IBM on Tuesday introduced for small and medium-sized businesses an entry-level disk array that supports iSCSI for building an Internet-based storage area network.

The System Storage DS3300 features integrated management software and is the first product in IBM's DS3000 series to include support for the iSCSI protocol. The DS3300 is built to give SMBs a storage infrastructure that can be expanded as storage needs grow.

"SMBs continue to face the same issues that large enterprises are dealing with when it comes to the deluge of data -- they are seeing an ever-increasing amount of feature-rich documents, limitless e-mails, audio and video files, data-intensive new applications, and a slew of government regulations by which they must abide," Charlie Andrews, director of IBM System Storage product marketing, said in a statement.

The new product includes installation wizards that guide administrators transitioning from direct attached storage configurations to an Internet protocol SAN. The wizards are written for businesses without IT staff to handle the setup and configuration process.

The DS3300 can be shared between applications, servers, computer rooms, and remote locations. It supports SAS hard disk drives and expansion via the IBM System Storage EXP3000 Expansion Unit for up to 14.4 terabytes of raw capacity. In addition, customers can choose to include enhanced data protection features, such as FlashCopy for point-in-time, full-volume copies of data, and VolumeCopy for full logical drive replication.

The IBM System Storage DS3300 is scheduled for general availability Sept. 7. Pricing will start at $5,000.

IBM introduced the DS3000 series for small and medium-sized businesses in January. Before the DS3300, the products' host interface options were SAS and Fibre Channel. The latest product is the first to introduce iSCSI.