Buffalo Americas Inc. has introduced NAS storage systems and switches designed to bring the performance advantages of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) networking within reach of small and midsize businesses.
Optimized for use in tandem with one another, the new TeraStation 5010 NAS arrays and BS-XP switch family offer native 10GbE support at prices more in line with SMB budgets than the more expensive enterprise-oriented solutions that have dominated the 10GbE space since its debut some 15 years go.
“Buffalo is making 10GbE more accessible to the SMB market, which has historically been shutout due to 10GbE product costs,” says Bill Rhodes, direct of channel sales for the Austin, Texas-based company.
An extension of Buffalo’s existing TeraStation 5000 NAS series, the TeraStation 5010 line delivers significantly faster performance than those earlier models. According to Rhodes, that makes it a better iSCSI-based target system for storage-area networking deployments and other virtualized environments with steep throughput requirements.
“Simply moving less frequently accessed data from the SAN to the TeraStation 5010 increases the business’s SAN infrastructure ROI by freeing up production workspace on the SAN at a more affordable cost per terabyte,” he says. Other use cases for the new arrays, Rhodes adds, include solutions with higher traffic and storage demands than 1GbE systems can accommodate, like the digital learning systems K-12 schools are increasingly deploying.
Available immediately as a 1U, 4-bay rackmount unit and in 2-bay and 4-bay desktop configurations, with other options to follow later in the year, the TeraStation 5010 provides up to 32 TB of capacity at price points that begin at $829.99 and top out at $1,699.99.†All three models run on the Linux operating system, feature quad-core AL-314 processors from Annapurna Labs Inc., of Cupertino, Calif., and include 4 GB of DDR3 memory equipped with error correcting code. They also come with built-in, pre-tested hard disk drives with initial RAID settings already in place.
“Buffalo remains committed to the populated NAS business model,” says Rhodes, due to the easier deployment and greater reliability it enables.
The new BS-XP switch portfolio emphasizes ease of implementation and affordability as well. The 8-port model is priced at $599.99, while its 12-port counterpart sells for $929.99. Both devices offer plug-and-play functionality that automatically detects and configures network-ready devices upon connection.
“BS-XP is designed to be the first true entry-level unmanaged layer 2 switch in the market,” Rhodes says.
To further lower TCO, the new switches come with integrated energy efficiency capabilities that automatically adjust power output based on port activity and network cable lengths.
Both the TeraStation 5010 and BS-XP switch line are backed by a lifetime warranty. Technical support, Buffalo stresses in promotional materials for the new products, is provided by resources based in the U.S.
The latest additions to Buffalo’s storage and networking lineup arrive as 10GbE solutions suitable for SMB budgets are finally reaching market, and roughly two months after the company shipped a new set of Windows-based NAS arrays also scaled for SMB infrastructures.
