Data Inserts for Fireproof Filing Cabinets

Most fireproof filing cabinets are rated to protect paper. But nowadays, so much business is conducted online or electronically, with information stored on memory pens, hard drives and disk. These items are far more vulnerable to heat damage than paper. So what’s the best way to protect them?

One option might be to invest in a heavy duty data safe. These are safes that have been specifically designed to protect fragile electronic media. They provide a high level of fire resistance, but can be somewhat on the expensive side. They also take up valuable floor space for the sake of storing items that could just as easily fit in a single drawer of a filing cabinet.

Perhaps a better option is to purchase a data insert for your existing fireproof filing cabinet. A data insert provides an extra layer of protection for electronic media stored in your cabinet by keeping it below 55° C, the temperature at which data will degrade or be lost.

Data inserts are typically boxes that fit snugly into one of your filing cabinet’s drawers, essentially turning that drawer into a data safe. Inserts designed for filing cabinets tend to be top-opening for ease of access. A standard insert should have more than enough space for all the vital electronic records a small business needs to keep protected from fire. An added benefit is that you can potentially store all your documents, both paper and electronic, in a single filing cabinet.

As is the case with fireproof filing cabinets, a data insert will carry its own fire rating to indicate how much protection it provides. They should, of course, all be rated to protect data. They may be designated D, DIS or DI, depending on the level of protection and the type of fire test conducted on the insert.

Note that the level of protection a data insert is rated to provide depends on the insert being correctly placed within a fireproof filing cabinet. The fireproof filing cabinet must also have a matching rating; a data insert with a 90 minute fire rating may not provide that level of protection if placed inside a 30 or 60 minute filing cabinet.