Data Robotics Unveils DroboPro, the First SMB Data Storage System That Manages Itself

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - April 7, 2009) - Data Robotics, the company that is changing the way the world stores and protects digital content, today introduced DroboPro, the first business class storage array that manages itself. DroboPro delivers a radically simplified storage experience enhanced by advanced self-monitoring and self-healing functionality that enables small and medium businesses (SMBs) to maintain uptime in the face of constant data growth. Built on the company's award-winning BeyondRAID™ virtualized storage platform, DroboPro provides enterprise-level business continuity features -- including protection against multiple concurrent drive failures and no-downtime capacity expansion with thin provisioning -- while eliminating the lock-in of traditional RAID configurations.

DroboPro with BeyondRAID offers IT managers the unprecedented flexibility to replace failed disks, upsize the capacity of disks, and with one click switch between single and dual disk redundancy without costly downtime. Providing the most straightforward user experience ever designed for business class storage, DroboPro enables companies to devote more resources to business growth and significantly less time and money to managing their storage. With DroboPro IT managers no longer have to make difficult and confining choices upfront about how to provision capacity for the future.

"At many businesses, IT managers are responsible for much more than just storage, let alone having to predict the future of their company's business and dynamic storage needs," said David Reinsel, group vice president, storage and semiconductors, at industry analyst firm IDC. "A forward-thinking approach to flexible and highly available data storage, like Data Robotics' DroboPro, not only should save IT managers capital and administrative costs, but also should provide them more time to focus on managing their front-end applications, such as Microsoft Small Business Server and Microsoft Exchange."

"It's critical that our company's data is always accessible. Devoting time and resources to manage our storage is challenging, especially as our data continues to grow each year. The ability to survive two drive failures and DroboPro's high-speed iSCSI interface make it the ideal primary storage for our mission-critical applications server," said Wayne Titus, owner, AMDG Financial. "Because DroboPro manages the RAID levels automatically, we no longer need to buy more storage than we need today in anticipation of estimated future requirements. As our business grows, DroboPro grows with us. We can add additional drives as needed, and the new capacity is instantly available. With DroboPro, we have a high-performance storage solution our business can afford, with the features, functionality, and ease of use that are ideal for any small business."

DroboPro Features and Benefits

--  Up to 8 Disks for Instant Expansion to 16TB and Beyond
    Customers can grow storage in line with their data capacity needs with
    minimal effort. To add capacity, customers simply insert a new hard
    disk or replace the smallest disk with a larger one, even when all
    eight disk bays are full. Unlike traditional RAID systems, the
    BeyondRAID technology found in DroboPro enables IT managers to
    efficiently mix and match disk brands, capacities and speeds, enabling
    continuous expansion as disk capacities grow. With DroboPro expansion
    is automatic and instantaneous, and access to data is always
    maintained.

--  No Headache Dual Disk Redundancy
    The DroboPro Dual Disk Redundancy option protects against the
    simultaneous failure of up to two hard disks. Customers can engage this
    option with a single click, without ever losing access to their data.
    When it runs out of capacity, customers can switch DroboPro back to
    single disk redundancy with a click. Unlike moving between RAID 5 and
    RAID 6, there's no need to reformat or migrate data off of the array,
    potentially saving hours or days.

--  The Virtues of Smart Volumes
    Smart Volumes allow customers to create new volumes in seconds and
    manage 16TB volumes over time with ease. The timesaving Smart Volume
    management technology integrated into DroboPro allows volumes to pull
    storage from the common pool of disks rather than a specific physical
    disk allocation. The labor of resizing and migrating volumes is
    replaced with the simplicity of intelligent engineering.

--  Triple Interface Featuring iSCSI
    DroboPro attaches directly to a server or workstation that requires
    storage, or to a shared server or workstation on a network that can
    provide access to multiple clients. Interface options include iSCSI
    (using Gigabit Ethernet), FireWire 800, and USB 2.0. DroboPro reduces
    the complexity of iSCSI by introducing zero configuration connection
    establishment for both Windows and Mac OS X.

--  Rack Mount Ready, Desktop Quiet
    DroboPro fits into a rack mount environment or can sit on a desktop.
    Dual smart fans automatically manage their speed to optimize both
    cooling and operating noise. (DroboPro rack-mount sold separately.)

"DroboPro was built on the belief that there is no reason that storage should be complex or expensive in order to be effective. We've taken storage to a level that is truly simple and straightforward without losing the necessary features that businesses need," said Dr. Geoff Barrall, CEO and founder of Data Robotics. "Leveraging the capabilities that are built into DroboPro, businesses can quickly take advantage of this robust, cost-effective storage solution to ease the burden of nonstop data growth."

Price and Availability

DroboPro is currently available starting at an entry price of $1299 MSRP, with multiple configurations to $3999 for a 16TB rack-mountable solution. DroboPro is available now from authorized partners worldwide and on www.drobostore.com. For a list of partners or to learn more about DroboPro, please visit www.drobo.com/drobopro.

About Data Robotics

Data Robotics, the company that is changing the way the world stores digital content, develops automated storage products designed to ensure data is always protected, accessible and simple to manage. The award-winning Drobo® storage arrays are the first to provide the protection of traditional RAID without the complexity. The revolutionary BeyondRAID technology frees users from making the difficult and confining choice of "Which RAID level to deploy?" by providing an unprecedented combination of advanced features and automation, including single and dual disk redundancy, instant expansion, self-monitoring, data awareness, self-healing, and an easy-to-understand visual status and alert panel. For more information, visit Data Robotics at www.datarobotics.com.

Data Robotics, DroboPro, Drobo, DroboShare, Smart Volumes, and BeyondRAID are trademarks of Data Robotics, Inc., that may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective owners.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Angela Griffo Trainer Communications 949-842-7695