Connected Data Reveals Gen 3 Drobo Disk Subsystem

Connected Data, Inc. unnveiled its new generation of disk storage subsystem, the Drobo Gen 3.

More than a year after their latest hardware announcement, the company introduced an update to its entry-level solution. The RAID product boast a USB 3.0 connection, four 3.5-inch bays for a maximum raw storage capacity of 24TB (SSD or HDD) and has, like all newest Drobo hardware, a battery backup module that can last 72 hours in case of power failure. Hot swappable drives can be replaced without the need of tools. The company says that this hardware benefits from four-times faster rebuild time compared to previous generation.

From a design standpoint, it simply re-used what had been done in the second generation so it can avoid dealing with the learning curve that customer need to go through when buying a new product. Any customer with a first or second gen product is familiar with the product and how it works and can simply plug it and forget it. The individual HDD management LEDs are still here to provide at-a glance system monitoring.

The BeyondRAID features allows customer to swap previous Drobo disks in the new unit and the solution is also Apple Time Machine compatible with a way to set a specific amount of capacity for backups, ensuring that the rest of the storage is available for other use cases. Sadly, to ensure the solution was affordable for entry-level users it lacks a Thunderbolt connection, a downside for the 70% Mac users of the company. For high-performance need, other solution like the Drobo Mini are more fitted. This Gen 3 is designed to provide a point of entry into the Drobo ecosystem. With simplicity and affordability in mind, the company designed a product for non-storage expert.

Connected Data also announced it has shipped 300,000 units and doubled its overall unit sold from 3Q13 to 4Q13. Customers include Google, AT&T or even the NSA, which considering the amount of data collected is a testimony to the durability of the products.

The company is entirely dedicated to channels resellers. The founding management team is back after the merger between Drobo and Connected Data, and plans on releasing new technology and products as a result.

The Drobo Gen 3 will sell for $349 (€349) without disks or $1,449 fully populated.

It will begin to ship in late April or early May and can be pre-ordered. The disks are currently from WD but this is susceptible to change as the company does not have a specific agreement with one HDD manufacturer.

Customer with Gen 1 or 2 product will be offered a $50 rebate on Gen 3 up until June 9, 2014.