You know roughly what you want
A model number is not a configuration, and a configuration is not valid until it has been checked against what ships this quarter.
Send the requirement and we build the bill of materials around it, confirming interfaces, capacity headroom, physical fit and software versions before any figure is issued.
No figure is issued from a catalogue page. If something has been superseded or is not currently available, you are told before you see a number.
Details that determine a configuration
Nine inputs account for almost every revision cycle we see. Anything you can answer now is one fewer question later.
| Input | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Host interfaces required: NFS, CIFS/SMB, S3, or a filesystem mount | Whether an appliance or a software gateway fronts the archive, and whether applications change at all |
| Usable capacity, stated as usable rather than raw | Raw and usable diverge sharply once protection scheme, cache and spare media are counted |
| Retained copies per object, and whether any must be offline | Multiplies media quantity and can add a second drive or a second library |
| Growth over the intended service life | Determines expansion slots and whether the frame chosen can take them |
| Peak ingest, not average | Sets drive count and cache size. Averages hide the overnight window that actually constrains the design |
| Rack units, floor loading, power feeds and cooling | Optical and tape libraries are heavy, need service clearance, and are frequently the reason a design changes |
| Existing backup or archive software and its version | Compatibility is version-specific. A supported product on an unsupported release is not supported |
| Support expectations: hours, response, on-site or return to base | Varies by country and by product line across the GCC, and materially affects cost |
| Media type and whether existing media must be readable | Drive generation compatibility is limited, and legacy formats may need a separate read path |
If several of these are still open, the honest next step is an assessment rather than a configuration. Quoting around unknowns produces a number that changes, which helps nobody.
Why we validate before quoting
Three checks happen between your requirement and any figure, and each has stopped a build in practice.
Availability. Product lines are revised, media formats reach end of production, and specific frames or drive options get withdrawn. Configuring from an older datasheet is the most common way to produce a bill of materials that cannot be fulfilled. Note also that published capacity figures for the StorEasy range differ between documents, so stated capacities are confirmed against the current release rather than repeated from a PDF.
Compatibility. Interfaces, drive generations, media types and host operating systems each have supported combinations, and the intersection is narrower than any single datasheet implies. Archive software fronting a third-party library depends on the library model, its firmware and its driver being on a supported list together.
Version validation. Feature availability tracks software release. A capability described in marketing material may sit in a version you are not licensed for, or one that has not yet reached general availability in this region. Where a claim cannot be substantiated from documentation, we treat it as unconfirmed rather than sell it.
Only after those three does anything commercial appear. We do not publish prices, and we do not indicate lead times before a configuration is validated, because both depend on the specific build. See technologies for the layers involved and WORM storage appliances or archive management software for the components themselves.
When configuration is not the right next step
Hold off if the retention periods are still under discussion, if the recovery time target has not been agreed with the business, or if a migration from an existing platform is in scope but its contents have not been inventoried. Settling a period is a legal call for you, not a configuration input. In each case the configuration will be rebuilt once the answer arrives.
Equally, if you already have a specification from another supplier and want it sanity-checked, say so. Reviewing someone else's bill of materials against the requirement is a legitimate request and often faster than starting again. Use the contact form if you are unsure which of these applies.
Frequently asked questions
We would rather not, and the reason is practical. Indicative numbers get quoted back months later as commitments, and archive builds move considerably on media quantity, copy count and support level. What we can do quickly is tell you which of the nine inputs above swing the total most for your case, so you can shape a budget request around the right variables rather than a guessed figure.