Data Fire Protection: Fireproof Your Most Valuable Asset

Just like a priceless art collection, quality data is something that takes time to curate and often holds inestimable value. Data fire protection systems are a crucial but often overlooked aspect of fire safety. Keep reading to learn how you can fireproof data storage solutions and follow best practices for fire prevention.

Why is Protecting Data from Fire Crucial?

Protecting data from fire might not be as high on your priority list as protecting physical assets. Yet in modern times, data is almost more valuable than gold. It may be difficult or even impossible to rebuild data sets whose sources no longer exist or have been lost. 

Fireproofing data storage facilities, as well as following best practices (such as making regular secure backups to cloud storage) will help you avoid expensive data loss in the event of fire.

Why Data Risk Assessment Matters

The threat and risk of fire isn’t confined to limited environments – a fire can break out in your home, in office facilities, or in data centres. 

Data that is stored on physical media such as servers, hard drives, or in paper filing systems, may include vital information such as business or medical records and other vital documents. 

A smart best practice is to have data risk reduction measures in place. To work out what data protection you need:

• Identify and categorise critical data: Which data has the highest value or is the most irreplaceable?
• Prioritise data protection needs: Which data needs the best level of protection, and what fire suppression for data storage will give the highest level of protection? 

4 Ways to Fireproof Physical Storage Solutions

So, how can you fireproof data storage solutions against common causes of data centre fires?

1. Install fireproof safes: Invest in fireproof safes where hard drives and backups may be kept with additional thermal insulation and protection.
2. Consider offsite storage: If possible, opt to keep physical data backups offsite at fire-protected facilities that have a lower risk profile than your main facilities (at least, until you have jacked up your on-site data protection).
3. Invest in critical fireproofing: Have fire safety professionals install a direct or indirect low-pressure fire suppression system such as advanced sprinkler systems with automated smoke and heat detection for rapid response.
4. Fireproof data storage safes: Add additional in-safe protection and fire suppression solutions so that there are multiple stages of defence that will prevent damage in the event of a fire outbreak.

Smarter Storage of Data: Backup Strategies

Besides installing non-damaging fire suppression systems specially designed to extinguish without destroying electrical systems, you can protect data by following smart backup strategies:

• Regular, distributed backups: Frequently backup your data to multiple secure locations so that you are not dependent on a single storage source that could fail
• Automate regular backups: This will help minimise the risk of data loss due to human negligence or error

Cloud data fire protection is built-in to the digital medium: What isn’t stored physically simply isn’t vulnerable to fire damage. It is still wise to keep physical backups somewhere fireproof in case cloud solutions should go down. 

Comprehensive Fire Protection Strategy: Fire Suppression Systems

You may follow the best practices for fireproofing safes and investing in cloud storage outlined above. Yet even then, a comprehensive fire protection strategy is the only way to ensure total coverage and protection. 

To keep both data and your physical equipment such as servers safe:

• Install fire suppression systems in critical data storage areas: A direct or indirect low-pressure system with pneumatic heat-sensitive tubing that will sense the fire and flood the system with a dry chemical powder (indirect) or sense the fire and direct the suppression agent to the protected area (direct).
• Fireproof using advanced sprinkler systems: Your fire safety professionals will advise you regarding the best systems for the least risk of damage to electrical components
• Keep informed of the latest in fire safety innovation: Make sure your protection system uses the latest and most effective technology
• Install fire protection alarm systems: An early warning may mean the difference between saving and losing data

Test and Update Your Data Protection Plan Often

The best practices for fire prevention aren’t ‘set and forget.’ Test and update your fire protection systems often and update your data fire protection and storage of data as technology and risks evolve and change. 

Treating your data with the same care as you would treat a priceless, carefully curated art collection will ensure that you have the data you need at your fingertips exactly when you need it. Contact East Rand Fire now to schedule a risk assessment.