WD announces ‘Red’ drives for SOHO NAS systems

Storage industry leader, WD, today announced the debut of WD Red hard drives, an innovative line of SATA hard drives specifically designed for home and small office NAS (network attached storage) systems with one to five drive bays. Compatibility-tested with top NAS box manufacturers and optimized for power and performance, WD Red hard drives are now shipping in 3.5-inch 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB capacities. WD Red hard drives will be available at select resellers and distributors in India from end of July 2012. Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the WD Red 1 TB drive is $109.00 (Rs.6,213), the 2 TB drive is $139.00 (7,923) and the 3 TB drive is $189.00 (10,773). The MSRP of WD Red hard drives in India will be launched in the last week of July 2012.

A new addition to the series

The WD Red line features NASware technology, designed to improve reliability and system performance, reduce customer downtime and to simplify the integration process. This new product line addresses the unique environment of NAS and the growing demand for affordable, reliable and compatible storage that reduces customer total cost of ownership. WD Red hard drives also feature 3D Active Balance Plus, an enhanced balance control technology, which significantly improves the overall drive performance and reliability. In an exclusive for WD Red customers, WD is offering free premium 24x7 dedicated support and a three-year limited warranty.

The addition of WD Red expands WD’s “Power of Choice” client hard drive solutions. WD recognizes that customers and their applications are diverse and they should be empowered to choose the drives that best suit their specific storage needs. With distinguishable colours, the “Power of Choice” storage solutions are clear and easy to identify: WD Blue (solid performance and reliability for everyday computing), WD Green (cool, quiet, eco-friendly), WD Black (maximum performance for power computing) and WD Red (home and small office NAS). The four colours enable quick selection of the best WD drive for customers’ application or usage requirements. WD Red hard drives also integrate seamlessly with WD NAS solutions and are qualified to work with a wide array of WD OEM partners.