Back to articles
What is the right certification for a safe to ensure that your hard drives and other computer related business materials are not harmed? A Class 125 emerged when the floppy disk was in favour. However, many people do not use floppy disks today. This certification rating will keep the internal temperature of the safe at 125 degrees. Today with the use of compact disks containing information by business and individuals the Class 125 is quite sufficient.
The Classes Considered Safe for Computer Related Storage
Since compact disks will not crystallize until reaching 350 degrees, this certification is more than enough for keeping them safe. It is not known if CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray disks are safe under this condition. One of the advantages to this certification rating is it is waterproof. This is ensured by the addition of a gasket that is attached to the door. The ratings are also dependent upon the hours the safe will maintain the inside temperature and these will go from ½ to 4.
The safe with a 150 classification will keep the temperature inside lower than 150 degrees. This was initiated when magnetic reel-to-reel and computer data was introduced. This rating is also find for storing compact disks. There are cases that can meet the 125 classification if they are stored in a safe with a Class 150 rating. This classification is also rated by the number of hours they will maintain the temperature inside beginning with ½ and going to 4.
Data safes with 150 classification are also used for storing such items as microfilm and a Class 350 used for any paper documents that may need to be secure. These are also constructed with insulation of a ceramic fibre. More recently, vaults of the 125 classification have been utilized to secure whole data centres. With the technological advances made using hard drives rather than tapes more of these vaults are likely to be utilized.
The safety and convenience of these types of storage for businesses is extremely vital to ensure documents, hard drives and magnetic media are protected. In the event of a fire or a natural disaster, the safe will keep the contents secure. This may make the difference between the continuation of a business or the collapse.
Since so much information that would be critical to the business is stored in a safe, the loss of this information may mean there would be no possible recovery if it were not. The clients and records of their accounts are necessary for the company or organization to continue. When this information is lost, there would be no way of knowing what their accounts contained or if they even had one.
Even more than the account numbers, information and names would be the loss of revenue from accounts not paid in full. Unless you can trust everyone you deal with - and this is not possible - records must be maintained. In addition, the loss of any records needed by the Inland Revenue and other government agencies would mean there would be no possible way of staying in business.