Seagate Unveils Networked Drives for Small Businesses By Barry Levine July 15, 2014 1:40PM  The three NAS Pro models from Seagate, for environments with up to 50 users, are available in two-, four- and six-bay configurations and use the Intel dual-core 1.7 GHz C2000 Series processor and 2 GB of memory. The new NAS products from Seagate are easy to manage and provide 24/7 secure access to the data that drives small businesses.

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Seagate is out with five new networked attached storage(NAS) products designed specifically for small businesses. The drives are intended for companies with up to 50 employees, and range in capacity from two to 20 terabytes.The models are from the Seagate NAS and NAS Pro lines. As many small businesses do not have dedicated IT personnel, the storage units employ a new operating system, NAS OS 4, which Seagate described as "intuitive." The company said these drives represent its biggest product launch for small businesses, and that they can be readily set up by such firms. The new OS offers a redesigned Device Manager, so that companies can manage preferences and settings from one location. Seagate said that its new drives can be managed from desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones, utilize hard disk drive units in capacities up to 5 TB, and are equipped with advanced vibration toleration and management capabilities. 'Easy to Manage' Scott Horn, VP of global marketing, said in a statement that the new solution is "easy to manage and provides 24/7secure access to the information that drives [small businesses]." Shared access to files is provided through the creation of a private cloud that resides on the drive. Using its Sdrive capability, employees can save files as they would to any external drive, and free mobile apps enable access from a smartphone or tablet. The company also points to the support of add-on apps as another key feature of NAS OS 4, with five apps being available at launch. A Seagate antivirus scans against viruses and malware, and a Surveillance Manager -- compatible with a number of IP cameras -- can provide event and schedule-based recording, as well as mobile apps for viewing. With a supplied copy of open-source publishing platform WordPress, businesses can create their own blogs, and an app called Own Cloud offers file access when users are outside the network. Additionally, a copy of BitTorrent Sync enables synching and sharing of unlimited files and folders. Mobile Storage The two NAS models, intended for offices with up to 25 workers, are available in 2- and 4-bay configurations, and each employs a Marvel Dual core 1.2 GHz processor with 512 MB of memory. The three NAS Pro models, for environments with as many as 50 users, are available in two-, four- and six-bay configurations and use the Intel dual-core 1.7 GHz C2000 Series processor and 2 GB of memory. The NAS models range in price from $169 to $699, and the NAS Pro, targeted at creative professionals who need lots of storage, goes from $349 to $2500. The units include a three-year warranty. In other Seagate news, the company has announced a new option in wireless, mobile storage for on-the-go users -- a model that offers one and two terabyte capacities, as well as integration into Dropbox and Google Drive.