LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has announced its next generation line of network storage devices for small to medium-sized businesses: the LaCie d2 Network 2 (single disk), LaCie 2big Network 2 (two disks) and LaCie 5big Network 2 (five disks). 



Delivering data access of up to 70 MB/second, the central storage devices allow users to share files instantly or back up any Mac or PC on a network. They're Time Machine compatible and include Intego Backup Manager Pro for the Mac, which lets you make encrypted, compressed backups, restore office files, and even perform disaster recovery. 



The LaCie desktop solutions can be stacked or installed in racks to conserve space. The LaCie d2 Network 2 and LaCie 2big Network 2 can be connected directly via USB to a Mac or PC. They can also be accessed remotely through automatic port forwarding and Dynamic IP integration. The LaCie 2big Network 2 and LaCie 5big Network 2 feature hot-swappable disks and RAID 1 for redundancy, and the 5big Network 2 offers RAID 6.


Aluminum cases, power-saving mode, scheduled deep sleep, and RoHS compliance mean this line of products is designed to be eco-friendly, according to Edin del Mar, LaCie's SOHO NAS product manager. Wake-on-LAN compatibility means the product can be turned on from a computer without needing to physically be near it.



The LaCie 5big Network 2 has additional features, such as an extra LAN port that permits load balancing or link aggregation. The product can be configured as an iSCSI target client. The LaCie 5big Network 2 also guarantees UPS (uninterrupted power supply) support through USB host ports, which helps it to manage power failures.



The LaCie d2 Network 2, 2big Network 2, and 5big Network 2 are available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, LaCie Storage Partner, starting at the suggested retail price of US$229.99.