Intel Corporation today announced a new storage platform to ease the management of growing digital information, from protecting critical data in small businesses to safeguarding digital content in the home. The flexible, easy-to-use Intel Entry Storage System SS4200x is being distributed through Intel's channel partners in two models: the Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-EHW, a hardware-only version, and the Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-E, which comes complete with integrated software.

Based on the Intel Celeron 400 Series Processor with DDR2 memory, the Intel Entry Storage System SS4200x provides performance and functionality to accommodate demanding workloads and features a powerful Intel 945GZ with ICH7-R chipset for better I/O performance. Additional highlights of the Intel SS4200x include the customizable and consumer-friendly shell design, which fits easily into many existing product portfolios and an external SATA (eSATA) port that allows for easy external storage expansion beyond four hard disk drives (HDD).

"Intel brings an easy and affordable storage solution to the small office and home with our new Intel SS4200x," said Mike Wall, general manager of Storage, Intel Server Platforms Group. "We've taken the performance advantage and power efficiency of Intel Architecture processors to enable system builders to deliver solutions with the right combination of performance, simplicity and value."

The fully loaded Intel SS4200-E includes software from EMC* to create a flexible Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance for the small business, small office, home office (SOHO) and digital home markets. The storage solution provides strong data access, sharing, protection and backup features for small businesses, while the universal plug-and-play, media streaming features, and support for connected CE devices are ideally suited for the home. The system supports Windows and Mac clients and includes support for 11 languages.

"We've taken our information management expertise and developed this unique software to help small businesses and home users protect and manage their digital lives," said Joel Schwartz, senior vice president, EMC Storage Division. "This new EMC software combined with Intel hardware has been tested and validated to create a smart and easy-to-use centralized storage solution for the SOHO and 'prosumer' markets, protecting all types of digital content and making it available when and where needed."

The hardware-only version Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-EHW allows for customizable solutions with varying storage capacities, up to several terabytes of capacity. System builders and integrators can customize the storage system with various validated third-party software solutions to create easy-to-use and reliable data protection solutions for small business, home office and the home.

The Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-EHW is also an ideal platform for Windows Home Server, a new software solution from Microsoft to help consumers easily protect, organize and share their digital photos, music, videos and documents.

"We all have more and more digital media, and it plays an increasingly important role in our daily lives," said Steven VanRoekel, director of Windows Server Solutions at Microsoft. "The Intel SS4200-EHW with Windows Home Server is a great solution for consumers and home-based businesses to keep that content more secure and manageable, and to enjoy it with friends and family."

Several independent software vendors (ISVs) including Falconstor, Open-E and Wasabi Systems are developing and validating their solutions on the Intel SS4200-EHW to provide the channel with a variety of choices.

The Intel Entry Storage System SS4200-EHW and SS4200-E and will be available in December, starting at $500 and up. More information is available at www.intel.com/design/servers/storage/ss4200.