Iomega Takes NAS Wireless

Never mind that too thin or too rich adage, you can never have enough storage &#151 especially if you run your own business. In an effort to make storage more flexible and less costly, Iomega recently announced its NAS 100d, a wireless entry-level network attached server.

Iomega designed the product for small businesses and larger companies with workgroups and remote branch offices. If you need extra storage on a network, Iomega’s got its eye on you. “This network storage device is easy to install and manage, ” says Wayne Arvid son, Iomega’s director of professional storage solutions. “And we designed it for companies with a small budget.”

Why Wireless?
The NAS 100d’s wireless capability gives SMB’s more flexibility in terms of how to use and where to place the storage. You can use the device in two ways, as an access point or as a client.

• Access Point &#151 In this situation, you physically connect the NAS 100d to your network using the device’s 10/100 Fast Ethernet port. It now acts as a hot spot that your employees can access with their wireless devices.
• Client &#151 This option gives you a lot of flexibility on where you store the NAS 100d. As a client &#151 or wireless node &#151 the 100D doesn’t need any cables at all. It communicates with the network server using its Wi-Fi capability.

The 100d supports the 802.11g wireless standard, and it’s backward compatible with the older 802.11 standard.

Expandable Capacity
Two USB 2.0 ports at the back of the box let you plug in up to two external storage devices. According to Iomega, you can use any external USB drive. “We built the 100d with a standard file system,” says Arvidson. “That means you don’t have to reformat the external drive if it already has data on it &#151 unlike our competitors who offer similar solutions.”

Automatic Backup
The device comes with Iomega’s Automatic Backup software that supports networked PCs. Basically you choose the files and folders you want backed up and that’s it &#151 the software, not you, initiates the back up process.

Quiet, Please

Iomega’s wireless 100d NAS box is flexible: use it as a wireless access point or as a wireless client.

Arvidson says the 100d is quiet enough to sit on your desktop without disturbing anyone. “It’s rated at 42 decibels (db),” he says. “Every three decibels doubles the sound level. To give you some perspective, a desktop PC is 48db and a library &#151where no one’s allowed to talk &#151 is 40db.”

As for its size, the 100d rates a compact 7.9-inches long, 4.8-inches wide and 3.7-inches high.

Feature Recap

• Available in 160GB or 250GB capacities
• 802.11g wireless support
• Two USB 2.0 Ports
• UPnP (universal plug-and-play), Web-based configuration
• Compatible with Windows, Macintosh, and Linux
• Automatic backup capability
• Quiet operation

Pricing, Availability and Warranty

• NAS 100d 160GB Server; shipping September 20 &#151 $499
• NAS 100d 250GB Server &#151 Shipping September 26 &#151$599
• Warranty &#151 Two years
• Extended Warranty &#151 $179

Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com