By
Devon Knight
In today's fast-paced world of mobile offices and world-travel
being increasingly the norm, many are turning discovering a bit too late
the benefits of owning devices such as laptop safes, which can classify
as either a media safe or data safe. Typical customers of these types
of portable strong boxes are usually people who have suffered loss of
property either by direct theft or otherwise by fire or other
catastrophe. So, what are these safes, anyway?
Simply, a laptop safe is a safe designed to hold a laptop computer, or other valuables, and is usually portable. Media safes are safes that are designed to house various media, such as important documents or even money, and a data safe is specifically designed to be (usually) fireproof, keeping the digital contents (jump drives and other USB devices, as well as CD-ROMs and the like) safe from the heat in case of fire. These safes are fireproof to a certain degree, and the all are usually pretty mobile. Hotels will offer the use of laptop safes to their customers, though these models aren't typically mobile.
Some models are designed to be attached to a desk top or they're made to be attached to a drawer; as stated, many are portable. Many laptop computers these days are designed to be strapped to an immobile object, such as your vehicle or desk, but having a laptop safe is the better bet if security is a top priority. Other models may be attached to an attaché case, leaving room to spare for some other documents as well.
Who Needs Laptop Safes? What are the Benefits?
The usual clientele of laptop strongboxes are businesspeople, entrepreneurs and others who need mobility and protection of their laptop computers. If this doesn't describe you, don't worry - many people are discovering the need to keep their computers and other valuables protected. Unfortunately, many discover these benefits only after a burglary or fire, or other such tragic event. Some store their firearms in these safes, though there are safes designed for that purpose. It's typical to find jewelry and other important possessions - such as pictures, heirlooms, important documents - stored away in a media safe or in laptop safes.
Basically, anyone who's on the go or wants a lightweight safe for their valuables and/or laptop computer will want one of these safes.
The benefits are many to owning laptop safes, a media safe or data safe. First of all, you can rest assured that your laptop will be safe, no matter your current location. Some safes even come equipped with an alarm feature that will go off when the user is out of the pre-set range. This is great for travelers especially. Another benefit is that you can be sure that nobody has access to your important files and your computer if you keep your belongings tucked away. Again, this falls under the "peace of mind" category, but that's the number one reason for buying these safes to begin with.
Another benefit is the portability factor, since in-home safes or stand-alone safes are not usually designed (with very few exceptions to the rule) to be mobile. If you move around a lot, or plan on traveling, or simply want a level of security without buying "more safe" than you currently need, then buying a smaller safe to suit your immediate needs can be a real money-saver or stop-gap until you make the bigger investment.
Media Safes
What distinguishes the media safe from the afore-mentioned laptop safes are two qualities. First, the media safes can be the portable variety, though not always. Many media strongboxes are designed as floor or wall safes, or designed as chests, so their portability depends on their size and your overall need.
Another factor that distinguishes these safe varieties is that these safes are designed with a lower fire rating than laptop varieties. Typically, the UL rating (Underwriter's Laboratory) for fire-resistance on laptop strongboxes as well as the data safe are around 125 degrees Fahrenheit, because the electronics and electronic data storage devices they're designed to protect are sensitive to temperatures greater than 125 degrees. Media security boxes are designed with paper products in mind, so their burn rating is typically around 350 degrees, so the paper doesn't spontaneously combust.
Knowing that information, it's important to be familiar with the UL system of fire ratings, and assess what your needs are before you purchase a safe for your use. It depends on what you plan on storing in them. And of course, you can always buy media strongboxes with a better UL fire rating, the 350 mark is an upper limit if you will.
As alluded to, these types of safes (media) can come in many configurations and sizes. Their portability depends on their size, obviously, so not all are laptop-sized. Typically, these are purchased for commercial use, though there are plenty of choices for home owners and home-based businesses. These safes are usually well-protected, offering explosion protection, fire protection and many anti-theft features (including size!).
Disambiguation of terms:
Many distributors and manufacturers of these types of safe often inter-mingle them with laptop safes, depending on their size, and also commonly with the data safe. The reason being, that data can be stored in various media. For example, you can store your tax data on portable jump drives or an external hard drive, or you can use the more traditional hanging file system.
Either way, the terms are often inter-changeable, but for the purposes of this article, the distinction is that a "media safe" stores paper products, and is not rated as well as a "data safe," which is specifically designed to store electronic storage media that is more heat-sensitive. Add to the pot the idea of laptop safes - which for our purposes are portable "data safes," and you can see that the potential for confusion is pretty evident.
Data Safes
Much has been said to this point regarding this type of strongbox. Like the laptop safes mentioned earlier, these safes are designed with technology in mind. Most business is performed electronically, with various storage media being employed. There are various types of external hard drives and jump drives, or "thumb drives" as some call them, as well as SD cards, CD-ROMs and the like.
These devices store copious amounts of data, usually integral to the business at least for record-keeping purposes. Losing this data for many businesses could be crippling, and it doesn't take much heat, water or mechanical influences (e.g. a scratched CD-ROM) to accomplish that. Additionally, industrial espionage often targets this data-dense family of storage media, so the need for protection is obvious. Not only are businesses affected, but personal, home-use data - such as old pictures, family videos on tapes or DVDs and the like - are often affected by burglary and catastrophe.
Many have discovered, both personally as well as in the business world, the need for data backups in case of a computer crash or other failure, such as malware. Again, the end result has been an evolution in protection, and has resulted in a specific kind of media safe designed for the purpose.
Another type of damage is water damage, which is addressed by the construction of these data strongboxes. These safes lock out the moisture, and de-humidifiers can be included in some models as an up charge, or a separate de-humidifier can be purchased for this reason.
To protect your files from the ravaging damage of potential fire, the UL rating ought to indicate an internal temperature limit of about 125 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, as mentioned earlier. For this key reason, if you plan on using a current, non-data safe to store this crucial media in, you're asking for trouble. Normal safes simply don't compare to the fire rating of these data-protecting safes, as they offer a fire rating that's designed for paper products, which can withstand temperatures of 350 degrees before becoming damaged.
Since data stored for use in electronic devices are prone to moisture damage, it made sense to design these safes to guard against moisture. The fact that you may not live anywhere near a cloudy sky or body of water is meaningless if you consider the fact that firemen use water to douse flames. Water damaged electronics and data storage media may be just as ineffective as if they were burned, so be sure the water-resistance is a key feature of your media and data safes. You also want to ensure the water protection is maintained as the door is opened and closed. Don't leave the safe open for ease of access, as you may inadvertently leave the contents open to disaster.
In addition to the more dramatic causes for water damage, humidity is also a factor to consider. Moisture adds to static electricity, which may affect the integrity of your electronic storage media. Besides this, the moisture in the air may also damage your devices. The humidity in the safe should never reach beyond 85%, but that's a standard feature of data safes.
As you can see, there are various safes available to suit your needs, and knowing the difference between the benefits of each will help you make a better buying decision.
Simply, a laptop safe is a safe designed to hold a laptop computer, or other valuables, and is usually portable. Media safes are safes that are designed to house various media, such as important documents or even money, and a data safe is specifically designed to be (usually) fireproof, keeping the digital contents (jump drives and other USB devices, as well as CD-ROMs and the like) safe from the heat in case of fire. These safes are fireproof to a certain degree, and the all are usually pretty mobile. Hotels will offer the use of laptop safes to their customers, though these models aren't typically mobile.
Some models are designed to be attached to a desk top or they're made to be attached to a drawer; as stated, many are portable. Many laptop computers these days are designed to be strapped to an immobile object, such as your vehicle or desk, but having a laptop safe is the better bet if security is a top priority. Other models may be attached to an attaché case, leaving room to spare for some other documents as well.
Who Needs Laptop Safes? What are the Benefits?
The usual clientele of laptop strongboxes are businesspeople, entrepreneurs and others who need mobility and protection of their laptop computers. If this doesn't describe you, don't worry - many people are discovering the need to keep their computers and other valuables protected. Unfortunately, many discover these benefits only after a burglary or fire, or other such tragic event. Some store their firearms in these safes, though there are safes designed for that purpose. It's typical to find jewelry and other important possessions - such as pictures, heirlooms, important documents - stored away in a media safe or in laptop safes.
Basically, anyone who's on the go or wants a lightweight safe for their valuables and/or laptop computer will want one of these safes.
The benefits are many to owning laptop safes, a media safe or data safe. First of all, you can rest assured that your laptop will be safe, no matter your current location. Some safes even come equipped with an alarm feature that will go off when the user is out of the pre-set range. This is great for travelers especially. Another benefit is that you can be sure that nobody has access to your important files and your computer if you keep your belongings tucked away. Again, this falls under the "peace of mind" category, but that's the number one reason for buying these safes to begin with.
Another benefit is the portability factor, since in-home safes or stand-alone safes are not usually designed (with very few exceptions to the rule) to be mobile. If you move around a lot, or plan on traveling, or simply want a level of security without buying "more safe" than you currently need, then buying a smaller safe to suit your immediate needs can be a real money-saver or stop-gap until you make the bigger investment.
Media Safes
What distinguishes the media safe from the afore-mentioned laptop safes are two qualities. First, the media safes can be the portable variety, though not always. Many media strongboxes are designed as floor or wall safes, or designed as chests, so their portability depends on their size and your overall need.
Another factor that distinguishes these safe varieties is that these safes are designed with a lower fire rating than laptop varieties. Typically, the UL rating (Underwriter's Laboratory) for fire-resistance on laptop strongboxes as well as the data safe are around 125 degrees Fahrenheit, because the electronics and electronic data storage devices they're designed to protect are sensitive to temperatures greater than 125 degrees. Media security boxes are designed with paper products in mind, so their burn rating is typically around 350 degrees, so the paper doesn't spontaneously combust.
Knowing that information, it's important to be familiar with the UL system of fire ratings, and assess what your needs are before you purchase a safe for your use. It depends on what you plan on storing in them. And of course, you can always buy media strongboxes with a better UL fire rating, the 350 mark is an upper limit if you will.
As alluded to, these types of safes (media) can come in many configurations and sizes. Their portability depends on their size, obviously, so not all are laptop-sized. Typically, these are purchased for commercial use, though there are plenty of choices for home owners and home-based businesses. These safes are usually well-protected, offering explosion protection, fire protection and many anti-theft features (including size!).
Disambiguation of terms:
Many distributors and manufacturers of these types of safe often inter-mingle them with laptop safes, depending on their size, and also commonly with the data safe. The reason being, that data can be stored in various media. For example, you can store your tax data on portable jump drives or an external hard drive, or you can use the more traditional hanging file system.
Either way, the terms are often inter-changeable, but for the purposes of this article, the distinction is that a "media safe" stores paper products, and is not rated as well as a "data safe," which is specifically designed to store electronic storage media that is more heat-sensitive. Add to the pot the idea of laptop safes - which for our purposes are portable "data safes," and you can see that the potential for confusion is pretty evident.
Data Safes
Much has been said to this point regarding this type of strongbox. Like the laptop safes mentioned earlier, these safes are designed with technology in mind. Most business is performed electronically, with various storage media being employed. There are various types of external hard drives and jump drives, or "thumb drives" as some call them, as well as SD cards, CD-ROMs and the like.
These devices store copious amounts of data, usually integral to the business at least for record-keeping purposes. Losing this data for many businesses could be crippling, and it doesn't take much heat, water or mechanical influences (e.g. a scratched CD-ROM) to accomplish that. Additionally, industrial espionage often targets this data-dense family of storage media, so the need for protection is obvious. Not only are businesses affected, but personal, home-use data - such as old pictures, family videos on tapes or DVDs and the like - are often affected by burglary and catastrophe.
Many have discovered, both personally as well as in the business world, the need for data backups in case of a computer crash or other failure, such as malware. Again, the end result has been an evolution in protection, and has resulted in a specific kind of media safe designed for the purpose.
Another type of damage is water damage, which is addressed by the construction of these data strongboxes. These safes lock out the moisture, and de-humidifiers can be included in some models as an up charge, or a separate de-humidifier can be purchased for this reason.
To protect your files from the ravaging damage of potential fire, the UL rating ought to indicate an internal temperature limit of about 125 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, as mentioned earlier. For this key reason, if you plan on using a current, non-data safe to store this crucial media in, you're asking for trouble. Normal safes simply don't compare to the fire rating of these data-protecting safes, as they offer a fire rating that's designed for paper products, which can withstand temperatures of 350 degrees before becoming damaged.
Since data stored for use in electronic devices are prone to moisture damage, it made sense to design these safes to guard against moisture. The fact that you may not live anywhere near a cloudy sky or body of water is meaningless if you consider the fact that firemen use water to douse flames. Water damaged electronics and data storage media may be just as ineffective as if they were burned, so be sure the water-resistance is a key feature of your media and data safes. You also want to ensure the water protection is maintained as the door is opened and closed. Don't leave the safe open for ease of access, as you may inadvertently leave the contents open to disaster.
In addition to the more dramatic causes for water damage, humidity is also a factor to consider. Moisture adds to static electricity, which may affect the integrity of your electronic storage media. Besides this, the moisture in the air may also damage your devices. The humidity in the safe should never reach beyond 85%, but that's a standard feature of data safes.
As you can see, there are various safes available to suit your needs, and knowing the difference between the benefits of each will help you make a better buying decision.
Devon Knight is the author of the
[http://www.bulletproofshield.com/safes] blog and provides in depth
details on choosing the best laptop safes and media safe
[http://www.bulletproofshield.com/safes], check out the blog for reviews
and money saving coupons
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Devon_Knight
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