Tandberg Data Launches BizNAS Storage Family

Tandberg Data earlier this month took the wraps off the BizNAS family of network-attached storage (NAS), which is envisioned as a self-protecting NAS designed specifically for demanding business environments. Powered by an Intel dual-core processor, the BizNAS accommodates four internal disk drives for up to 16TB of storage space.

The highly versatile storage appliance is compatible with major platforms such as Windows, Mac and Linux systems. According to Tandberg Data, the BizNAS will work with a wide variety of storage options, ranging from the cloud, an externally attached disk drive, network storage, another BizNAS, as well as a direct-attached RDX drive.

According to Tandberg Data, the BizNAS offers simplicity and intuitive ease-of-use, and will safeguard digital assets from anywhere on the network using its integrated data protection tools. Though I haven’t seen it in action yet and cannot comment on its capabilities, the ability of the BizNAS to protect its own operating system and configuration settings for complete bare-metal restore is intriguing.

The pervasiveness of BYOD and popularity of cloud storage means that employees are increasingly storing important documents and files online. On that front, the BizNAS comes with the ability to protect multiple Dropbox accounts. IT managers can monitor Dropbox accounts by simply configuring it as an additional Dropbox synchronization point. All copies of Dropbox data can be automatically copied for backup, while IT managers are kept informed by real-time logging and alerts of Dropbox events.

Finally, offline and offsite disaster protection can be extended using an optional RDX QuikStor drive. The QuikStor is a disk-based storage system with removable RDX cartridges that offer fast backup in a rugged form factor. RDX cartridges are available in hard drive and solid-state disk capacities ranging from 64GB to 1.5TB. Uniquely aware of RDX removable storage, the BizNAS will intelligently manage the RDX eject process for streamlined operations with visual user feedback.

“With the BizNAS, we are able to deliver much more, including automated self-protection of the NAS operating system and its configuration settings, offsite disaster recovery using removable RDX media, and helpful tools to centralize and protect digital assets stored in the enormously popular Dropbox cloud,” says Ted Oade, the worldwide director of product management and marketing for Tandberg Data.

The BizNAS is available in desktop and 1U rackmount configurations, both of which will be made available in diskless and 8TB (2x4TB) configuration. It is expected to ship within weeks with a suggested list price that starts from $699.