October 6th, 2009
CTERA launches CloudPlug; Aims for cloud-attached storage
CTERA on Tuesday launched its first “cloud attached storage” devices
for general availability. The devices, the CTERA CloudPlug and the CTERA C200, are worth a look.
The CloudPlug, a little contraption I was introduced to at the Under the Radar conference in April, has a lot of potential. In a nutshell, you plug the gadget into a USB or eSATA hard drive and it acts as a network attached storage unit with online backup.
And the installation is cake: Plug in an external drive, plug into the network and plug into the wall. The CloudPlug doesn’t require desktop software and works well for teleworkers.
CTERA is aiming for the cloud-attached storage market, a hybrid of online and on-premise backup options. Here’s a look at CTERA’s positioning:
While the CloudPlug is designed for small offices and prosumers, the C200 is a two-bay RAID network storage appliance with automatic online backup.
Rackspace, a cloud computing and hosting company, will partner with CTERA to be a cloud storage option and distribute the startups gear. Liran Eshel, CEO of CTERA, said in an interview that the company also plans to add other channel partners. In fact, the partnership with Rackspace could come in handy as CTERA looks to grow. The partnership is “a good win-win,” says Eshel. “There are other synergies we’re discussing about combining solutions.”
As for the pricing, CTERA is selling the CloudPlug with 1 year of 10GB online backup storage for $199. More storage options are available. The C200 starts at $499 with 1 year online backup.
Here’s a look at the pricing options and service extensions:
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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