BIOS: Technology Means Business

Dell has introduced the PowerVault RD1000, a removable disk-based storage device for data backup and restore that combines the speed of a hard disk with the portability of tape.

Designed for small and medium-sized businesses, branch offices and individual power users, the PowerVault RD1000 is a removable disk drive that apparently makes it easy, convenient and fast to backup and protect critical data. Industry research estimates that one in five small businesses owns at least one PC-related data protection device.

Medium-sized firms also use a wide array of products, from external hard drives connected via USB or 1394/FireWire to CD-RWs or to tape drives, all intended to address the company’s data protection and backup needs. The PowerVault RD1000 is designed to simplify this assortment of data protection and backup solutions into one product.

The PowerVault RD1000 combines the best attributes of tape and disk media - the convenience, portability, long archive and low cost of tape with the performance, random access capability, data reliability and easy growth capacity of disk. Weighing about the same as a mobile phone, the rugged PowerVault RD1000 features a tough exterior design and an internal shock absorber to protect against impacts and handling.

“Customers are asking us for storage solutions that are simple, affordable and capable. The PowerVault RD1000 delivers on all of these in helping customers protect their valuable data,” said Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager of Dell storage and services. “We see the PowerVault RD1000 as an alternative to the low-end tape industry because of its speed, capacity and lower cost.”

The easily-installed PowerVault RD1000 is available in both USB-connected external and SATA-attached internal configurations. Backup and restore software designed specifically for the PowerVault RD1000 provides easy installation, management and basic backup and restore for a single server or workstation. Customers can schedule monthly, weekly or even daily backups quickly and easily via the intuitive user interface.

“Our strategy remains focused on providing our customers an infrastructure to maximise choice without compromising security or manageability,” said Jeff Clarke, senior vice president, Dell Product Group. “Rather than lock customers into a proprietary architecture and the hopes for a ‘silver bullet’ solution, we are committed to end-to-end, standards-based products and services that meet specific customer usage models from the desktop to the data centre.”

Cartridges are available in 40GB, 80GB and 120GB capacities, and offer up to 30MB/s transfer rate, helping to reduce the traditional tape backup time from hours to minutes. Customised software helps users easily schedule and manage backups, and drag-and-drop file transfer is supported. Dell claims an access time of less than 1 second versus 1 minute for tape (averages).

The PowerVault RD1000 will be available late November 2006. Pricing will range from $300 to $500 for the 40GB internal SATA version to the 120GB external USB version (all of which include the disk cartridge and lifetime backup management software).

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