Quantum Rolls Out Dedupe Appliances For SMBs, Remote Offices

Quantum is bringing an entry-level version of its data deduplication appliance to the channel, a move applauded by one of its oldest channel partners as a way to open up new opportunities in the SMB market.

Storage vendor Quantum this week unveiled the DXi4500, a family of dedupe appliances focused on helping SMBs and remote offices improve their data backup performance by cutting the amount of data to be backed up.

The DXi4500 comes in two versions, the DXi4510 with 2 TB of usable storage capacity and the DXi4520 with 4 TB of usable capacity. Both come with two quad-core Intel Nehalem processors, four Gbit Ethernet ports, and RAID 6 protection, and fit in a 2U rack mount space.

The new appliances are based on the same software code as Quantum’s DXi6500 series, said Mike Sparks, product marketing manager for Quantum’s disk-based systems.

They also included the same software as the DXi6500s to provide such services as data dedupe, replication, and VMware backup support for virtual server environments, Sparks said.

They also integrate with Symantec's Open Storage Technology (OST), a technology that allows Symantec’s data protection software to directly automate the backup of data between multiple appliances.

The DXi4500 appliances can be used for stand-alone data dedupe and backups, or as part of a centralized replication solution, Sparks said.

“You can have multiple DXi4500s dedupe data and replicate to a centralized data center where they could perhaps connect to a DXi6500 for further dedupe between multiple offices,” he said.

Sparks also said that two DXi4500s, when connected together, can make a very effective disaster recovery solution.”

Don McNaughton, vice president of sales at HorizonTek, a Huntington, N.Y.-based solution provider and 10-year Quantum partner, said he likes how Quantum has taken the core technology of the DXi6500 and made a part of a solution for SMB customers.

“The DXi4500 is a phenomenal product,” McNaughton said. “It includes all the needed licenses, OST, and great price, and it’s customer-installable.”

For a smaller solution provider like HorizonTek, being customer-installable is important. “We don’t do a lot of services,” he said. “When we need to do services, we partner with other VARs.”

The DXi4500 appliances are currently available. The DXi4510 carries a list price of $12,500, while the DXi4520 is list-priced at $22,500. That is considerably lower than their primary competitors, including the Exagrid EX1000 and EX2000, and Data Domain’s DD140 and DD610, Sparks said.

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