Netgear takes enterprise-class features to SMBs

Netgear has launched its ReadyData 5200 network storage range saying the product offers enterprise-class features for the SMB market and an ‘easy conversation’ for resellers.

The company says the platform offers easy-to-deploy, enterprise level data management with in-built data protection and disaster recovery at an SMB-friendly price point. ReadyData offers native deduplication, thin provisioning, unlimited snapshot functionality, instant volume creation and cloud managed smart block level replication.

Ryan Parker, Netgear ANZ managing director, says SMBs have the same problems around data growth as enterprises, but don’t have the big budget to spend, or an IT department to handle the complexity of many systems.

Peter Levett, Netgear storage product architect and lead product architect for the ReadyData 5200, says the offering will make for ‘an easier conversation’ for resellers to have with customers. “It’s an easier conversation to have with their customers because it’s one solution solving lots of problems. It’s greater than the sum of its parts.”

Levett says ReadyData’s deduplication in itself is ‘a very powerful feature to have’ enabling customers to maximise storage capacity. “The potential savings in storage [through deduplication] are awesome. And they are just as awesome for SMBs as for enterprises.”

He says Netgear can’t take full credit for the development of the platform. “All we did was listen to the channel. We didn’t invent these concepts, we just made it really easy to adopt and affordable.”

He says many vendors are ‘a little ignorant and just cut out features’ for the SMB market. “But [SMBs] want and need the features, just not the complexity and cost. We’ve made it more palatable both on price and simplicity.”