Protect Your Media With A Quality Media Safe

What would happen if you had a fire and all of your media files were destroyed? This could have a devastating impact on your business. Fireproof safes are a very cost-effective insurance, protecting you against such a potentially terrible loss. When you are buying fireproof safes, there are a few things that you should look for to make sure they are not going to fail you when you need them the most.

The first thing to look at is the UL rating for the safe. The UL rating is done by Underwriters Laboratories, a not-for-profit independent testing organization. Keep in mind that if it doesn't have an Underwriters Laboratories seal, it is not an insurance approved media safe for the U.S.

UL ratings are done by temperature and time. For example, a safe with a 1 hour UL 125 rating will last at least one hour in a fire. During that time, the temperature inside the file cabinet will not exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit. A 2 hour rated safe will last at least 2 hours in a fire.

Media such as diskettes, CDs and tapes are unable to survive high temperatures. If you are storing such media, you will need a safe that has a low rating, meaning that the temperature inside the safe will not get too high. Class 150 rated devices are designed to protect paper and nonpaper records such as EDP media (magnetic tapes) and photographic records. Class 125 rated devices are meant to also protect flexible computer disks. If the rating says "UL 72/125", that means that UL has tested the safe with test 72 (which is a test for Fire Resistance of Record Protection Equipment) and will keep the enclosed media below 125 degrees Fahrenheit in a fire.

You will also want to make sure that whatever product you buy has been tested with various other tests. A quality safe should be tested with a 2,000 degree explosion test, a 1,550 degree fire abuse test, and a 30 foot drop test. This way, you can be sure that your media will be protected if your safe is in a building that collapses during a fire. A safe that has undergone UL 72 testing has been tested for fire endurance, explosion, and impact.

You may also want to look at the quality of the safe's security. Since your files are also vulnerable to theft, you want to be sure that they have highly secure locks.

There are quality safes out there with all of these specifications. Make sure you find a respected name in the industry, and that all of their products have the above specifications. You can do some research to find out who fits these qualifications.

Be sure that you don't shortchange yourself by investing in cheap fireproof safe – it's just not worth it. You can find a quality product that won't break your budget, and it's a great insurance to protect your business from a fire or other natural disaster.