NETGEAR® CASE STUDY
IT Professional Trusts NETGEAR® ReadyNAS®
Pro for Both Business and Home Network
Profile
Chris Romero is a media enthusiast with an extensive
library of music, movies, and photos. He also enjoys all
types of digital photography in his spare time, making his
storage needs significant. As a senior-level engineer with a
major telecommunications company, he also has a strong
affinity for technology, and therefore has technology needs
that surpass those of most consumers.
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Background
Chris has used NETGEAR® ReadyNAS® storage systems at work for
nearly five years. ReadyNAS installations include desktop ReadyNAS
NVX and ReadyNAS Pro unified storage systems. His company uses
ReadyNAS systems for both local and remote iSCSI storage in a virtual
environment. Given his positive experiences with those ReadyNAS
systems over the years, Chris looked to NETGEAR for the solution to his
personal storage needs for his home network.
Like most home networks, Chris accesses the Internet via a single DSL line
that includes both wired and wireless access throughout his home. He
has five Windows-based desktops and laptops, which he connects to his
network via an 8-port switch. All of his data, including document files, as
well as rich media files of music, video, and digital images, are stored
locally amongst the five computers. With no centralized storage device,
Chris can neither access any of his data on one computer from another,
nor can he share any data or applications between them. Additionally,
without the data protection of a centralized storage device that supports
RAID configurations, Chris knows that his data is at serious risk, in the
event that any of his computers fail.
NETGEAR CASE STUDY
PROBLEM/OBJECTIVE
RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE AT A REASONABLE PRICE
Chris has a wide range of data and media files that he wants to protect,
including irreplaceable family photos and videos. “I spend a lot of time
at work making sure our data is protected,” says Chris. “I know how
painful data loss can be, yet I wasn’t truly protecting my own personal
files. I decided it was time to do something about that.”
In addition to serving his storage needs, Chris also wants a system that
will provide him with the power and flexibility of running applications
directly on the device. “In addition to using it as a straight storage
device, I really want to reap the benefits of an application server,” says
Chris. “Running applications directly off the device enables me to use
them on every computer on my network, without having to have them
reside locally on every machine. But to do that effectively, I also need a
system that will enable me to move up the memory configuration later. It
helps to have as much memory as possible when running applications
directly off the device.”
Chris also understands that his needs are a bit beyond those of most
consumers. “Like anybody else, I want to get a decent price, but that’s
not the only important thing to me,” says Chris. “In addition to running
apps, I also work with a lot of digital photography. That generates
enormous storage needs and consumes a lot of power. I need a system
with a really capable CPU for maximum processing performance.”
SOLUTION
NETGEAR® READYNAS® PRO 6 PROVIDES THE RIGHT BLEND
OF PERFORMANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND AFFORDABILITY – IN A
FAMILIAR PACKAGE THAT MAKES IT EASY
After assessing his alternatives, Chris purchased a NETGEAR ReadyNAS
Pro 6 desktop storage system. With six hot-swappable drive trays for up
to 12TB of storage capacity, support for RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, and
X-RAID2™, a 2.8 GHz Dual Core Processor, the ReadyNAS Pro 6
provides the power, flexibility, and expandability Chris needs. “I’ve used
ReadyNAS systems at work for the past five years, so I’m really familiar
with the product line, and that was a big selling point for me,” says
Chris. “I know from experience that they’re really reliable, so I know I
can trust that my data is truly protected. Also, ReadyNAS systems are
really easy to setup and configure, so I didn’t have to waste a lot of time
learning a new system. And since every ReadyNAS model has the same
management interface, I knew exactly what to do before I even removed
it from the box.”
line has been priced really well,” says Chris. “Performance is also the
top of the line. The Pro 6 is the most powerful 6-bay desktop storage
box out there – enough for my purpose and the need for running
applications. The same goes for my work. We use one as a low-cost
RAID storage device for workgroup file sharing storage, and a
couple of others are used as iSCSI targets to support virtual
environments. We even have two ReadyNAS systems that are used
as boot devices for the virtual environment. They easily replicate data
between our primary device in our home office and a secondary
ReadyNAS in a remote location. If the ReadyNAS systems are
powerful enough to handle everything we throw at them at work,
they can certainly handle any of my home needs.”
RESULT
NO SURPRISES
Chris installed the ReadyNAS Pro 6 a few months ago and is pleased
to report that everything has gone according to plan. “Since I have
experience with the ReadyNAS, any surprises would be unwelcome,”
says Chris. “I’ve used ReadyNAS systems for such a long time in the
work environment, I already knew what to expect in terms of reliability.
It was fast and easy to setup and configure, and I was up and running
in no time at all. I couldn’t have asked for a smoother startup
experience.”
Over the past four months, the ReadyNAS Pro 6 has met Chris’ high
expectations in every way. “We ask the ReadyNAS systems to do some
pretty intense things at work and they’ve always been up to the task,”
says Chris. “So when I was looking for my personal storage needs, I
wanted to stay in the ReadyNAS family no matter what. As a result, I
have a lot higher expectations than most consumers would ever have,
and still the ReadyNAS hasn’t disappointed me. I trust it at work and I
trust it on my home network.”
The price-performance provided by the ReadyNAS Pro was also an
important consideration for Chris. “From the beginning, the ReadyNAS
ReadyNAS® Pro 6
*The 5-Year Hardware Warranty and the Lifetime Hardware Warranty only cover hardware, fans, and internal power supplies, and does not include external power supplies or software. Hardware
modifications or customization void the warranty. The warranty is only valid for the original purchaser and cannot be transferred.
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, Connect with Innovation, ReadyNAS, and X-RAID2 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.
Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective holder(s). Information is subject to change without notice. © 2011 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
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