Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 offers up to 4TB of efficiency, simplicity

Iomega on Thursday announced a refresh of its popular double-drive desktop NAS device, the StorCenter ix2-200.

Intended for home or small business users, the StorCenter ix2-200 is new thanks to a faster processor, a two-bay drive and the new "quick transfer button."

Interestingly, the device offers an idle drive spin-down feature to save energy.

For small businesses, what's important is:

• Device-to-device replication for business continuity and file recovery
• iSCSI block-level access for storage efficiency
• RAID 1 configurations for data protection
• Windows Active Directory support
• A new front panel QuikTransfer button for copying of selected files
• User replaceable hard drives
• Multiple IP security camera support
• VMware certification for virtualization installations
• Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• Three USB 2.0 ports

Note: The ix2-200 does not support hot swapping.

For home users, what's of note is:

• Four steps to set up for operation.
• A DLNA certified UPnP AV Media Server that makes the device a central repository for serving up multimedia files
• Can be used with Time Machine for Apple computer backups
• Built-in torrent support for file-sharing without the need for a dedicated PC
• Bluetooth support
• The ability to connect up to five Axis Network video cameras for real-time surveillance and video capture.
• Cooliris slide show plug-in
• Remote access from anywhere

The device utilizes a Linux operating environment and suite of applications designed for cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) support.

It's available now in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities for $269.99, $369.99 and $699.99.