Using a portable hard drive as a backup device or as a primary computer storage device is a common practice but holds with it one crucial flaw. In order to be a truly safe backup drive the data must be protected from accidental destruction caused by a natural disaster.
Until recently this meant using an off site backup solution such as an Internet based backup service. Now however, a seemingly indestructible hard drive has come on the market that may make off site backup a thing of the past for many users.
The ioSafe line of indestructible portable hard drives purports to be a disaster proof hard drive that can withstand both the harsh environments of being submerged in water as well as being burned in a fire. In a recent podcast one reporter verbally detailed seeing the ioSafe drives being first loaded with photographs of the observers in attendance and then immediately throwing the drive into a nearby swimming pool for several minutes.
Later the drive was pulled out of the pool and thrown into a propane fueled furnace. After cracking open the case with a hammer and chisel the hard drive inside was reconnected to a computer and the data recovered with no problems.
How To Disaster Proof A Hard Drive
Using special proprietary technologies ioSafe manages to reflect 98% of the external heat from a fire. The outer shell of the top of the line ioSafe R4 hard drive case consists of a special material that when heated to extreme temperatures actually begins to produce steam that helps to move heat away from the drive.
Special tabs melt away at 250 degrees, closing vents that seal the drive inside the casing protecting it from any water used to put out the fire. The company claims that the ioSafe can withstand the direct, intense heat of a structure fire for at least twenty minutes and provides a data protection guarantee that reimburses the owner for the loss on the off chance that the data on the drive cannot be recovered. If the data on the drive is recoverable the data is copied off on to an identical ioSafe drive and returned to the purchaser.
Pros and Cons Of the ioSafe Disaster Proof Hard Drive
One of the biggest issues on the favorable side of the ioSafe is the fact that the unit is extremely affordable, costing less than a hundred dollars more than a comparable stand alone, unprotected hard drive. The added versatility of the drives including the optional network attached storage models (NAS) adds to the appeal of using such a drive as an in house backup for important data.
On the down side, the buyer must remember that no amount of protection can safeguard computer components from the most intense and destructive of disasters. The amount of reimbursement paid to the buyer in case the drive's data cannot be recovered is rather small, only $5,000 maximum for their top of the line model. Still, for the price the ioSafe Disaster Proof Hard Drive is a good buy that can give a buyer some degree of peace of mind.
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