Apr 06, 2014

LaCie Introduces its First Thunderbolt 2 Rackmount Storage Solution

LaCie, the premium brand from Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX), announced at the 2014 NAB Show the release of its first Thunderbolt™ 2 rackmount storage solution: the LaCie™ 8big Rack Thunderbolt 2. Compact and stylish, the LaCie 8big Rack features up to eight 6TB 7200RPM HDDs from Seagate, for an impressive 48TB in a mere 1U size. Delivering speeds of up to 1330MB/s*, it is the most powerful plug and play rackmount solution for 4K video editing.

THUNDERBOLT 2 SPEEDS

Thanks to Thunderbolt 2, the 8big Rack delivers ample bandwidth to support 10-bit, 4K footage. With this kind of performance, videographers can work directly from RAW files in Apple® Final Cut Pro® or Adobe® Premiere®, get maximum quality from footage and see edits in real time.

HARDWARE AND DATA RELIABILITY

The LaCie 8big Rack features data and component redundancy so that users will experience zero downtime in the unlikely case of hardware failure. Fans, disks and PSU** are fully redundant, hot swappable*** and user-serviceable. The LaCie 8big Rack also includes hardware RAID 5/6 for failure-proof data security that doesn’t compromise transfer speeds. Additionally, the hardware RAID controller means that users can connect the product to any workstation without losing the RAID configuration.

STYLISH 1U DESIGN

With professional rackmount storage, usability can be a huge differentiator among users. As a result, LaCie designed the 8big Rack to deliver extraordinary usability for professionals. It features a clean, slim, aluminum exterior that includes four or eight hard disks (up to 48TB) in a true 1U size. It provides easy access with gliding drawer functionality and a cable management arm. What’s more, the LaCie 8big Rack features no-fuss access to components and tool-free maintenance of fans, PSU, and disks. And with status indicator LEDs on the front and back, professionals can instantly identify hard drives that need to be replaced.

The LaCie 8big Rack has an innovative cooling system that prolongs component lifespan. It features three efficient, thermoregulated cooling fans to drive airflow. Air flows above and between the two rows of disks, from front to back, to conduct heat away from sensitive components.

DUAL THUNDERBOLT PORTS

The LaCie 8big Rack features two Thunderbolt 2 ports for daisy chaining. This means that professionals can daisy chain up to six Thunderbolt rack units together, and then connect them with a single cable to a computer. The new Mac Pro® features six Thunderbolt 2 ports, which means that power users could connect up to 36 LaCie 8big Racks to a single workstation, enabling up to a surprising 1.7PB (1728TB) of capacity and speeds of greater than 3000MB/s. Now professionals can create a truly plug and play 4K video editing storage system that delivers increased capacity, incredible speed and unmatched convenience to their workflow.

The LaCie 8big Rack delivers unimaginable scale in half the space, a dramatically simpler setup, and unprecedented performance. See what’s inside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrDfwaduOyY.

AVAILABILITY

The LaCie 8big Rack, featuring Thunderbolt 2, will be available this quarter in 4-disk (12TB) or 8-disk (24TB and 48TB) configurations through the LaCie online store and LaCie resellers. Pricing will be announced when the product is available for purchase. Thunderbolt 2 is compatible with the same cables and connectors as first-generation Thunderbolt. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com.

WARRANTY

The 8big Rack is protected by a three-year limited warranty. The warranty includes complimentary web-based resources, expert in-house technical support and worldwide repair and/or replacement coverage. Warranty extension and Advance Care Option can also be purchased. For details, visit www.lacie.com/warranties.

ABOUT LACIE

LaCie, the premium brand from Seagate Technology, designs world-class external storage products for Apple, Linux and PC users. LaCie has differentiated itself through sleek design and unmatched technical performance. Find out more about our products at www.lacie.com.

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* These transfer rates were achieved using AJA System Test when connected to a 13" MacBook Pro® with a 2.8 GHz Intel® Core™ i7 processor and 8 GB RAM. Actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment and other factors, such as RAID mode, RAID configuration, and disk capacity. To achieve full Thunderbolt 2 bandwidth, connect the product to a Thunderbolt 2 port on a computer or device.
** The 4-disk version ships with a single PSU, and is therefore not hot-swappable. It’s possible to purchase an additional PSU Kit to ensure full redundancy.
*** Hot swapping will result in data loss in a RAID 0 array.

©2014 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. LaCie and the LaCie logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or of its affiliated companies. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to hard drive capacity, one terabyte, or TB, equals one thousand billion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and will not be available for data storage. The export or re-export of hardware or software containing encryption may be regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (for more information, visit www.bis.doc.gov). Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications.

Press Contact:

Kristin Macrostie
kristin.j.macrostie@seagate.com