Instant Expert: Archival Storage...with Some RAIDs Thrown In: In a Digital World, Can’t Get Enough of It

ITEM/CONTACT

COMPANY

MSRP

WHAT’S NEW AND OTHER COMMENTS

Drobo

From $849

New to the Drobo line, along with a $649 Drobo Mini. The 5D supports up to four 2.5” drives, either mechanical or SSD. USB and Thunderbolt interfaces in the 5D version. Drobo is known for its solid backup features.

StorCenter ix4-300d

Iomega

From $749.99

StorCenter ix4-300d    Iomega    From $749.99    This NAS device can be configured in capacities ranging from 0 TB (diskless) to a max of 12 TB (four 3 TB HDDs). Share files over PC or Mac network. Works with Apple Time Machine. Can be configured with various cloud-based storage or even another Iomega NAS device in another location for redundant and catastrophic backup. Highly versatile solution. Check out other NAS devices offered by Iomega.

ThunderStream SC 3808D

ATTO Technology

$1,200

Have a Thunderbolt Mac with no slots but need a SAS storage controller? The ThunderStream is an all-in-one 6 Gb/s RAID controller with two Thunderbolt ports and two mini-SAS connectors.

Prime-Cache5

Cache-A

$7,995

The latest addition to Cache-A’s archival collection. This LTO-5 device features a built-in 2.5” RAID 0 that accelerates disk-based transfer. The new 3.1 Cache-A software enables LTFS capabilities, advanced 64-bit processing, tape spanning capability and a host of other features. Unit has dual Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 ports.

SyncBlock

Facilis Technology

Contact manufacturer

acilis TerraBlock 24D can be expanded to accommodate up to 224 TB of storage. SyncBlock is a software package that manages the shared storage devices in a RAID 6 configuration with options to sync to off-site or cloud-based servers or archival devices. SyncBlock should be considered the infrastructure manager of anything from a basic Facilis archival solution to a large multi-location archive.

ArGest

TOLIS Group

From $6,199

Portable Thunderbolt or SAS device for field acquisition and archiving combining up to two SSD or hard drives plus LTO-5 (and soon to be LTO-6) tape backup. Integrates with other TOLIS archival appliances.

Lattus Wide Area Storage

Quantum Corp.

Custom configuration

You personally may not need to manage up hundreds of petabytes of data but perhaps your employer does. Quantum introduces a massive system to handle equally massive amounts of data with up to 15 levels of redundancy. As digital archives grow, this is exactly the kind of archival solution that broadcasters or large production facilities will require.  

Fusion R400S RAID

Sonnet Technologies

Up to $1,999 for 16 TB  

Shifting gears for a moment from archival devices, both small and massive, this Sonnet eSATA RAID is a 1 RU device that can be bought either empty for $299 or configured with up to 16 TB of storage from Sonnet. Up to 240 Mb/s read/write makes it an economical solution for most ProRes or DNxHD workflows. Can be configured as RAID 0, 5 or 10. Sonnet is noted for its support and dependability.

mRAID

Active Storage

TBA

Scalable RAID that can integrate with Active Storage’s SAN solutions. Remote monitoring and configuration via iApp. Enterprise-level drives. Proprietary caching schemes for ultra-fast performance. 48 TB, expandable by adding enclosures. High end at its best.

FLOworks Platform

LumaForge

Custom configuration

LumaForge is a Southern California VAR specializing in integrating production workflows. Based on the FLOworks HUB, LumaForge’s software and system integration workflows manage ingest, backup, file access, etc. LumaForge’s Dailies in A Box and FLOworks HUB address the growing need by producers, DPs, editors and others for fast and efficient shared data storage with secure high-speed networking. Purchase anything off the menu and LumaForge will get it working for you.