IDG News Service - D-Link's latest addition to its network-attached storage portfolio, the Cloud Storage 4000, can store up to 16TB of data which can be accessed remotely using smartphones or tablets. But the company offers few cloud features to justify the name.
The Cloud Storage 4000 (or DNS-345) has four SATA bays for 3.5-inch drives that each can store up to 4TB, for a total storage capacity of 16TB, according to D-Link. But users can start off with just one drive and then add additional ones with different capacities as storage needs grow.
However, the product offers few cloud features when compared to products from vendors such as StorSimple, which allows enterprises to either store data locally on its NAS box or in a public cloud. Red Hat, too, offers a cloud-based NAS product, the Virtual Storage Appliance for Amazon Web Services (AWS), which moves the whole NAS box to the cloud.
But the D-Link device does offer users a lot of ways to remotely access content stored on the Cloud Storage 4000. They can remotely access or stream content -- including documents, music, videos, and photos -- stored on one of the drives via an Apple iPhone or iPad, as well as from smartphones and tablets running Android, by installing the mydlink Cloud ShareCenter app. There are also apps for BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone, and a web portal.
The apps create a personal Cloud portal, according to D-Link
In addition, the mydlink cloud app supports two-way data synching, ensuring users have the latest data on their devices, according to D-Link.
When combined with D-Link's own surveillance cameras, the Cloud Storage 4000 can be turned into a network video recorder allowing users record and play back surveillance video. Up to four cameras can be connected to the unit at any one time.
To communicate with other devices, the Cloud Storage 4000 also has an integrated DLNA server, which allows music, photos, and videos to be played on other DLNA-compatible devices such as D-Link's own Boxee Box, Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
Cloud Storage 4000 also has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for data transfer and failover. It will be available for $450 in North America, D-Link said.
