Drobo S v.2 Adds USB 3.0 Support; DroboPro FS Gets Offsite Drobo Sync

Data Robotics has updated its Drobo S backup system, with Drobo S v.2 adding USB 3.0 support for high-speed external drives. As we reviewed back in April, the Drobo S has two FireWire ports and an eSATA connection, along with five 3.5-inch SATA I/II drive bays and the company's BeyondRAID data protection system; the second-gen version keeps all that, but throws in USB 3.0.

Meanwhile there's also Drobo Sync, included free with the DroboPro FS (i.e. the networked version of the DroboPro), which supports simple off-site backup. It's worth remembering, though, that it seems to require another DroboPro FS at the other site, which could end up expensive.

The new Drobo S v.2 will go on sale today, priced at $799 for the base unit (with no drives); alternatively it will be available with 5TB, 7.5TB or 10TB of storage pre-loaded, for $1,299, $1,549 or $1,799 respectively. It will also be available through HP from November 18.

Press Release:

Drobo Continues to Fuel Exceptional Growth with Advanced New Products and Channel Expansion to Include HP Small Business Direct

Drobo Introduces Most Expandable USB 3.0 System and World's Easiest-to-Use Remote Backup

SANTA CLARA, CA – November 16, 2010 – Data Robotics, Inc. ("Drobo"), the company that delivers the best storage experience ever, today announced a major new product, breakthrough data protection capabilities and channel expansion to include HP® Small Business Direct, HP's online store focused on small businesses. These announcements come on the heels of record sales of the Drobo product family to small and medium-sized organizations worldwide.

"Today's announcements will serve to further accelerate what our customers and partners fondly call the 'Drobo Invasion,'" said Tom Buiocchi, chief executive officer, Drobo. "Our quest to provide the best storage experience for small and medium-sized businesses just progressed significantly with today's new product advancements and our growing partnerships in the industry."

Drobo has unveiled its new Drobo S system to provide a number of industry firsts and breakthroughs by leveraging USB 3.0 technology. The company is also announcing the immediate availability of Drobo Sync, the world's easiest-to-use remote backup for small and medium-sized businesses, which is available with the company's new DroboPro FS system. All Drobo systems feature patented BeyondRAID ™ technology which enables greater ease-of-use, data safety, affordability, and expandability for organizations who rely on digital storage but who do not have deep storage expertise.

Breakthrough Features and Benefits Delivered by New Drobo S

The Drobo S is currently the most expandable USB 3.0 product in the market, with "industry first" support for multiple storage volumes and capacity of up to 32TB and beyond

The accelerated performance of the Drobo S is up to 10X faster than existing USB 2.0 solutions

The new Drobo S also features enhanced backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 systems (laptops, PCs and servers) to provide further investment protection and "future-proofing"

"When USB 3.0 was released, many storage vendors simply added a basic connector to their systems, but that precluded small and medium-sized businesses from taking full advantage of its promise," said Mark Peters, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "In contrast, by specifically engineering the Drobo S to incorporate USB 3.0, Drobo has been able to optimize performance and ease-of-use, both of which being characteristics that such businesses will appreciate."

Simple but Powerful Remote Backup

Drobo also announced the immediate availability of Drobo Sync, the easiest to use remote backup software, for its new DroboPro FS product family. Drobo Sync can be configured in just minutes with a few mouse clicks, and is included free of charge with all new DroboPro FS models to provide small businesses, resellers, and service providers with a cost-effective alternative to cloud-based solutions for backing up terabytes of data.

Pricing and Availability

The new Drobo S is available at a starting price of $799 MSRP with multiple configurations up to $1,799 MSRP for a 10TB bundle. Drobo Sync is included for free with the purchase of any new DroboPro FS and is available as a free software upgrade to existing DroboPro FS customers. The DroboPro FS is available at a starting price of $1,999 MSRP with multiple configurations up to $3,299 MSRP for a 16TB bundle.

Both products are immediately available from select partners worldwide and will be available from HP Small Business Direct online store (www.shopping.hp.com/deals/drobo) starting November 18. For a complete list of partners, please visit www.drobo.com/where_to_buy.

Additional Resources

• Review the specifics on the new Drobo S and learn more at http://www.drobo.com/products/drobo-s.php

• Review the specifics of DroboPro FS with Drobo Sync capabilities and learn more at

• Follow Drobo on Twitter http://twitter.com/drobo

• Follow Drobo on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drobo/54443011765

About Data Robotics

Data Robotics, Inc., the company that delivers the best storage experience ever, develops the award-winning Drobo family of automated storage products that are designed to ensure data is always protected, accessible and simple to manage. Based on the patented and proven BeyondRAID technology, Drobo provides an unprecedented combination of advanced data protection features and ease-of-use. For more information, visit Data Robotics at www.drobo.com.