Netgear's new portfolio of Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices consists of three desktop models and a one 1U rackmount. It runs on the company's ReadyNAS OS 6 platform that is intended to offer "storage made easy" for both the home and small- to medium-sized businesses. According to the press release, the new range of devices provides features and capabilities previously available from expensive and large scale enterprise vendors at a significantly lower cost.
| Model | ReadyNAS 100 Series (RN102xx, RN104xx) | ReadyNAS 300 Series (RN312xx, RN314xx, RN316xx) | ReadyNAS 500 Series (RN516xx) | ReadyNAS 2120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop | 1U |
| Designed For | Home Use | Small Business Networks | Small to Medium Business | Small Data Centers |
| Bays | 2 or 4 bays | 2, 4 or 6 bays | 6 bays | 4 bays |
| US Retail Price | Starting at $199 | Starting at $449 | Starting at $1,299 | Starting at $1,229 |
The ReadyNAS OS 6 comes with a variety of innovating features, such as on-box data protection with unlimited snapshot capability, cloud-managed replication, and XRAID automatic volume expansion. The unit also supports native encryption, real-time anti-virus protection, and seamless file synchronization with ReadyDROP and Dropbox. All of Netgear's ReadyNAS devices support SATA drives of up to 4 TB in capacity. The 300 and 500 series also includes an eSata expansion slot with the capacity to handle up to 84 TB of storage.
"We designed the new ReadyNAS OS from the ground up with ease-of-use in mind, so users can confidently centralize and back up all their data," said Matt Pahnke, senior product marketing manager for NETGEAR Storage. "Customers could not be more excited about our revolutionary ReadyCLOUD technology for cloud-based set-up, provisioning, and management. The cloud-based set-up and comprehensive, but simple-to-use interface is unlike anything else in the NAS market."
Finally, the ReadyNAS OS 6 features integration with the genie+ marketplace (opens in new tab), a platform for third party developers to deliver applications and services that can be installed on ReadyNAS devices with a single click. In addition to applications already released, Netgear reportedly has over 600 developers registered to create additional content following the device's release date.
Select models of the NETGEAR ReadyNAS 100 and 300 series are now available worldwide through reseller channels and a variety of e-commerce sites. The full line of new ReadyNAS models will be available in the second quarter of 2013 through authorized NETGEAR PowerSHIFT channel partners and other reseller channels and e-commerce sites.