Dell has
unveiled a new storage device that targets small and medium sized businesses in
an attempt to increase the firm's overall appeal in the segment.
Storage needs for the small business segment are underserved, Dell chief
executive Michael Dell argued at a company event in San Francisco.
Such firms are forced to use consumer technologies such as DVDs, or are
offered stripped down enterprise grade technology.
While the first option lacks the capacity that many businesses require, the
latter is too complicated and expensive to small firms without a dedicated
support staff.
"It either costs too much or does not do what you want it to do," said Dell.
The vendor's new
MD3000i
claims to close the gap between the low-end and high-end markets.
The device offers remote management technology to improve ease of use, and
operates on the iSCSI protocol, rather than the more prevalent Fibre Channel,
allowing it to operate over an Ethernet network.
"This is critical for SMBs which need advanced storage but do not see Fibre
Channel as the way to go," said Dell, adding that iSCSI is less expensive.
To minimise down-time from maintenance and outages, the device offers
redundant power supplies and cooling fans. Users can pool up to 16 of the
servers in a network, allowing a maximum 18TB of storage capacity.
The device is available today starting at $7,000, with a fully configured
system costing around $13,000.
Dell claims that it is undercutting systems from competitors such as
HP and
IBM on price. The
fully configured MD3000i comes in at about 13 per cent less than the cheapest
competitor, the company claimed.
Dell previously targeted only the enterprise storage space through a
partnership with
EMC. The MD3000i,
however, was developed exclusively by Dell.
A single storage device does not make a great impact on the overall market,
Dell admitted, but the executive argued that firms are typically seeking for a
single vendor for all their technology.
"Products like these are often sold with x86 servers," he said.
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