ioSafe Lauches 3.5-inch HDDs With Disaster Protection

ioSafe Inc., a leading provider of disaster-proof hardware and disaster recovery services, has introduced the ioSafe® 3.5 series, the industry’s first internal hard drive with disaster protection that offers computing systems – from PCs to servers – convenient, affordable, integrated data protection.

The ioSafe 3.5 drives are the first internal hard drives rated to protect data from fire and full immersion in water. They can be deployed and used exactly like any other industry-standard 3.5-inch disk drive, but with the added capability of disaster protection. The ioSafe 3.5 family extends the benefits of enterprise-level disaster protection to consumers, small businesses and remote offices, allowing them to secure their personal, financial and other data from unforeseen disasters without any other technology or hassle.

"The ioSafe 3.5 series represents an entirely new direction for the data storage industry," said Robb Moore, CEO of ioSafe. "What we’re offering is versatility, simplicity and peace of mind. Almost any computer or storage device containing vulnerable yet critical data can now have the ease of disk storage combined with our data disaster protection technology and exclusive Disaster Recovery Service. From small home offices to the largest enterprise, anyone struggling with backup, disaster recovery, security and compliance should consider the benefits of ioSafe technology."

"Small and medium businesses generally have no disaster recovery (DR) plans in place simply due to cost and complexity issues," said Arun Taneja, senior analyst and founder of The Taneja Group, an industry analyst group focusing on storage. "What is important about ioSafe’s 3.5 product is that it offers these customers an affordable, easy-to-implement solution for DR that integrates with their existing hardware and software infrastructure and requires no change to their existing processes. It is a truly viable approach to DR with an entry price point that starts below $350."

"Integrating ioSafe 3.5 drives and our industry-leading Netgear ReadyNAS technology is a simple way for our customers to add protection to their precious digital data," said Paul Tien, vice president of storage at Netgear. "We’re excited to work with ioSafe and enable the world’s first NAS device integrated with ioSafe technology."

"After a comprehensive evaluation of options, we chose ioSafe products because they provide an economical way for us to improve upon HIPAA compliance, security and disaster recovery," said Mardie Caldwell, CEO of Lifetime Adoption, a small California business focused on adoption facilitation. "Our company, without the resources of a large enterprise, is still compelled to resolve the same HIPAA compliance, disaster recovery and security issues that are especially challenging for the smaller businesses. Implementing an offsite strategy would expose our critical data to constant human error and unnecessary security risks. Using ioSafe technology is an integral component in our disaster recovery and compliance strategy."

ioSafe 3.5 product details
The ioSafe 3.5 drive is engineered to protect data from fire (up to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit) and flood (full immersion in fresh or salt water). These capabilities are made possible by placing the best 2.5-inch drive technology in an enclosure compatible with a 3.5-inch form factor. In the space surrounding the 2.5-inch drive, ioSafe Disaster Protection Technology protects the drive’s data against damage from fire, floods and other disasters – while at the same time cleverly resolving heat dissipation issues found in all computer systems.

The ioSafe 3.5 family features the following Disaster Protection Technology elements:

• ioSafe’s patented FloSafe cooling vent technology provides air-flow cooling to dissipate heat during normal operation. FloSafe technology also has the ability to detect destructive heat levels and automatically close the vents to protect data from extreme heat.
• Data on ioSafe drives also is protected from extreme heat by ioSafe’s proprietary DataCast endothermic insulation technology.
• ioSafe’s patent-pending MirrorGuard technology provides a highly reflective heat shield to deflect over 98 percent of the radiant heat from a fire, further protecting critical data.
• The patented HydroSafe technology is designed to protect data loss from fresh or salt-water damage, including full immersion. Simultaneously, HydroSafe technology allows the heat dissipation required by all computer hardware during normal operation.

The ioSafe 3.5 Pilot line is designed to maximize capacity and includes drives of 80GB, 160GB, 250GB and 320GB. The Pilot line uses a SATA I interface with an 8MB buffer size and 5400 rpm rotational speed.

The ioSafe 3.5 Squadron line is designed for higher performance and is built with a SATA II interface and 7200 rpm rotational speed disks. Capacities include 80GB, 160GB and 200GB disks.

With both ioSafe 3.5 lines, ioSafe provides its Disaster Recovery Service, an additional benefit offered at no extra charge. After a disaster event, most users will be able to perform phone-assisted self-recovery of data by simply removing the 2.5-inch drive from the ioSafe 3.5 enclosure and recovering the data directly. If necessary, additional data recovery support is provided by the ioSafe Disaster Recovery Service, which might include shipping the product back to ioSafe or to its third-party data recovery experts. All expedited shipping costs, replacement products and up to $2500 in third-party recovery fees are paid by ioSafe as part of the Disaster Recovery Service.

Availability and price
The ioSafe 3.5 series will begin shipping June 9, 2008, from a variety of distributors, integrators and e-tailers including Ingram Micro, Northern Video, Systemax, TigerDirect, KL Security, ISSI Data, NewEgg, PC Mall and Super Warehouse. The Netgear NV+ NAS device loaded with ioSafe 3.5 series drives will be available at the ioSafe website.

MSRP for the ioSafe 3.5 Pilot ranges from $329 to $449. MSRP for the ioSafe 3.5 Squadron ranges from $359 to $459. Prices include a three-year warranty and the ioSafe Disaster Recovery Service upon product registration, ensuring users have 24/7/365 disaster support and assistance with recovering precious information following a disaster.