LG Electronics said it will unveil its new N4B1 network attached storage (NAS), which provides integrated data management and storage solutions, at the IFA conference of 2008.

This NAS targets home and small business users, going beyond just data sharing to offer advanced data management features including a built-in Blu-ray drive and version management.

Available in four-bay configurations, LG’s N4B1 accepts hard drives as large as four terabytes. It is optimized for home and small business users who manage large amounts of data and includes special features “Easy&Fancy web-based graphic user interface / Remote support to help solve more complicated issues” that make it easier for people who are not IT professionals to install and manage.

LG’s NAS makes it possible to share a single Blu-ray, DVD or CD among many users by creating a virtual disc library which not only saves time, but also reduces wear and tear on discs.

The Blu-ray drive also has a write mode, which allows it to serve as a secondary storage medium, with each disc holding between 25 and 50 gigabytes. When data is saved to a Blu-ray disc, the NAS automatically creates a catalog of disc’s contents for easier archiving.

LG’s NAS is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac computers and networks. It also allows users on different operating systems to share and store data, whether directly connected to the NAS, on a network or over the internet.

“The global NAS market is expected grow by more than 2.2 million units in 2009 as the technology develops and the need for high capacity, redundant storage increases,” said Y K Cho, vice president of DS & OEM Marketing, LGE.-TradeArabia News Service