Seagate on Tuesday kicked off the launch of a new network-attached storage line in the form of the BlackArmor 400 series. The array is built to provide automated backup over RAID for home and small offices that might not necessarily have the resources to support a professional system, even with as many as 50 users. It uses simple drive cradles to hold as much as 8TB of storage in four bays, sports a built-in status LCD and lets users access the array's contents over the web without compromising the network's core security.

The NAS also brings an extra level of backup through its expansion. Four USB ports let owners backup the contents of as many as four volumes to prevent a physical loss from ruining the backup. Dual Ethernet jacks let it switch to a working connection or duplicate the contents of the NAS on a different drive on the network.

Individual files, folders or whole drives can be encrypted to lock down any private information regardless of the accessing platforms, which include any system running either Mac OS X Tiger, Windows XP, or later operating systems.

Two models start the line in earnest. The BlackArmor NAS 420 at $800 is the entry point and carries 2TB of storage in two drives filling half of the bays and should be available soon. At $1,200, the NAS 440 fills all four bays to reach 4TB of storage. Versions with 6TB ($1,700) and 8TB ($2,000) are also due and should be ready by May.