ProStor Launches First Removable Disk Archiver for SMBs

By Chris Preimesberger and Sharon Linsenbach
October 09, 2007

Removable disk storage maker ProStor Systems is rolling out what officials claim is the world’s first removable disk archive system designed specifically for small- and medium-size enterprises.

Best known for its RDX technology sold to such major OEMs as Dell, Tandberg and Imation, ProStor released the InfiniVault appliance Oct. 9 as its first self-branded storage offering.

The appliance, which uses removable hard disks, is designed to provide a single archiving package for long-term data preservation, e-discovery and regulatory compliance, ProStor CEO Steve Georgis told eWEEK.

“We have created an easy-to-deploy archiving system that combines the rapid retrieval of fixed-disk archives with the unlimited capacity, scalability and disaster recovery protection of removable disk media,” Georgis said. “This is in an all-in-one design that is more reliable than tape and much lower cost than fixed-disk archive systems.”

Businesses and government agencies can archive information, such as e-mail, documents, graphics, X-rays, images, digital MRIs, photographs and videos, using InfiniVault’s architecture. With its removable cartridges, InfiniVault provides off-site archival digital storage for about 30 years, he said.

“The notion of using a removable storage product based on a hard drive is not new. Remember the old [Iomega] Jazz drives?” IDC analyst Robert Amatruda said. “That was based on a hard drive, but was really proprietary in the way it was brought to market. However, the concept that ProStor has been pushing and initiating has a different spin on it. ProStor’s value proposition is that they’re using a standard 2.5-inch hard drive and are adding their own innovative things, such as ruggedizing the physical cartridge that fits into it. The way the system fits together really is new and innovative.”

Click here to read more about new choices in backup technology.

Quantum’s GoVault archiver is similar but not compatible with ProStor’s new product, and it has been out in the marketplace for several months, Amatruda said.

“The notion of this whole removable hard drive market is relatively new from a market entry perspective. These products are really positioned as a replacement for traditional tape,” he said. “But even though these products have only been shipping for a year or a year and a half, there is an addressable market, and there are OEM customers for them, also.”

InfiniVault uses ProStor’s home-developed archive and compliance business intelligence to provide fast online access and nearline retrieval of data, Georgis said. Users can set up policy-driven automation rules using not only keywords but inferences that the system BI can remember and use in the background on a daily basis.

ProStor’s embedded Archive Compliance Engine offers write-once data immutability, archive management, automated file retention policies, security, removable media management and automatic data protection, he said.

Deploying an InfiniVault appliance into an enterprise storage infrastructure limits the need for acquiring additional primary disk capacity and shortens backup windows, resulting in lower storage management costs and improved operational efficiencies, he said.

To handle government regulations, InfiniVault features a combination of flexible retention management, WORM (write once, read many) throughout the system for unalterable files, and data encryption to meet privacy requirements.

Additionally, the rapid file search and recovery enabled by the RDX removable disk technology meets the requirements of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in legal holds and e-discovery, Georgis said. Privacy is assured because InfiniVault manages all encryption keys associated with each individual file, he said

The InfiniVault is available in three configurations:

·  The InfiniVault Model 3, designed for small businesses and remote offices is an integrated tower appliance with up to 1.6 TB of online and nearline storage and infinite offline capacity. It has a base price of $10,995.

·  Model 30, aimed at SMBs that need a flexible archive appliance, is an integrated rack-mount system with up to 11 TB of online and nearline storage and infinite offline capacity. Pricing starts at $29,995.

·  Model 100, for mid-sized enterprises, also is an integrated rack-mount system with up to 39 TB of online and nearline storage and infinite offline capacity. Pricing starts at $74,995.

ProStor, of Boulder, Colo., will sell its new InfiniVault exclusively through resellers and channel partners, Georgis said.

Georgis said ProStor saw a lack of available midmarket solutions that could offer backup, storage and compliance capabilities.

“Given we have this ongoing business with the RDX technology, we always have to clarify that it is a 100 percent channel product,” said Bill Lewis, vice president of sales.