Sony Enters NAS Market

Sony Electronics today unveiled a family of networked storage systems, the new StorStation(TM) family, which come in three models.

The FSV-E1 StorStation entry-level file server is equipped to handle file-sharing needs of the small office/home office (SOHO) market. Sony said, with a capacity of 80GB in a small 1U-high form-factor, the FSV-E1 model is ideal for sharing data, rich-media files, such as AV media streaming, and for storage in a small office, remote corporate office or residential gateway environments.

To accommodate the multi-faceted backup needs of workgroups at the mid-range level, Sony is offering the BSV-M1 model, a packaged network back-up server and AIT library solution that combined, fits in a 3U rack space. The BSV-M1 system is a network-attached backup server, integrated with Sony’s new rack-mountable AIT library LIB-162 and backup application software, to create what it says is cost-effective package that offers comprehensive backup capabilities in one easy-to-manage solution. The BSV-M1 unit enables automated archiving and quick data restores with a secondary backup capacity of up to 2.08 TB (with average 2.6:1 compression) on the AIT library LIB-162.

For high business performance, Sony in the U.S. will offer the FSV-M1 StorStation file server, which it said delivers quick file-sharing and backup storage management over the network. The FSV-M1 network appliance brings benefits to branch offices, corporate offices, and groups with multiple workstations that share files and require data availability and security with automated backups. Within a 1U-slim form-factor, the FSV-M1 unit includes up to 480 GB of native capacity provided by four 120 GB hard drives that can be set up in RAID 0, 1 or 5 configurations for added data security. The FSV-M1 StorStation file server is also gigabit Ethernet-ready for enhanced network sharing configurations.

The entry-level FSV-E1 model will begin shipping at an estimated retail price of $1,300 through distributors, value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators in October. The other two networked storage solutions, the FSV-M1 and the BSV-M1, are expected to ship through the same channels later this year.