The commoditization of disk drives has opened the door for an increasing number of high capacity storage devices with low price tags.
MicroNet Technology is now shipping the RAIDBank5, a high capacity RAID system that boasts up to 10TB of storage capacity with AES-256 encryption and a USB 3.0 interface for less than $1,800.
The newest addition to MicroNet’s line of direct attached storage (DAS) systems for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the RAIDBank5 performs at more than 200MBps and features quad interface connectivity with external storage interfaces including, FireWire 400 and 800, 300MBps eSATA and the new USB 3.0 at 500MBps.
RAIDBank5 also offers “one-button backup” for automatic protection of multiple terabytes of data a USB plug-in encryption key that provides AES-256 encryption. RAID levels 0, 1, 10, 3 and 5 are supported with plug-and-play RAID configuration enabled via a graphical user interface or with a rotary switch on the unit.
The system features hot-swappable disk drives and swappable fan modules for real-time, on-site replacement.
The entry point for the RAIDBank5 series is a 2.5TB, $799 model, with capacity points that scale to 10TB for $1,799.
“Disk mechanisms are now commodity devices and the capacity is increasing by such a tremendous scale that it’s simply not that expensive,” said Alex Koyshman, MicroNet’s director of research and development.
Aimed mainly at content creation professionals, the RAIDBank5 is being positioned as a low-cost, high capacity DAS system for professional digital audio applications and digital video production environments with support for multi-stream High Definition Video, DVCPro for broadcasting use, Apple’s Pro-Res 422 for post production on Final Cut Studio, as well as uncompressed Standard Definition and High Definition video workflows.
However, Koyshman said the combination of on-the-fly data encryption and disk fault tolerance makes the RAIDBank5 a fit for any small business or power user with document retention requirements.
“The encryption is brainlessly simple. The software we include with the unit allows you to backup your AES hash value and, if you lose the dongle, you get a blank key and restore it. Plug it back in and you’re back up and running, he said. “It kills two birds with one stone for anybody who has to retain information.”
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