Firelock - Fireproof Data Storage

A nationwide network of offsite data protection firms is also able to provide disaster recovery services when their clients are in need.  Because these services are available through the Secure Media Vault Associates (SMVA) it is possible to utilize the facilities of an SMVA member in another region if the nature of the disaster requires temporarily relocating operations.  This gives DR planners much more flexibility and many more options when formulating their disaster response protocols.

Many of these companies have helped their clients through major natural disasters, long-term power outages, fires, etc.  In addition to traditional disaster recovery/business continuity services these locations are also able to host containerized data center modules, such as Firelock’s Secure Agile Vault Environment, or SAVE units. 

SMVA network members all offer their clients a much higher level of data protection than their competition.  Unlike the national chains of offsite data storage companies, these owner-managed independent companies in the SMVA network utilize Firelock Class 125 data-rated fireproof vaults with optimum environmental conditions for the protection of their clients’ data tapes.  In addition to protecting data backup tapes, these vaults are used to protect the IT equipment (for E-vaulting and co-location) that hosts their clients mission critical information.  They also utilize the latest technology in barcode tracking of media and GPS monitoring of their media transport vehicles. 

The standards of excellence they uphold in their data storage business are applied the their disaster recovery services.  These service capabilities combined with the flexibility of the many network locations gives SMVA clients unbeatable disaster recovery options.

Firelock will once again exhibit at the Professional Records and Information Services Management (PRISM) Conference in Reno, NV from May 11-13.  This event features seminars and a trade show for owners and managers in the offsite data storage services industry.  As a provider of the highest rated fireproof data vaults in the industry, we are always happy to meet offsite data storage service providers who are looking for a way to offer their clients the best data storage environment for their mission critical backup tapes and E-vaulting equipment.

Over the years a network of Firelock-equipped offsite storage companies all over the country has formed to offer customers with multiple locations in other cities the same level of protection at all locations by partnering with other network members.  This network, called the Secure Media Vault Associates (SMVA) is also able to share leads and ideas on best practices for information security and facilities management.  Firelock will be hosting a networking event and informal seminar for SMVA members and prospective members from 1:00-5:00 PM on May 10th.

Firelock will also be hosting roundtable discussions on marketing ideas for the offsite data storage industry and a seminar on “Making You a Better You” through networking and other beneficial business practices.  Hope to see you there!

In the last year many industries have suffered the effects of a sluggish economy.  Decreased sales revenues, declining stock values and job cuts have plagued countless organizations.  One industry that has weathered this storm well is offsite data storage service providers.  Of course there is always some negative trickle-down effect in a recession, but in the last year revenues have been maintained and work force reductions were few in this industry.

This demonstrates the high priority organizations give to protecting their backup data.  They recognize that maintaining a backup set of their mission critical information is cheap insurance against what would be a major disaster if this information were lost.  Protecting operational data ensures a quick recovery from a disaster and safeguarding archival data is necessary for potential litigation support or federal inquiries in the future.  When revenues are down, these clients recognize the last thing they need is a costly data loss disaster.

Firelock has seen this success in the Class 125 data vaults it has built for new customers and expanding the vaults for existing customers in the last year.  Their clients recognize the value provided by these offsite storage service firms that offer a higher standard of media protection than the national offsite storage companies.  In fact, these Firelock-equipped companies have a nationwide network, the Secure Media Vault Associates, to offer multi-city service for larger clients that need this higher level of protection at multiple locations. 

As the economy recovers a beneficial trickle-down effect will take hold and create more revenue opportunities for most industries.  As one industry that has remained strong throughout this recession, the offsite data storage industry is sure to enjoy even greater prosperity in the years ahead.

New Replacement for These?

IBM and Fujifilm have recently announced they have a new magnetic tape technology with storage capacity 44 times more dense than LTO 4 tape cartidges, or 35 terrabytes of uncompressed data per tape!  These new tapes utilize barium-ferrite (BaFe) particles, which are one-third the size of traditional tape particles and aligned perpendicular to the tape (as opposed to horizontal alignment of magnetic materials on LTO tapes) to achieve this super high-density capability.  BaFe is a crystaline substance which Fujifilm claims does not corrode or change over time, making it ideal for long-term archival storage.  Like any new technology, this BaFe tape has both positive and negative qualities that raise some questions about what they mean to the data storage community.

For one, what implications does this “hard-to-demagnetize” characteristic have for information security?  The tape manufacturer said the process of reducing the particle to microscopic size is a challenge because it risks reducing the resistance to demagnification of a ferromagnetic material.  This means tapes could be difficult to reuse or could lead to more errors as some parts of the tape may not be re-recorded due to this resistance.  Also imagine the problems of degaussing it at end of life. Will these tapes need to be shredded to ensure destruction of the information held within?

Another question is how will this high capacity capability fit into the tape rotation programs practiced by the majority of data center operators?  With the ability to store all of an organization’s operational and archival data on just a few tapes, how will this affect the timing of removing tapes to a secure offsite location?  How many organizations will have the volume of data to make it worth the switch to this new media type?  Maybe Google, Microsoft and other large enterprise companies will benefit from this new technology, but for smaller organizations it is not an issue.  They may still want a tape that is done at the end of the day.   

Cindy Grossman, vice president of IBM Tape and Archive Storage Systems, said the advancement shows that “tape storage is alive and strong and will continue to provide users reliable data protection, while maintaining a cost advantage over other storage technologies, including hard disk drives and flash drives.”  It will be interesting to see how these new super density tapes are utilized when they become available, and if they live up to their manufacterer’s expectations.

Over the past 25 years Firelock has built over 1500 modular fireproof vaults to protect data backup tapes, micrographic media, IT equipment and other heat-sensitive assets.  In that time very few of these vaults have had the same dimensions as previously installed vaults.  Each vault is custom-sized to fit in an existing room or to provide for the client’s exact interior space requirements.  When length, width and height is easily customized it creates an almost infinite number of  vault size permutations.  This is why it is easy for Firelock to customize the Secure Agile Vault Environment (SAVE) units for each customer’s needs.

Of course building inside a shipping container limits the vault dimensions to some degree, but containers can be had in multiple sizes and the length of the vault can be customized.  The standard SAVE unit is constructed with a 40-foot shipping container and allocates space for a vestibule in front of the vault and a mechanical room behind it.  It also includes eight server racks, an overhead cable management system, internal fire suppression, Vette’s LiquiCool Rear Door Heat Exchanger system and the HVAC equipment to support it.  The SAVE unit can be delivered with all of these components, some of these components, or with just the vault itself.  It’s all up to the customer.  For clients who just need a secure storage environment for other heat-sensitive assets in a portable package, SAVE units can be customized for their exact needs.

If the water chiller and support systems are not needed inside the SAVE unit, the mechanical room can be eliminated and the vault can be expanded into that area.  If the unit will always be operated in an indoor space, such as a warehouse, and weather protection and improved physical security is not required then the vestibule area can be eliminated.  If more space is needed outside the vault for an office area, the vault can also be made smaller to accomodate this requirement.

With a history of customizing fireproof vaults to fit each individual customer’s needs, Firelock is able to do the same for the SAVE solution.  Just as it is with all Firelock vaults–it’s all about the customer.

Anyone familiar with Firelock’s vaults knows the primary value of the investment is unsurpassed fire protection, with the ability to keep the interior of the vault below critical temperature thresholds even if the fire reaches 2,000-degrees.  A beneficial by-product of the design that isn’t as well known is the added physical security–keeping intruders out of the vault chamber–that a Firelock vault provides. 

The panels that comprise the walls and roof are not specifically designed to keep people out, but it would take considerable time to hack or cut through them to gain entry into the vault.  If a motion detector or other intrusion detection device is installed outside the vault, then the time it takes to penetrate the vault structure gives security personnel or police more time to stop the bad guys.

The doors are also an excellent security measure.  The outer door (which is the only door needed in document vaults) is an 1,100-pound fire door with a combination lock.  When the door closes it automatically throws 10 steel bolts into the locked position in the steel door frame.  This would be a very difficult door to open without the combination.  On Class 125 data vaults double door assembly is needed to achieve this stringent fire rating, so this is another barrier to unauthorized entry.  The inner door is a steel door with a conventional door handle and lock that is often converted to a magnetic lock that can be activated by swipe cards or biometric access control systems.  These electronic lock systems are ideal for controlling access to the critical vault area during business hours and keeping track of authorized personnels’ entry and exit times.

Data security is more important than ever due to the incredible volume of data that can be stored on a single data tape or hard drive.  Server equipment is also very valuable and can be resold by thieves, even if they don’t access the information on the components.  By storing these mission critical assets in a Firelock vault the physical security part of the data protection equation is increased substantially–at no additional cost.

Marketing to the Media Client is a complex initiative.  The client is sophisticated and mandates a higher level of commitment than the box document clientele.  Your competitors may deliberately make the pricing and service convoluted and this makes the client believe that changing may be a difficult task.  Too often larger competitors plant doubts in the minds of potential clients about your capability to handle this complex service. Chain of Custody, Security, Precise Environmental Control and Tracking Media in Rotation are critical issues. Your first client meeting and market reputation should immediately put these concerns to rest. In fact, you need to immediately make the client know that these are your specialties, not something you are unfamiliar with.

Too often service providers use a shotgun approach and hit nothing.  You must define the target you wish to acquire and develop a specific strategy that will accomplish this.  It is fine to say you want to hit the “Sweet Spot” but defining your ideal client varies from City to City, Region to Region and most definitely from Service Provider to Service Provider.  Your competition most assuredly will impact where your program can be most effective.

First and foremost, media vaulting is a visual sales approach. Clients will demand to tour your facility. Designing your facility so that a tour request is welcome news to your marketing team. Successful practitioners actually make selling the tour the first step in any client contact. Attempting to sell media storage based on price is foolhardy. You first sell the visit to your facility and position it as a facility of change and implementation.  IT Managers are technologists and welcome an opportunity to visit sophisticated technology in their region. Your goal is to point out that each feature was designed to offer a desired solution to specific client requests. Explaining how each and every design element is predicated on offering greater security, faster service and more reliable media life-spans for the client is your mission on “The Tour.” Your confidence in this facility should be such that the end of the “The Tour” does not end with a request for their business but for them to tour where they currently store their media. (more…)

Most data center and archive managers know how fragile magnetic media can be.  Storing media in the correct environment is critical to ensuring the information will still be there when it needs to be retrieved in the future.  Long term media storage requires not only the optimum temperature and humidity levels (typically 68-degrees F. and 30-40% R.H.) but a true Class 125 fireproof vault as well.  After all, what’s the point of maintaining the optimum climate for media for years and years if it can be destroyed in a few minutes?

That’s where Firelock’s modular fireproof data vaults can be the solution.  Countless corporations and public authorities have invested in a Firelock vault to ensure the survival of their archival and active media, even if their facility is struck by a catastrophic fire.  Not only do these vaults offer unsurpassed fire protection, they are ideal for media storage climate control.  The dry ceramic fiber insulation does not have the moisture-wicking problem associated with concrete or block vault constructions, and the R33 insulation rating adds to the vault’s efficiency.

The modular design allows vaults to be expanded as tape storage needs grow over time.  Firelock vaults can even be relocated if you have to move your data archive to a new location.  These qualities mean your vault will continue to be a secure investment over the long term, and the information on your media will be there when you need it.

In this era of volatile energy prices and constant pressure to reduce operating expenses, operations and facilities managers are looking for savings everywhere.  Environmentally-friendly corporate initiatives are also in style these days.  “Green” is in.  Cutting costs without compromising security can be a daunting task, but there is one way fire protection can be improved while reducing power consumption: installing a Firelock Class 125 data vault to protect server rooms and/or data tape archives. 

The fireproof modular vault panels are constructed with a core of ceramic fiber insulation to keep the interior of the vault below 125-degrees F. for two to four hours (depending upon the size of the vault), even if temperatures outside the vault reach 2,000-degrees F.  A beneficial byproduct of the ceramic fiber content in Firelock panels is the R33 insulation rating.  To put this in perspective, the typical rating offered by fiberglass insulation in homes and businesses is R14.

To maintain the optimum climate inside the vault chamber Firelock offers protected penetrations for either ducted air or coolant lines for split systems.  Data centers can also use these ducts to vent the heated air in the “hot aisle” out of the server vault.  This heated air can be circulated throughout the office space to gain even more cost savings on utilities in the winter.

Unsurpassed fire protection and improved energy efficiency is a Win/Win for those responsible for security and operating expenses.  This is one way going Green can save you some green in the long run.

The traditional method of building fireproof record vaults to protect valuable documents was to build poured-in-place concrete or masonry block structures.  The problem with that method is the chemically-bound water within these masonry materials is boiled into the vault chamber as steam, at 212-degrees F. and 100% relative humidity.  This  steam would saturate the interior of the vault and soak the paper documents.  As long as the fire was extinguished before the concrete or block vault collapsed under its own weight (the water is what binds the elements in masonry materials together), the paper documents could be salvaged.  It is a very costly and time consuming process to remediate documents that have been saturated, but it is possible.

Data tapes protected by a Firelock media vault

Unlike paper documents, magnetic media (such as computer backup tapes) can’t tolerate a steaming hot environment.  At just 125-degrees F. and 80% relative humidity they return to a non-magnetic state and lose data.  With data tapes capable of holding over a gigabyte of information each, the loss of just a few tapes can be catastrophic to an organization that needs to recall that data. 

Some “vaults” are constructed of multi-layer fire rated gypsum board, which will keep flames from penetrating a barrier for while, but keeping heat out is not so easy.  The density of drywall makes it a good conductor of heat, so it is incapable of protecting heat-sensitive materials.  Fire rated gypsum board is best left for life safety applications, which is its intended use.

Firelock vaults use ceramic fiber as the means to stop both flames and heat from destroying heat-sensitive valuables.  Here’s a closer look at the fireproof vault ratings offered by Firelock: http://www.firelock.com/overview8.htm