An interesting feature that the SAN unit (model B800fs) offers is its offsite backup capability. After establishing a link with another Drobo unit either on site or anywhere in the world with an Internet connection, it is possible to schedule automated data syncs between the two units.

devices for businesses function in many ways like those for consumers, except that they offer more robust features and a greater number of drives per bay. A typical consumer-grade Drobo system, for example, might have six drives per bay and cost just a few hundred dollars, while a professional-grade system offers up to 12 drives per bay and retails for a starting price of not much over $2000.

Features that the professional-grade Drobo units offer include up to 24TB of capacity (you can add your own drives or order Drobo units with Western Digital drives pre-loaded), Windows encryption, and OS X Disk Utility 's virtual disk encryption. The SAN units offer virtualization capabilities for software such as VMware. Model B1200i, when it becomes available later this year, will offer thin client provisioning.

The Drobo professional storage launch also shows just how much storage prices have fallen. Investing just over $2000 for in-office storage is a small investment compared to the tens of thousands of dollars a robust NAS or SAN system typically cost just a few years ago. It will be interesting to see how professional-grade storage solutions for SoHos from other vendors evolve, and whether prices will continue to plummet for feature-rich storage.

Bruce covers tech trends in the United States and Europe and tweets at .