Netgear's New SMB Network Storage Solutions Ready For Virtualization

Today, Netgear introduces 2 high-performance network storage platforms optimized for storage virtualization applications. Netgear's ReadyNAS 3100 and ReadyNAS 4200 both support up to 500 users; the anticipated customer use is as primary storage in so-called mid-range enterprises and as secondary storage in larger companies.

Netgear has long positioned itself as a leader in the SMB market. Andrew Meyer, director of storage product marketing for Netgear, appealed to pragmatic and risk averse SMB IT managers in particular in discussing the company's target market. He says, "We don't have the legacy of the big guys, but we do have broader offerings than the prosumer vendors," he says. "We make is easier for SMB guys to adopt high-end products with less risk." He adds, "The volume of data is just exploding at the same time storage capacity is getting cheaper, but managing all that data isn't going away and there's inherent risk - you can't loose the CEO's files; that's a fireable offense."

Risk mitigation always ranks high as an SMB IT priority, right behind costs. The drive to reduce IT spend is spurring more SMBs to embrace virtualization and one result is that demand for affordable network storage will grow and according to Benjamin Woo of IDC, Netgear is well positioned to benefit. He says, "IT departments are looking for cost-effective yet reliable and high performance storage systems to support the foundation of the IT infrastructure. As such, organizations have begun adopting virtualization solutions as they cut costs and increase operational flexibility and environmental friendliness. Netgear's new storage systems exemplify the kind of affordable yet powerful platforms that IT needs in their virtualized environments."

Both storage systems are VMware-ready and powered by the Linux-based ReadyNAS RAIDiator operating system. They feature hot swappable SATA drives and ECC memory as well as redundancy in the system cooling, network ports, and power supply. There is also unified architecture support for both NAS and iSCSI SAN applications, including cross platform file sharing, secure replication, easy remote access, cloud backup, disaster recovery, and server virtualization.

Priced from $3,800, the ReadyNAS 3100 is a 1U 4-bay rack-mountable storage platform that provides up to 8TB of storage capacity. With 4 SATA channels, Netgear claims it is the first sub-$5K 1U rack-mount storage system with a redundant power supply.

Priced from $10,000, the ReadyNAS 4200 is a 2U 12-bay rack-mountable storage platform that provides up to 24TB of storage capacity and two redundant drives. With 12 SATA channels, Netgear claims it is the first ReadyNAS to support the 10 Gigabit Ethernet network infrastructure.

In pursuit of the SMB storage market, Netgear claims dominance in the network storage niche according to Paul Tien, Netgear vice president and general manager for network storage. "The introduction of the ReadyNAS 3100 and ReadyNAS 4200 further solidify Netgear as the leader of network storage in the SMB market segment," he says. "From enterprise branch office to mid-range datacenter, Netgear provides powerful but affordable storage solutions that support advanced applications and virtualized server environments. Combined with advanced switching, wireless, and security product lines, Netgear provides more complete solutions for channel partners than any other vendor in the market."

Both storage systems will be available in late April from Netgear PowerShift Partners and include 24x7 technical support and a 5-year warranty.

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