Cool award for storage-robot maker

Storage specialist Data Robotics has been awarded the title of Cool Vendor in Storage by analyst Gartner for Drobo, its low-cost storage robot.

Drobo is an external storage system that the manufacturers claim "takes a step beyond traditional data-storage options". The system has a layer of intelligence and the capability to be configured in a way that is intended to simplify operations and allow for increased capacity as storage requirements grow.

Although Data Robotics dub Drobo as "the world's first storage robot" there are many different kinds of intelligence storage devices already on the market.

An average system will take four 2.5-inch disk drives, one USB 2.0 port, and either four hard drives or Raid drives. It will cost $499 (£250). Disc drives are added to it and these are available in different types up to1TB.

"It is an impressive little box, but the steep price tag — $500 without any hard drives — will limit its appeal to home users with humongous data volumes, though it might also appeal to SoHo users and small businesses," said Simon Robinson, storage analyst at the 451 Group. 

Launched as a company in 2007, Data Robotics has achieved widespread acclaim. Gartner defines a "cool vendor" as a company that "offers technologies or solutions that are: innovative (enable users to do things they couldn't do before); impactful (have, or will have, business impact, ie not just technology for the sake of technology); intriguing [have caught Gartner's interest or curiosity in approximately the past six months]".