Drobo drives down cost of SMB storage

Vendor unleashes sub-£10,000 storage device in latest SMB push

Drobo has launched a renewed push into the SMB market by unveiling a sub-£10,000 SAN storage device that could see the vendor going head-to-head with the likes of Dell and HP.

The new 12-bay B1200i product is aimed at small businesses with between 50 and 200 employees, and is designed to support business applications from VMware and Microsoft.

Its launch is part of an ongoing push by the vendor, known as Data Robotics until last month, to move beyond its consumer roots and into the SMB market.

Speaking to ChannelWeb, Kevin Epstein, vice president of marketing at Drobo, said: "This is the introduction of a different type of Drobo device, aimed more at the medium part of SMB, which is a part of the market we have not played in before."

In light of Drobo's OEM relationship with Dell and HP, Epstein admitted the new device would pit it against its partners, but stressed there was room for everyone in the market.

"If an SMB needs more than a petabyte of data, that is not a job for Drobo. Instead, you should be selling them an HP or Dell device," said Epstein.

The vendor is also embarking on a channel recruitment drive to support the launch of the products, as many of its existing partners specialise in consumer storage.

"We are immensely grateful for the work our existing partners have done in picking up our business products to date," he added. "We are looking for more partners, though, particularly with expertise in Microsoft, VMware, Symantec, Veeam and Citrix, as their products complement ours."