Evolve or become obsolete is always a challenge for a company with a  
technologically based product. For over 25 years FIRELOCK has been  
building vaults for use in records centers, in corporate headquarters  
or anywhere where the records are considered vital.

With the development of legislation promoting the safe storage of  
vital documents, computer media and medical records, FIRELOCK has seen  
increased interest in our modular fireproof vaults. I believe the  
evolution must also be absorbed by the RM.

The latest trend is to store documents electronically and that coupled  
with the extreme density of servers, SAN and so on we have seen a  
trend towards server vaulting wherein the entire data center is within  
our vaults. This is possible as data centers have become much smaller  
so the vault shell is not a big part of the investment. (Typically 1%  
of the data center cost to protect the center within a vault.)

But as of today, the advent of the Cloud and the trend to house huge  
processing platforms within shipping containers has become a hot  
trend. I personally feel jamming a huge company's data center into a  
shipping container offers little real advantage. But if you search  
"Data Center in a Box" you will see that this is like the race to land  
on the moon. Everyone wants to do it but we really don't know why we  
want to get there in the first place other than to say we have "Landed  
on the Moon."

FIRELOCK is forced to play this game as well so we have developed a  
version of this technology but with the twist that our container is a  
Class 125 Data Safe environment for the server vault center.

Just as with the Cloud, the computer hardware manufacturers believe  
this latest trend should be adopted universally.  But it seems amazing  
that the IT Manager who heretofore hid his data center in the middle  
of the corporate headquarters or hid it in an unmarked building to  
protect it from risk is now willing to house the data center in  
shipping containers located in the back parking lot of their  
headquarters.

As we move to an electronic records program, is protecting these data  
centers in a secure and fireproof vault shell of value or is sheer  
density of equipment the only answer?

I can tell you from discussions with two huge hardware manufacturers  
that lead the way here, they see no responsibility to protect the data  
center environment as they see these units like flashlight batteries,  
if they burn up, we just will add new containers. One huge financial  
institution saw only the need to protect the networking unit with all  
the communication wiring but not the electronic records.  They have  
the perception that "The CLOUD" can protect whatever needs protecting.

As such the Data Center in a Tin Can is off and running!  We offer an  
alternative but I am not seeing a records management presence in this  
debate.

Take a look at our YouTube video and then look at the Data center in a  
Box search results and tell me where a Records Management Industry  
position should be?

YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFQ9bOuQub4

This is another turning point for records management and I wonder if  
you are in the decision making loop or is IT off on their Virtual Cloud?

Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM

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