In early October 2010 I blogged about Data Robotics' Drobo Pro FS solution. Now, Data Robotics is back for an encore — involving a new product called the Drobo S and a very big channel partner — namely, Hewlett-Packard. Here are the details.

Starting now, the HP Small Business Direct online store will offer Drobo storage solutions, which target consumers, small businesses and corporate departments. You can also check out the Drobo Sync, which is designed to provide easy remote backup for small and medium businesses to another off-site Drobo.

I spoke to Drobo's Jim Sherhart, senior director of marketing and Malissa King, VP of sales about the coming 'Drobo Invasion' so-to-speak. Sherhart spoke a little about HP's play in the channel with Drobo, noting that HP call centers will be very well staffed with professionals trained on Drobo. In stark contrast, Drobo has about 15 internal sales employees world-wide. Sherhart summed it up with a quick retort: "HP is willing, Drobo is excited. Big companies move fast."

Meanwhile, the new Drobo S debuts as a "future proof" solution with USB 3.0 technology (a standard set to be 10X faster than USB 2.0) and support for Drobo Sync. Drobo S also supports capacities beyond 32TB, along with backwards compatibility for USB 2.0 systems.

Drobo S's starting price tag right is $799, with configurations that can go up to $1799 for 10TB. Drobo Sync is included free, and also available as a free upgrade for DroboPro FS customers. You can check out the HP store starting November 18 for more sales details, or check out where else Drobo is now available here.

Lastly, Sherhart and King said that Drobo plays nice — and is certified — to work with solutions from Citrix, Xen, VMware and Symantec, just a few she named.

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