...if you’re mainly wanting to share media around the home then there are cheaper, out-of-the-box functional ways of doing so. If reliable local backup is your priority...then the Data Robotics Drobo S certainly should be high in your shortlist.

If you need to store large amounts of data without worrying about drive failures, the Drobo S is a pricey--but great--addition to the home office or small business.

What the Drobo S offers that traditional RAID-based DAS devices don't is a very flexible and seamless way to upgrade storage capacity and replace failed drives. But this level of innovation comes at a steep price.

The major selling points for me are the simplicity and usability found in the Drobo Dashboard coupled with the efficiency found in Thin Provisioning and reliability of the Drobo S. The mediocre performance and exorbitantly high price detract from what otherwise is a very well rounded storage unit.