Overland’s SnapServer family is extended with iSCSI SAN arrays.
By targeting the SMB segment with its new SAN functionality, Overland hopes to build on its appeal in the NAS space. The SnapServer line, has led a surprisingly unfulfilled life over many years with its different owners failing to capitalise on the SMB potential in the reseller channel. Most recently the business was acquired by Overland in 2008 for a minimal consideration of less than $4M.
There is however still plenty of potential to sell cost effective disk arrays at the low-end of SMBs, as customers desire smarter functionality, combined with simplified management and Overland’s fortunes stand to benefit if it gets the execution right.
The SnapServer SAN is the result of new engineering efforts compared to the NAS products and boasts:
- RAID Levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 & 60
- 256 Snapshots
- Asynchronous volume replication
- One-step Provisioning
- Integrated Auto Provisioning
- VMware and Hyper-V support
- Support for Symantec Backup Exec 2010’s data deduplication
- S2000 controller unit and E2000 expansion unit
Opinion:
Overland has looked for ways to replace its OEM business and enrich its portfolio. The new SnapServer family helps by addressing customers’ need for SAN capabilities. Now it is over to execution and that the reorganised Overland can tap into the anticipated growth in IT and storage spending.
