LaCie unveils '12big' Thunderbolt 3 12-bay desktop RAID unit with up to 96TB capacity

Nowadays, many computers have paltry amounts of storage. Why? Solid state drives carry a higher cost per gigabyte, meaning these faster SSDs are usually lower-capacity for cost-savings. With the emergence of the cloud, this might be OK for many home and business users.

If you need more local storage, an external hard drive is a great way to get it. Not only are these drives convenient, but versatile too. But what if you need a lot of storage -- more than the typical single, double, triple, or even quadruple bay solution? LaCie has you covered. Its all-new '12big' raid unit has a mind-boggling 12 bays, and can accommodate up to 96 terabytes. It even utilizes the super-fast Thunderbolt 3 interface, making it perfect for professional use too.

"With up to 96TB of capacity, the breakthrough performance of Thunderbolt 3 and RAID 5/6, the LaCie 12big helps video professionals meet the data demands of 4/5/6K cameras. At up to 96TB, the LaCie 12big boasts a 50 percent higher capacity than any other desktop direct attached storage solution on the market -- with a footprint smaller than a tablet. It features Seagate’s enterprise-class drives with a five-year limited warranty for extraordinary reliability and data availability to safely store and edit massive amounts of ultra hi-res footage", says LaCie.

The Seagate-owned company further says, "from the front of the product, drive status LEDs keep track of drive health and RAID build status, and drives can be conveniently accessed. Ensuring long-term component health, the aluminum enclosure dissipates heat efficiently and four thermoregulated fans pull heat away from the drives. And even if a fan fails, the product is still fully functional. For universal compatibility, users can connect to USB-C laptops -- and even USB 3.0 computers via the included USB-C to USB-A cable".

The beauty of this '12big' solution -- besides the 2400MB/s RAID 5 option -- is that it is very versatile, thanks to Thunderbolt 3's compatibility with USB Type C. Even if you do not have a Thunderbolt 3 machine yet, you can buy it for your existing USB 3.0 machine now, and be confident that it is very future-proof.

If you want to buy this sweet Thunderbolt 3 raid unit, I have some bad news -- it won't be available until the summer. While pricing is not yet known, it will certainly be expensive. Of course, the cost will vary based on the capacity you choose -- 48TB, 72TB or 96TB.

Will you buy it? Will your company? Tell me in the comments.