Backup is one of those chores most every network administrator is responsible for but really would rather not. Automated systems help take away much of the pain but can be very expensive to install and maintain. While most large IT shops have some type of dedicated backup system it's the small workgroups that often go without.

Tandberg has a product specifically targeted at the small (2 - 10 workstations) workgroup. The Intellistor product combines up to 1.6TB of Network Attached Storage (NAS) and an autoloading tape backup system into an integrated product. I was able to play around with a demo unit for several weeks and found it simple to configure and use. The best part about the system is that you can almost forget about it with the exception of replacing archival tapes on a regular basis - of your determination.

Pricing ranges from $5,999 to $12,500 depending upon capacity. Complete solution pricing is $10,999 (MSRP) for 1TB of disk and 3.2TB (compressed) of unattended tape backup including software. The 1.6TB disk system with the StorageLoader and software is $12,500 (MSRP), the 480GB disk system available with a Tandberg 420LTO tape drive with 400GB (compressed) backup capacity and software is $5,999.