Everyone needs to be backing the data on their computer up. This is especially important for business users or companies that have servers with critical data on them. Many businesses use tape drives for backups today because they tend to be cheaper systems.

Dell has unveiled a new HDD-based backup device for small and medium businesses called the PowerVault DL2100. The device can be fitted with up to four 500GB HDDs in RAID 5 configuration. Dell offers the DL2100 in value and performance versions and claims the systems are up to 50% cheaper than tape systems to operate.

Both versions are powered by Symantec Backup Exec software and use Intel Xeon E5520 CPUs with a single CPU in value systems and two of them in performance systems. Value systems get 6GB of RAM and performance versions get 24GB. Pricing starts at $8,600 for value systems.