QNAP Systems, Inc. today unveils the new firmware version 2.1.0 for the high performance TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS to support iSCSI target service and a number of security solutions, e.g. AES 256-bit volume-based encryption, automatic policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS alert, and the powerful Surveillance Station for live video monitoring and recording of up to 4 network cameras.

The new firmware of the TS-509 Pro has brought a number of benefits to the business users, specifically cost-effective and flexible storage expansion as well as secure data protection. The built-in iSCSI target service with Thin Provisioning on the NAS enables the server administrator to create up to 8 iSCSI devices for expanding the storage capacity of the existing application servers on the network, e.g. database server, mail server, or configuring the NAS as the backup destination of these servers. To meet the demand for high security data protection of the business users, the TS-509 Pro now supports AES 256-bit volume-based encryption. The encrypted disk volumes of the NAS must be unlocked by the encryption password to be accessed, which eliminates the fear of confidential data leakage if the hard drives or the NAS were stolen.

"The high performance and rich features of the TS-509 Pro are widely recognized and awarded by the worldwide media. By upgrading the NAS to version 2.1.0, the administrator can make use of the Thin Provisioning feature of the iSCSI target service for flexible allocation of the storage space to the application servers regardless of the actual storage capacity of the NAS. When more storage space is required in the future, the administrator can increase the storage capacity of the NAS by Online RAID Capacity Expansion or re-allocate the disk space assigned to the application servers. The TS-509 Pro is an ideal cost-efficient IP-SAN (Storage Area Network) solution for the business users," said James Wu, Product Manager from QNAP.

New features supported by the TS-509 Pro firmware version 2.1.0:

• AES 256-bit volume-based encryption to enhance secure data protection
• Up to 8 built-in iSCSI targets with Thin Provisioning feature for flexible storage expansion or backup destination of the application servers on the network.
• Automatic policy-based IP blocking to prevent unwanted intrusion or hacking
• Instant SMS/ email alert upon system errors or warning
• Surveillance Station, monitoring and recording from up to 4 network cameras
• Volume status report
• Advanced FTP write-only access
• SSL secure certificate
• Syslog server
• USB UPS function upgrade

For the firmware download and further information, please visit this page.