Western Digital (http://www.wd.com) has introduced My Book Live Duo, a personal cloud storage system that combines the benefits of shared storage and remote access with “double-safe” backup or increased capacity of a dual-drive system with RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology.

Compatible with Mac (OS X 10.5 and higher) and PC operating systems, My Book Live Duo continuously maintains a second copy of all your files for real-time data backup in mirrored mode (RAID 1). Half the capacity is used to store users’ data and half is used for a second copy. In the event that one drive fails, data is protected because it’s duplicated on the other drive. For automatic backup, Mac users can utilize all the features of Time Machine backup software to protect their data.

In spanning mode the two-drive system combines both drives into one large volume acting as one drive for maximum storage capacity. My Book Live Duo personal cloud delivers best-in-class read speeds faster than traditional USB 2.0 drives, according to the folks at WD. My Book Live Duo is currently available in 4 B and 6TB capacities for US$399.99 and $499.99, respectively.

As with WD’s My Book Live personal cloud storage solution, My Book Live Duo connects to the home network to create shared storage that users can access within the home or anywhere in the world through secure remote access. Remote access to My Book Live and My Book Live Duo is available on any computer through http://www.WD2go.com and with WD mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Android smartphones and tablets.

Additionally, the My Book Live Duo system’s built-in media server streams movies, photos and music to any DLNA certified multimedia device such as a WD TV Live streaming media player, Blu-ray Disc player, PlayStation 3, as well as Xbox 360s and smart TVs. Users can also stream movies, photos and music to their tablet or smartphone directly from My Book Live Duo through the WD 2go mobile application.