Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo

If you have experience with this product, please rate it!

Pros: It is simple to set up and has a user-friendly web interface. The LinkStation Pro Duo also works with Active Directory, allowing you to securely access the storage device without having to maintain a separate user database. The LinkStation is configured with RAID and comes with a built-in backup feature that makes it easy to pair with another Buffalo storage device for backup and redundancy, thus limiting the risk of potential data loss.

The LinkStation is also a reliable, quality product -- consider the following experience I had:

"I also had two Linkstations configured to mirror and amazingly enough I also had an extended power outage. My clients had trouble accessing the files and mapped drives when they came into work after the weekend, but I found it was just due to some IP conflicts on the network caused by all of the equipment restarting. All data remained intact."

Buffalo Technology offers a friendly customer support staff that always seems willing to help, even if it means replacing the hardware. Queues do not have a long wait and I've never talked to someone with an accent I couldn't understand.

Cons: Because the LinkStations use a Linux-based operating system and XFS file system, it won't work to set permissions or create shares from within Windows; you'll have to manage that using the web interface or the Navigator software that's included with the device.

It is true that Buffalo's technical support team sometimes seem to know less than you about their own product. Unfortunately that leaves the burden on you to find the answer on your own and make use of their online knowledge base and forums.

Bottom Line: The Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo is a great value for small business, providing plenty of storage at a reasonable price, packed with features that support the needs of many different types of businesses (including FTP and web access). It is a great product for what it is intended for.

MXToolbox Emergency Mail

If you have experience with this product, please rate it!

Pros: MXToolbox does just what they say they'll do -- filter spam, provide anytime access to your email, monitor domain/IP blacklist status, and maintain a rolling email backup/history with no administration required on your part. The Emergency Mail service gives you the benefits of hosted/managed email services, while at the same time you maintain control over your mail server and reap the benefits of having managing your primary server in-house.

At my current place of employment, we had users receiving TONS of spam and at one time had been infected by a virus that was sending mass email from our server that pretty much shut the server down for several days and got us blacklisted several times. Within just 1-2 days of signing up for their services, those problems entirely went away and we've had zero since. They manage it all for you, saving you the headache and cost of what would have been a full-time position just managing network and email security.

Their customer support is absolutely fantastic. With next to no wait when calling in, you can get the support you need when you need it. Also, whenever I've sent in a support ticket via email, I've received a response or call back within a matter of minutes.

Cons: There's no spam in your inbox...oh, wait, that's a good thing. There are no cons that I know of. Even their pricing is reasonable and comparable to business-class anti-spam solutions that you manage yourself (not to mention that MXToolbox includes a rolling backup/history of your email for anytime access to your email so you can still send/receive mail during power outages and server downtime).

Bottom Line: If you don't already use managed email services, or you're not happy with your current service, you need to stop wasting your money and call MXToolbox!

(I wrote this review independently and received absolutely no compensation in any form for writing it and posting it on this blog. I have just loved the service and benefits I have experienced as a regular customer, plain and simple. However, if you work for MXToolbox and are reading this, I would welcome referral bonuses or other perks for sharing this honest review!)