We are beginning to see more and more of these home network storage and content retrieval solutions begin to surface as both HP (MediaSmart Server) and Microsoft (Windows Home Server) made news in 2007 with their entries into this market.
Intel has entered this space as well with the introduction of their Entry Storage System, the SS4200-E, what Intel terms as, “ a complete hardware and software Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution that instantly adds storage capacity to small
business, small office/home office (SOHO), and home networks.” The unit is powered by software from EMC, an information management specialist, and Intel explains that the SS4200-E offers an intuitive user interface and an easy four-step setup process. Out-of-the-box RAID and Retrospect backup software together provide security to protect digital data like business files, photos, videos, and music libraries. With four USB 2.0 ports and four SATA ports (3 Gb/s), the SS4200-E can be connected to most digital devices as well as business and home networks, for shared, centralized data access.
We briefly mentioned Seagate’s latest home storage solutions a few weeks ago as the company released several new products in this area at CES 2008. The Maxtor BlackArmor encrypting storage solution is a 160GB portable storage device that provides AES government-grade encryption protection against unauthorized access to digital files.
The BlackArmor drive uses Seagate Secure technology, a hardware-based encryption that makes the encryption transparent to the user and, according to the company, is easy to install and use. The device interfaces with the computer over a USB 2.0 connection. It’s scheduled for release in the second quarter with an MSRP of about $149.99. Other announcements include the Maxtor Central Axis software solution, a free download, which provides a secure and convenient way to access and share content on a Maxtor Shared Storage II networked drive via a Web connection.
Seagate also rolled out its FreeAgent family of storage products, designed to offer increased capacities and cross-platform compatibility, with support for the MAC OS X, Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems. In the first quarter of 2008, FreeAgent Pro hard drives will be available with up to 1TB storage, and provide desktop and online support to help users manage and share their digital files. The compact FreeAgent Go drive will be available with up to 250GB capacity in the first quarter. The drives include a five-year limited warranty.
The company also unveiled its Digital Audio Video Experience (D.A.V.E.) Technology, a mobile wireless storage platform that lets users download, store and access photos, music, videos and business documents on a variety of devices, including those from Sanyo, PortoMedia, and HarmanBecker. Applications include HD digital video storage; high-speed, secure digital content distribution to the home and portable devices; media server applications for automotive applications; and on-the-go unified content management and data storage.
