DCC cater for the SMB network storage market with new line of WD servers

The Western Digital (WD) Sentinel DX4000 Small Office Storage Server combines centralised storage, backup-and-restore protection for 25 network devices while allowing SMBs to connect, protect, and collaborate at their price point

Distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC) is now delivering Western Digital’s (WD) latest storage development for small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) – a complete network storage solution for the South African market known as the Sentinel DX4000.

The WD Sentinel DX4000 delivers centralised shared storage and automatic server-based backup and restore for up to 25 devices (PC and Mac) on the network. It offers complete data protection with built-in hardware and software redundancy for all of the connected devices in the network. With capacities including 4, 6, 8 and 12 TB, and an additional 4 bays suited to Sentinel specific RAID configures drives for upgradeability, the WD Sentinel DX4000 lets small business owners expand small office server storage capacity as their business and storage demands grow. The solution includes Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials operating system software and the Intel D525 Dual Core Atom CPU.

Says Zandré Rudolph, DCC Retail Business Unit Manager:  “The value proposition of this product is that it delivers ‘on-premise cloud storage’ for the SMB, so no cost and time intensive tape and off-site storage is required. This means there is built in redundancy and no downtime, should data on the server be lost.”

“Furthermore, the WD Sentinel features a price point that is tailored to the SMB market. Now we are able to offer WD’s brand promise of reliability, quality and value for money to the Channel for their SMB requirements,” adds Rudolph.

“The WD Sentinel small office storage server is the ideal storage, backup, and secure remote access solution for any SMB,” says Thomas Gallivan, vice president of marketing for WD’s SMB Solutions Group. “The ability to have centralised storage that is both on-premise and offers secure remote access provides a small business owner and employees the flexibility needed for today’s mobile lifestyle. WD is providing small business owners with a hands-free solution that offers complete data protection and unparalleled peace-of-mind.”

Says Rudolf, “WD has built a high level of technology into the Sentinel. Previously the SME market has been underserved, but with Sentinel an array of configuration options and an abundance of storage capacity is available to the entry level market, at a price which suits them.  An example of the technology innovation incorporated into the product is the fact that the Sentinel Network Attached Storage (NAS) device sits on top of the network, as opposed to being connected to it. This means that no network is required and data can be moved from one operating system to another without down-time.  You can also set your notebook to automatically backup directly to the WD Sentinel.”

Whether they are personal or professional, digital content and important files are invaluable and often irreplaceable if lost or compromised. WD Sentinel small office storage server provides several ways for businesses to protect their information without user intervention. WD Sentinel comes preconfigured with enterprise-class drives, RAID storage protection, built-in server based backup and recovery software, redundant networking ports and a redundant power option. In addition, WD Sentinel offers users the ability to connect to a ‘public cloud’ storage provider, which offers small businesses an economical and integrated disaster recovery solution against earthquake, theft and fire or water damage.  This effectively means that two backups are being made – one on the Sentinel and on in the cloud.

Software included with WD Sentinel provides business owners and their employees the freedom and flexibility to remotely access files and share files with external employees, independent consultants and satellite offices anywhere in the world.

Five Levels of Data Protection

WD Sentinel DX4000 provides five levels of data protection for every device on the small office network and is supported by WD Guardian Services.

1. The Drives Inside: Pre-configured with WD’s award-winning enterprise-class drives for durability and reliability.
2. RAID: Featuring levels 1 and 5 for data protection and speed.
3. Daily Backup: Automatic backup and recovery software provides daily full system backups for up to 25 devices on your network. Simply set it and forget it.
4. Redundant Network Connectivity: Dual Gigabit Ethernet configured in Adaptive Fault Tolerance (AFT) automatically switches to second network port in the event of a network failure.
5. Optional Disaster Recovery Protection: Connect to the small business cloud provided by optional disaster recovery software and store your data offsite for disaster recovery.

WD Sentinel is certified to be compatible with a variety of Operating Systems (OS) including Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. In addition, WD Sentinel is compatible with Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard for file sharing among Windows, Mac and Unix/Linux operating systems and allows businesses to share files with clients, consultants, and inter-office personnel regardless of the OS used.

WD Guardian Services for Small Business

WD Sentinel DX4000 is backed by WD’s world-class customer service and support. All WD Sentinel small business customers will receive free tech support for 30 days from the time of the first call. WD Sentinel customers may wish to upgrade their service plan to one of three options:

1. WD Guardian Express: Offers next-day parts replacement service including shipping and handling costs.
2. WD Guardian Pro: Offers a one year support agreement with WD service, express parts replacement and priority access to technical support.
3. Guardian Extended Care: Service that extends the product warranty from the standard three year warranty to five years.

WD Sentinel DX4000 small office storage server is available from resellers with a recommended retail price of R8 R9299 for 4 TB, R10299, 00 for the 6TB, R1R13899,00for the 8 TB and R15699, 00 for the 12 TB version. All pricing is inclusive of V.A.T.