45Drives Introduces New "45Homelab" Division and Community, Unveils Highly Anticipated First Product Pre-Sale


SYDNEY, Nova Scotia, Sept. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire - 45Drives, a trailblazing company providing big, strong, fast, storage under a New Enterprise model, is proud to announce the launch of a new division, “45Homelab” that brings its core design to a traditionally under-served market of homelab computer enthusiasts. The company is demonstrating its commitment to the community it serves by making its gear accessible to fans and homelab community members. The 45Drives core philosophies of openness, and high quality, industrial strength hardware made in North America underpin the new division, which fits a price point just right for homelab use. 

Unlocking Homelab Potential

Responding to the passionate voices of its community, 45Drives is addressing the longstanding desire of users to experience its hardware within the confines of their homes and explore the endless possibilities of homelab storage. Previously, the company's B2B orientation made its enterprise solutions cost prohibitive to consumers. Today, 45Drives is excited to introduce 45Homelab, a transformative initiative that brings the company's renowned design philosophy and innovation to the homelab.

Crafted for Enthusiasts, by Enthusiasts

45Drives has always been attuned to the needs of its community, and this endeavor is no exception. Venturing beyond its enterprise focus, the company has developed a premium homelab server that is open, flexible and powerful. Unlike off-the-shelf NAS products, 45Homelab offers a robust, customizable, and tinker-friendly solution. In essence, it embodies the core values of 45Drives: providing powerful, customizable tools that empower users to take control of their technology.

Joe Milburn, Marketing Project Manager for 45Homelab, remarked, "We've listened to the desires of our enthusiastic user base about bringing our big, strong, fast, storage to the homelab. We have taken this community feedback, and comments from our creator partners, to create something we are really proud to share."

“45Drives seems to be making the goldilocks server for people serious about homelabs,” said Jeff Geerling, renowned technology consultant, open-source advocate and popular Youtube creator. “Home and SMB NAS appliances are a little too weak for more serious use, and used enterprise gear uses too much power and is too loud. I think the HL15 could be the right mix of power and efficiency, but the thing I like most is how hackable the system will be. NAS appliances and enterprise gear alike use nonstandard, proprietary parts. This server can be turned into a gaming rig, a quiet storage server, or even part of a larger cluster, and the chassis should last through a few rebuilds!” he continued.

Bringing Professional Quality Tools to the Homelab

Users will be able to utilize the same quality tools they use professionally within their homelabs. Many IT professionals or aspiring system administrators work in high-stakes production environments that don’t afford opportunity for experimentation and learning. 45Homelab will allow these kinds of users a space for experimentation while running other home applications in parallel with big, strong, fast, storage.

"The 45Drives team is packaging their enterprise scale expertise and open source fundamentals into a reasonably priced high quality form factor that is missing from the Homelab space until now," said Tech Content Creator Tom Lawrence of Lawrence Systems.

A Different Kind of Build Quality

In today's marketplace, 45Drives and the community have noticed a gap. The current options are consumer oriented, designed around low-cost, high-volume manufacturing that are built with plastic and rivets, in a way that does not allow for customization or afford adequate power to the homelab. In addition, current offerings often come bundled with locked-down software. 45Homelab servers are made in North America to a much higher quality standard utilizing steel and screws, while also being designed with customization in mind. Standard software offerings will be open-source and to the same enterprise quality that you would expect from anything 45Drives releases. 

Join the 45Homelab Community and Pre-Order

‘Homelabbers’ have a strong vision of the infrastructure they want, and how to build and customize it. 45Homelab offers a solution that is open enough to be customized and configured to fit that vision. It provides the freedom to modify, upgrade and repair their servers as desired, with open-source principles at its core.

To get started today:
1.     Go to 45Homelab.com
2.     Fill out the form
3.     Reserve your spot in line with a $100 deposit

Choose the option that best suits individual needs, whether it's a chassis or a fully assembled server. Additionally, engage with the vibrant community on the forums for inspiration and support. Should you change your mind at any time, your deposit is fully refundable.

A Journey of Openness

45Drives’ roots trace back to Protocase, a high-tech custom metal manufacturer for science, electronics and engineering. The company was formed when Protocase heard from customers they desired modifications to Backblaze’s original storage pod design, which was optimized for large-scale cloud storage. 

Since then, 45Drives has developed around their original culture of openness in every facet of its operation, encompassing open-source software, open-platform hardware, and transparent communication. They have stayed true to their heritage of listening to community feedback and strategy of providing value to customers.

Today, 45Drives stands as a major player in the realm of New Enterprise data storage, challenging conventions through its open design and pioneering a New Enterprise business model that enhances the accessibility and efficiency of clustered storage systems. 45Homelab will embody that big, strong, fast and open philosophy.

About 45Drives

45Drives is a leading provider of enterprise-grade storage solutions, known for its unwavering commitment to open-source software and open-platform hardware. With a mission rooted in empowering customers and fostering innovation, 45Drives consistently redefines industry standards in the world of data storage.

About 45Homelab

45Homelab is the newest avenue for 45Drives’ and Protocase’s philosophy to evolve and bring value to another market. It is where big, strong, fast, storage will be brought to the homelab through a series of products which address a traditionally underserved market. 45Homelab provides tools for computer enthusiasts and IT professionals to enact the vision they have their home infrastructure and a community where like-minded individuals can come together. 

For more information about 45Drives and 45Homelab, please visit www.45drives.com or www.45homelab.com.

Contact:
Jonathan Phillips
704-942-1557
45drives@phillcomm.global