WD EXPANDS NAS STORAGE OFFERINGS

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Updated : August 5, 2014 02:30  pm,Dubai
By Editor

img10WD Red now in 6 TB capacities; WD NASware 3.0 increases NAS system bay count support to 8 bays; new WD Red Pro deepens reach into medium to large NAS market

WD, a Western Digital company, and world leader in storage solutions, has announced in the Middle East the expansion of its award-winning WD Red line of SATA hard drives for home and small office NAS (network attached storage) systems with the release of a 5 TB and first-to-market 6 TB capacity for NAS-specific storage and the introduction of WD Red Pro hard drives that address the medium to large business NAS market. Compatibility-tested with top NAS system manufacturers and optimized for power and performance, WD Red 3.5-inch hard drives are now shipping in 1 TB to 6 TB capacities; and the new WD Red Pro 3.5-inch hard drives are available in 2 TB to 4 TB capacities.
“With the expansion and evolution of the WD Red family, WD once again is providing its loyal customers with increased capacity up to 6 TB; improved bay count support with up to 8 bays; increased product breadth with WD Red Pro; and more features with the latest generation of WD NASware technology,” said Matt Rutledge, senior vice president and general manager, WD Storage Technology. “WD continues to listen to its customers and bring exciting innovation to the category they helped to create.”
WD Red
A storage industry innovation first introduced in 2012, WD Red hard drives address the unique environment of NAS and the growing demand for affordable, reliable and compatible storage that reduces customer total cost of ownership. With the release of 5 TB and 6 TB models, the WD Red line of hard drives is now further enriched with greater storage capacity and increased performance with WD NASware 3.0, an enhanced version of WD’s original NASware technology, designed to improve reliability and system performance, reduce customer downtime and to simplify the integration process.
WD Red hard drives also feature 3D Active Balance Plus, an enhanced balance control technology, which significantly improves overall drive performance and reliability. Exclusive for WD Red customers, WD offers free premium 24×7 dedicated support.
By increasing NASware 3.0 capability, the WD Red 1–6 TB capacity drives are capable of supporting up to eight bays NAS systems with no negative impact to performance.
WD Red Pro
Ideal for medium to large business environments, the new WD Red Pro line of NAS hard drives supports eight to 16 bay NAS systems. The enhanced design offers reliable, high performance storage powered by WD NASware 3.0. By introducing the WD Red Pro, WD now has a full portfolio NAS storage solution with the WD Red family (WD Red and WD Red Pro) for both consumer and business NAS solutions.
WD Red family of hard drives will integrate seamlessly with WD NAS solutions and are qualified to work with a wide array of WD OEM NAS partners.
WD Green
The WD Green line of cool, quiet and eco-friendly hard drives will also see capacity expansion with the 5 TB and 6 TB additions for high capacity consumer storage.
WD Red NAS Hard Drive Launch Partners:
ASUSTOR
“In the digital era of exponential data growth, the need for versatile cloud storage that integrates storage, backup and file sharing has never been greater. ASUSTOR NAS devices were created to meet these demands for both home and enterprise users alike. Innovative technology, an intuitive interface and compatibility for Windows, Mac and Unix operating systems make ASUSTOR NAS devices the optimal choice for creating a cloud storage space. When creating a cloud storage space, stable hard disk storage is an extremely important factor. The newly launched WD Red Pro series not only provides high capacity drives at 6TB/5TB, but also offers the type of stable performance, energy efficiency and quiet operation, that make it an excellent choice for use with ASUSTOR NAS devices such as the AS-608T and AS-609RD,” said Shawn Shu, president of ASUSTOR.
QNAP Systems, Inc.
“The constant growth of data and the need for intensive data access across diverse applications continuously drive NAS users’ needs for hard drives with the highest capacity, reliability and performance,” said Richard Lee, CEO of QNAP Systems, Inc. “The launch of WD Red 6TB NAS hard drives and Red Pro NAS hard drives offer QNAP Turbo NAS products with more reliable solutions for 24/7 operations to meet the specific requirements of home NAS users and medium-to-large-scale businesses respectively.”
Synology Inc.
“Synology is excited for the launch of WD 6TB Red and WD Red Pro hard drives, allowing for more choices of hard drives to fit various requirements. Together with WD Red drives, Synology DiskStation and RackStation provides users with reliable solutions that grow with their storage demands, and efficiently centralize and share their data,” said Rosiel Lee, senior sales and marketing manager.
Thecus Tech., Corp.
“The introduction of the Red 6TB and the Red Pro 4TB by WD provide SOHO and SMB users with tools that are essential for an optimal data storage environment. These drives, along with our Thecus NAS units, will provide high-powered, comprehensive solutions to the storage industry,” said Florence Shih, CEO at Thecus Technology Corp.