, Iomega REV technology achieves an error rate three orders of magnitude better than that of today`s sealed hard drives. The REV drive design keeps the sensitive read/write heads and electronics sealed in the REV drive, and for increased reliability, a patent-pending air filtration system creates a virtual `clean room` environment inside the removable disk. Iomega REV disks are engineered to provide an extremely durable and reliable shelf life, estimated to exceed 30 years.

Easy to use and less than half the price of most competing tape products, Iomega`s REV drive outperforms more expensive tape alternatives like DDS-4, DAT-72, VXA, AIT-1, and DLT VS80, a market estimated to be around 1 million units in 2004 in the Gartner Group`s Tape Drives Forecast Report of June 3, 2003.

The new REV drive also appeals to a broader market of individuals and businesses that have avoided tape backup products because they are slow, expensive, and difficult to use. The market for REV backup in small and medium-sized businesses is also sizeable, with medical, legal, financial and other such businesses faced with regulatory compliance requirements for data archiving.

"With thousands of home office households confronting a growing deluge of data, this further extends the market for internal and external REV drives as an ideal backup, archiving, and portable storage solution," says Kennedy. "Iomega`s REV drive is also a compelling alternative for customers who have traditionally used tape for backup and data protection on their entry level servers as well as high-end desktops as its performance, easy-of-use and attractive price make it a good fit for small businesses that value high-capacity removable storage."

Kennedy adds that with the REV drive`s speed, capacity and reliability to transform large file tasks in any business, vertical market computer users will be able to maximize the use of these features and the virtually unlimited storage expandability.

"This is a particularly exciting development for video producers that archive professional video and graphics projects; engineers and consultants that manage CAD/CAM and GIS data; graphic designers or software developers; and companies and stores that manage surveillance video," he says. "Other users include government offices that want to lock away sensitive data on removable media with password protection; healthcare professionals that need to archive patient records and transfer large medical images; and students that need to maintain their own disk space in shared computing environments."

Included with every Iomega REV drive is Iomega Automatic Backup Pro software, which provides frequent file-level backup to a REV drive. Once configured, the `no-touch` software automatically backs up specified files - including multiple revisions; keeps multiple backup sets on different destination drives; excludes user-selected files by file type, and performs scheduled backups. Powerful professional-level features include 2.6:1 compression and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) file encryption, along with support for Windows server operating systems.

Symantec`s Norton Ghost for REV Drive software is also included for full-system disaster recovery, letting users capture an exact image of the computer`s main hard drive partition, including all data files, system files, settings and installed software. If disaster strikes, the disk image can be easily copied back to the replacement drive from the REV disk.

"Iomega is also working with leading storage software vendors to certify compatibility between their solutions and the new Iomega REV drive.

Compatibility will enable joint customers to have a wide variety of software solutions for essential storage requirements, such as data backup and business continuity," he concludes.

*Compressed capacity assuming 2.6:1 data compression with "high" compression on Iomega Automatic Backup Pro software.