Iomega Supercharges SMB NAS with Intel Ivy Bridge

What if your small business storage array was the most powerful computing system on your network? That’s the question Iomega asks SMBs to ponder with the debut of its new flagship network-attached storage (NAS) array, the PX12-450r.

The new hardware ushers in a lot of “firsts” for Iomega and the small business storage market at large, says Jay Krone, senior director of network storage products for the company. Iomega’s new NAS box the “first to use the latest generation of the Intel ‘Ivy Bridge’ processor family,” explains Krone.

Officially launched just last month, Ivy Bridge is the code name for chips fabricated using Intel’s 22-nanometer, tri-gate “3D” transistor micro-architecture. Currently, Intel includes the technology in select Xeon server processors and some i7 and i5 CPU models.

Is it a Small Business Server, Small Business Storage, or Both?

Iomega, an EMC subsidiary, asks SMBs to think twice about investing in more servers for processing data that is stored on the PX12-450r, which sports a quad-core, Xeon E3-1200 v2 processor and 8 GB of RAM under the hood. Already, video surveillance software specialists like MindTree and Soleratec are producing video management apps that run natively on the system. This allows SMBs, for instance, to analyze, edit or review footage taken from IP-based cameras without transferring large files across the network for processing by a workstation or server.

Expect more apps in the future, says Iomega. The PX12-450r runs Linux apps created with Iomega’s LifeLine software development kit (SDK). And in a bid to get more developers onboard, “we’re planning to make the SDK available through a public portal next week,” at EMC World, says Krone.

McAfee Banishes NASties

“We’re the first EMC products to run McAfee ViruScan Enterprise on storage,” says Krone. It’s a distinction that extends to the entire sub $10,000 storage array market, according to Iomega.

A three-year license for McAfee ViruScan Enterprise comes with the hardware at no additional cost. While it stands as another example of the cozy relationship the company shares with Intel — McAfee was acquired by Intel in 2010 — the partnership allows SMBs to seamlessly slot the system into their existing McAfee security management environments.

Since the PX12-450r directly connects to cloud storage services — like the rest of the Iomega PX Server Class NAS line — the McAfee software hardens the PX12-450r against potential Web-based attacks, explains Krone. Iomega will be including McAfee VirusScan on all Iomega PX series network storage products in the next quarter.

Another benefit of putting a beefy processor in a NAS system: full data encryption. Although encryption would bring other NAS systems to a crawl, users can turn on full encryption with no appreciable performance penalty, says Krone.

The PX12-450r carries over many of the attributes of the recently released PX12-350r, including a rackmount 2U form factor, 12 SATA drive bays and 10 GbE network connectivity. Configuration options range from a diskless unit to a fully populated model — with up to 48 TB of capacity when outfitted with 4 TB drives as soon as they become more widely available (by the end of this year, estimates Iomega). Solid-state drive (SSD) support helps buyers squeeze more performance out of the PX12-450r for I/O intensive workloads like databases and virtualization.

The Iomega PX12-450r will be available in the third quarter. Prices start at $5,499.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Internetnews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.

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