The N2 is not ioSafe's first disaster-proof NAS backup appliance. Previously, the company sold the ioSafe R4, which weighted more than 120 lbs. and cost about $10,000.

The N2, which is is 5.9-in wide by 9-in high by 11.5-in long, brings the weight down to 28 lbs. and offers hot swappable drives. A diskless unit starts at $599.

A cutaway diagram of the ioSafe N2

Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at or subscribe to . His e-mail address is .

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