Xylo enters the backup arena

Xylo, the own brand PC division of Siltek Distribution Dynamics (SDD), a member of JSE-listed Siltek Limited, SA`s largest Technology Supply Chain Group, has added OnStream`s Echo range to its product offering to cater for the growing demand of hard disk capacity. This partnership, according to Mark Forbes, product manager at Xylo, will enable Xylo to assist users with data recovery. "We are frequently contacted by end-users requesting that data lost through hardware or software problems or virus attacks, be recovered."

Although Xylo remains a hardware distributor, they believe their clients have a need for efficient back up devices. "Something that is practical yet economical, this is the reasoning behind our agreement with OnStream," adds Forbes.

OnStream has an entry-level range offering of 15GB data capacity in RAW Native storage, which can be doubled through data compression, at a retail price of R12.00 per GB. The solutions offered by OnStream and Xylo focus on both the SOHO and corporate market, with the higher 25/50GB storage being offered for entry level and midrange solutions.

The OnStream Echo range offers IDE (internal), Parallel, SCSI (internal and external with the external offering 50GB) as well as USB. The ADR range offering the 50GB solution comes in internal and external SCSI.

It is often the case that backup solutions are unable to back up a whole hard disk drive, resulting in the user having to incrementally back up data, disk-by-disk or cartridge-by-cartridge. "This becomes time consuming and the possibility of one of the disks being corrupt extends the risk of data loss," Forbes says. "This is not the case with Echo.

"When reviewing total cost of ownership, it becomes obvious that every PC user should implement backup solutions. The effect of not having data backup can be devastating, with serious expenses to recover lost data," concludes Forbes.