As sales manager for WD Components in South Africa, Kalvin Subbadu is better placed than most when it comes to understanding the growing need that storing digital content has become. As such, we chatted to him on the increasing need for larger hard drives in the Network Attached Storage (NAS) market, and how WD is aiming to provide solutions.  

Can you expand on the NAS challenge facing SMEs at the moment in greater detail?

The growing volume of content, whether it be business-related or personal, and the increasing value of this content to users, requires a more considered approach to storage. Smaller capacity drives can no longer cope with the ever-increasing volumes of digital content.  

We are seeing huge amounts of content downloaded as the constraints of broadband availability in South Africa has been freed up. Furthermore, the connected nature of the world today requires a storage solution that allows users to share and access content, no matter where they are, without compromising on security. Network Attached Storage (NAS) has become a popular solution in the SME and consumer space, as this addresses both capacity and data protection and enables access of multiple users to a centralised repository of digital content.

With the industry taking cognisance of the need for greater NAS and hard drive capacity/functionality, what has WD been working on?

WD has recently expanded on its award-winning WD Red line of SATA hard drives for home and small office NAS systems with the release of a 5 TB and first-to-market 6 TB capacity for NAS storage. WD has also introduced the WD Red Pro range of hard drives that address the professional market as well as the small to medium enterprise market.

Compatibility-tested with top NAS system manufacturers and optimised for power and performance, WD Red 3.5-inch hard drives are now available in 1 TB to 6 TB capacities; and the WD Red Pro 3.5-inch hard drives are available in 2 TB to 4 TB capacities.

Why is the need for higher HDD storage a concern for both consumers and businesses?

As data volumes for the SME and consumer begin to run into the terabytes, these users require even more storage capacity. However, the risk of data loss, whether business or consumer related, is a well-known issue and challenge. For consumers, data often houses precious memories that can never be replaced. For business, losing data results in lost revenue and productivity, and worst case scenario, could ultimately result in the business closing down.

With cloud-based solutions being the buzzword over the past few years, what specific advantages do they hold for businesses?

The cloud provides businesses with the ability to access and share their content with colleagues no matter where they are. Cloud storage is the obvious answer to this dilemma as it allows for sharing and access from any location where the user has internet connectivity.

However, there are still many security concerns around the public cloud, making the personal cloud an attractive proposition. The personal cloud could be a stand-alone device or a NAS storage device, offering all of the benefits of the cloud with none of the challenges.

Furthermore, the personal cloud only stores your information, nobody else’s, in a secure, centralised data repository.