LaCie Hops on the Time Machines with New NAS Offerings

LaCie's new d2 Network and Big Disk Network NAS drives offer easy management, large capacities, and compatibility with Apple's Time Machine backup software.

Storage and peripheral maker LaCie is no stranger the network-attached storage (NAS) market, and the company has just introduced two new systems intended to offer professional-class reliability and ease of use without breaking budgets…or forcing users to become rocket scientists to get the devices up and running. The new d2 Network and Big Disk Network NAS devices offer streaming media support for UPnP devices, quiet operation with an aluminum heat sink design, and compatibility with Apple’s Time Machine software, built into Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

“Data storage needs are becoming increasingly significant in homes and small offices,” said LaCie’s product manager for office network solutions Edin Del Mar, in a statement. “The Big Disk and d2 Network provide professional server functionality and large storage capacities that satisfy the needs of any workgroup environment, with superior design and better performance than comparable products on the market today.”

The d2 Network is available in 1 TB and 1.5 TB capacities, while the Big Disk Network is available with capacities ranging from 2 to 4 TB. Both sport gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity (the d2 Network also comes with an eSATA port), and ship with backup software for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Both support SMB, AFP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, and BitTorrent, along with Apple’s Bonjour discovery service. Both support wake-on-LAN functionality, along with email alerts for problems and general notifications. Users can set up privileges for individual accounts, as well as groups and guest access.

The d2 Network is $229.99 for the 1 TB version and $299.99 for the 1.5 TB edition; the Big Disk Network starts at $379.99 for the 2 TB edition and ranges to $499.99 for the 3 TB edition; LaCie hasn’t published pricing for the 4 TB edition yet.