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ARAID 2200 | | 
ARAID M200 | For most SMEs, backing up data means more than just connecting PCs to hard drives or even connecting servers to one type of storage media. “It is key to have multiple layers to backups to create broad coverage for data retention and recovery, [including] tape backup, swappable drives, SAN network, and even online backup as a final layer. This allows for faults to exist in the chain of backups and still ensure service coverage,” says Blane Warrene, director of technology solutions at business services provider CBIZ (www.cbiz.com). Warrene believes any SME’s backup chain should have a minimum of two distinct copies of its data using at least two separate processes. “It is especially critical in industries with more rigid regulatory rules on the ‘chain of custody’ of data and affirmations that backup, recovery, and data continuity is comprehensive,” Warrene says.
West Des Moines, Iowa,-based Accordance USA (www.accordancesystems.com) specializes in RAID appliances that provide users with an easy-to-use backup solution for computers and workstations. Two of its offerings, the ARAID M200 and the ARAID 2200 RAID controllers, provide IT departments with two easy-to-use, effective ways to back up data. Both devices use two SATA hard drives per device, employ RAID 1 mirroring, and have plug-and-play capabilities, all at a low cost.
 Just Hook It Up | contact
Accordance ARAID M200 & M2200 RAID Controllers
(515) 223-4845
www.accordancesystems.com
Description: The ARAID M200 and M2200 are compact SATA RAID controllers that use RAID 1 mirroring to provide low-cost, easy-to-implement backups for small to midsized enterprises.
Interesting Fact: Accordance USA came about when Taipei, Taiwan,-based parent company Accordance Systems needed an SNMP agent for its original ARAID devices and contacted Icon Labs (www.icon-labs.com). Steve Johnson, who led the SNMP agent project, ended up leaving Icon Labs and forming a joint venture that became Accordance USA. 
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Accordance’s ARAID M200 and 2200 offer features that particularly appeal to data center managers, primarily coming from both models’ ability to act like a run-of-the-mill hard drive. First off, neither requires any software to run. “You just hook it up, and we take care of the RAID array for you,” says Steve Johnson, president of Accordance USA. “It can be attached to any operating system because all the software is embedded, and it can be supported on Windows, Linux, Mac, and so forth because we just appear on the system as a SATA hard drive.”
According to Warrene, storage-intensive operations frequently have mixed Unix, Linux, and Windows environments, and it’s important to use storage devices that play well with as many operating systems as possible. The fact that the ARAID M200 and 2200 can be used in these heterogeneous environments makes them appealing options for IT, especially given that all the RAID array processing is handled on the ARAID device controller, separate from the main processor.
“This should be a real attraction, as the smaller the environment often means less depth with hardware RAID controller experience,” Warrene says.
Both ARAIDs employ RAID 1 mirroring to continually store and update multiple identical copies of data on the two installed drives. “In the event one drive fails, your computer will continue to run on the good drive, but they will alert users that one of the drives just failed [via] an audio alarm [and] an LCD display that flashes and displays that the drive has failed, and [they will] even send an email over that says you’ve lost the drive,” says Johnson.
The ARAID M200 fits into a single drive bay where a single 3.5-inch hard drive or DVD-ROM player normally goes and uses 2.5-inch SATA disk drives, while the ARAID 2200 takes up two drive bays and uses 3.5-inch SATA disk drives. The user can choose whichever general-purpose drives he prefers.
Hot-Swapping Is Tops
Both the ARAID M200 and ARAID 2200 are hot-swappable, making them effective backup solutions. RAID 1 arrays often aren’t used as backup solutions because of virus issues and data corruption, among other things. However, the ARAID M200 and 2200 are effective solutions because unlike other RAID 1 arrays, users can physically replace their standard 2.5- or 3.5-inch SATA hard drives within moments, even while a computer or workstation is accessing them. Because of this ease of use, users often rotate through half a dozen hard drives, which can then be stored offsite, similar to the way digital backup tape is used.
Warrene puts hot-swapping at the top of his list of desired features. “It just might push some groups to drop tape backup and replace it with this solution,” he says. “I particularly like hot-swapping in smaller groups or environments where this might be a critical component of the backup process, because rotating drives into secure offsite storage is more efficient here than tape.”
Backup Sweet Spot
“These [devices] target a specific segment of the business continuity process—slotting in nicely between tape and local disk backup and right behind larger storage-area network and online backup processes,” Warrene says.
Warrene says that the ARAID M200 and 2200 plug into those layers of backup by offering either single workstation or small workgroup coverage. In addition, both devices provide this coverage at an attractive price point, particularly in light of their feature sets, which also include such additional functionalities as SNMP controls; the ability to handle 7,200, 5,400, and 4,200rpm drives; forced-air cooling; and the choice of 5V or 12V SATA power connections.
“Accordance is targeting a sweet spot for business [by offering] a layer of enterprise functionality at an economical price point,” Warrene says. “This will help smaller enterprises in putting ‘bigger iron’ capabilities to work on their systems.” 
by Robyn Weisman
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