WD Introduces Several Compact NAS

WD, a Western Digital company, expanded its SMB storage solution portfolio with the introduction of the new Sentinel DS5100 and Sentinel DS6100 (S-series) compact network storage plus servers.

The series features Intel Xeon processors and are pre-installed with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.

All network storage products feature WD enterprise HDDs and these 4-bay desktop appliances offer up to 16TB of raw storage. Additionally, unlike traditional NAS systems, they allow small businesses to run line-of-business applications on their network storage platform.

“WD is using enterprise components to build a new family of network appliances for small businesses,” said Bill Evans, GM, WD’s business storage solutions group. “The WD Sentinel S-series network appliances are engineered with Intel Xeon processors, pre-populated with WD Se datacenter 3.5-inch HDDs for rapid deployment, and feature dedicated 2.5-inch boot drives for maximum reliability. No other vendor offers a comparable network storage plus server in an equally small form factor. With a small footprint and quiet fan, an S-series appliance can be deployed anywhere.”

Components from Intel, Microsoft, and WD
Built by WD, powered by an Xeon processor and running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, the WD Sentinel S-series is based on proven technologies. Unlike competitors’ proprietary OSs, it a configured native Windows Server on which customers can deploy thousands of Windows applications.

“Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials gives customers the benefit of built-in, groundbreaking, low-cost storage technologies, and WD’s Sentinel S-series hardware helps small businesses take advantage of these technologies,” said Jamie Hamilton, director of marketing, OEM division, Microsoft Corp. “We are pleased to work with WD to tackle the small business, first-server opportunity. WD’s hardware engineering expertise, previous success with network storage products based on Windows Storage Server, and leadership in offering an R2 version of Windows Server 2012 Essentials puts WD in a good position to serve this industry.”

Reliable Enterprise Grade Components   
The S-series includes WD 3.5-inch datacenter-class HDDs for data security.  Businesses gain enterprise reliability with dual dedicated boot drives (optional on WD Sentinel DS5100), dual GbE ports, and dual external DC-in power adapter ports. This engineered redundancy, along with a bezel lock for physical security, all add to the reliability of this compact network storage plus server that can be deployed virtually anywhere.

Affordable First Server for Small Business
The Sentinel S-series is a complete solution with automatic backup and restore software for up to 25 users and 50 computers, all at an affordable price that starts at $2,560 MSRP. By combining a single solution for both storage and server requirements, the S-series appliances are a solution for any small business looking for their first server.

“Finally, a network storage vendor has delivered a low-cost, turn-key solution that meets my customers’ requirements-with no assembly required,” said Kevin Royalty, Microsoft MVP and managing partner, Total Care Computer Consulting, LLC in Centerville, OH. “Small business customers want a packaged solution with balanced disk, processor, memory, and OS that is engineered and tested as a unit. The DS5100 and DS6100 appliances are ideal as a ‘first server’ due to the high-performance Intel Xeon processor, Windows Server, high-capacity enterprise disk storage, and tiny footprint.”

Availability
WD Sentinel S-series appliances are available at CDW, PC Connection, and Insight, and through select VARs, resellers, and distributors worldwide. The WD Sentinel DS5100 is pre-populated in capacities of 4 or 8TB. The WD Sentinel DS6100 is available with capacities of 8, 12, or 16TB.

Pricing
Five models of WD Sentinel S-series appliances are available. MSRPs start at $2,560 (€1,899€) for the WD Sentinel DS5100 4TB network storage plus server. WD Guardian Services, which offer flexible, affordable and hassle-free technical support, are available for periods of one or more years.