We Got Served

Today, I am taking a look at the ioSafe Solo external hard drive.  This is single drive USB connected device that looks more like my Sans Digital DAS unit, size-wise, than a single drive external package.

And it weighs a lot more.  15 pounds to be exact.  Why is that?  According to ioSafe:

The ioSafe Solo was developed to provide protection where data is most vulnerable. Home users and businesses often leave valuable and irreplaceable information exposed to natural disaster because of what was the expense and time consideration of implementing a disaster recovery solution. The ioSafe Solo changes all of that!

Quite simply, the reason why this device is rather large and heavy is that it is built to protect your precious data in the event of a disaster, whether from a fire or flood.  The ioSafe Solo is rated to protect the contents from fire up to 1550°F and submersion in fresh or salt water up to 3 days at depths to 10 feet.  I can visualize 10 feet of water, but is 1550°F enough for a fire in your home?  According to the Oklahoma State Department of Heath, “In only 3 1/2 minutes, the heat from a house fire can reach over 1100 degrees Fahrenheit.”  This seems like a comfortable amount of headroom for the temperatures generated from a fire.

So how do they do all this?  Through the use of various materials, encasing techniques, and a few unique design features is how.  The mechanical engineer in me says “let’s go over each and every feature that makes this work!”  The blogger in me says “Show ‘em a picture!”  Engineers tend to get excited by the oddest things.  To most people, it doesn’t matter how it works.  It matters that it does work.  So the blogger wins and here is a picture of the guts of this beast.  This is not your ordinary external HD enclosure.

And for the more technical minded readers, I was able to find the following graphic which provides a brief explanation of the various internal design features.

You may ask yourself why would I need this?  In order to answer this question, one must take a look at how WHS’s are being used.  Is a WHS a kind of total home network backup software solution?  Or is it more?  The answer is yes.  And yes.  The most important function of a WHS is as an image based backup software solution for computers in your home.  The second major function is it’s use as a central repository and streaming device for the digital data in a home, whether that is music, pictures, or movies.  Once one begins to use a WHS as a central repository, the need to back-up the back-up device becomes quite important.

What are those back-up procedures and the resultant method of protecting those backups?  For procedures, you have:

• Folder duplication of your shares
• WHS BDBB for your computer back-up images
• Server Backup

Folder duplication is quite nice in that it is transparent to the user.  Set it up and WHS does it’s thing.  The disadvantage of Folder duplication is that it duplicates files across drives in the pool.  You can’t take these “duplications” off-site.

WHS BDBB is a fantastic add-in, but in it’s current version, it does require one to manually copy over these back-up images.

The same is true of a Server Backup.  This built-in option to WHS backs up your Shares to a separate drive, but once again, it is a manual operation.

For a method of protecting those backups, you have:

• The Cloud
• Cycling of back-up drives to an off-site location

The “cloud” has it’s advantages and disadvantages.  Perhaps the biggest advantage is that it can be easily automated.  The major disadvantages are the initial time to transfer data and the associated costs, which are recurring costs.

Cycling of back-up drives requires an initial investment in 2 or more drives.  It also requires you to perform this cycling function on a timely basis.  Priorities for performing this task can vary from week to week.  We all have busy lives and the more we can automate such a mundane task, the better.

But is there another alternative?  As you may have already guessed, the answer is Yes and it is in the form of the ioSafe Solo.

I would like to thank ioSafe for making the ioSafe Solo available for review.

Features:

• ioSafe Solo: The world’s first affordable high capacity disaster proof hard drive
• ioSafe® FloSafe air cooled technology
• Protects precious digital memories from fires & floods.
• Back up your PC or laptop hard drives
• Fire: 1550 F, 1/2 hr per ASTM E119 DataCast Technology
• Flood: Full immersion, 10 ft. 3 days HydroSafe Technology
• Store and protect from fire and flood, your precious photos music and video libraries
  Easily protect your data with automatic backup software. Get started quickly with preloaded software – No CDs!
• Active cooling for reliable operation
• Operates at up to 35°C (95°F)
• Up to 1.5 TB storage capacity
• USB 2.0 interface
• Compatible with Windows, Linux and Macintosh

Specifications:

Operational Details:

1. Single disk. 500 GB, 1TB and 1.5TB capacities.
2. Quiet forced air cooling.
3. Multi-platform compatibility: Windows, Mac and Linux
4. USB 2.0, 7200 RPM, up to 480Mb/s

Disaster & Security Specifications:

1. Fire protection – 1550F, 1/2 hour per ASTM E119
2. Tested per UL, FCC and CE Standards
3. Flood / submersion protection – to 10 feet water depth, 3 days.
4. Proven data protection and recovery.  Tested to ASTM E119 standards for fire exposure.
5. Physical theft protection
6. Cable lock or floor mount optional

Support:

1. $1,000 Data Disaster Recovery Guarantee. One time, no questions asked policy. See website for details.
2. 3 Year standard manufacturer’s warranty for defects

Operating Environmental:

1. Operating: 0-35° C (95°F)
2. Non-operating: 0-1550°F, 1/2 hour per ASTM E119
3. Operating Humidity: 20% – 80% (non-condensing)
4. Non-operating Humidity: 100%, Full water immersion, 10 feet, 3 days.

Physical:

1. Size: 5.0″W x 7.1″H x 11.0″L
2. Weight: 15 lbs

Inside The Box:

1. ioSafe Solo USB External Hard Drive
2. USB Cable
3. Power Supply
4. Owners Manual and Warranty

Electrical:

1. Electrical – AC input
2. Voltage: 80 ~ 264 VAC at 50/60 HZ
3. Typical Power Consumption: < 25W

Before I proceed further, I always like to provide some background information on the company that manufactures the product I am looking at today.  From their website:

ioSafe designs and manufactures disaster proof hardware to protect digital assets. Using its patent pending technologies, ioSafe offers a new breed of data storage. Like an aircraft black box, the ioSafe system provides complete protection for your personal and business data. Please take a look at our press releases, news items and upcoming events!

ioSafe is a privately held company with headquarters in Auburn, California. If you have any comments or concerns about our products, services or support, please call 1-888-984-6723 or send an email to sales@ioSafe.com. We welcome your feedback.

What’s In The Box?

Upon opening the shipping box, you will find inside the the securely packaged ioSafe Solo device and a white container.

This appeared to be an off-the-shelf UPS box, as I found a UPS logo imprinted on it.  I am not sure if this is the kind of box that you would receive, but as you can see below, I am happy that the Solo had a decent amount of open space around it.  The contents was packaged quite nicely, but this is not the most secure shipping box I have seen.

Just a picture of the Solo after initial removal from the shipping box.  As you can see, I happened to have a curious cat during the unboxing.

And a picture of the contents inside the white box.

And all laid out.

And a couple of final shots of just the IoSafe Solo unit.  The front:

And the back:

Take note of that tab/hole on the base.  I will get back to that in a bit.

Hooking It Up

After the initial unboxing, I carried it into my computer room and sat it down next to my WHS.  This is no lightweight.  15 pounds of solid steel and other materials encase the hard drive.  It was quite a simple matter from there to plug in the power cord and USB cable.

Turn on the power switch and and you are greeted with a the soft glow of blue lights.  When I first turned on the Solo, I was rather concerned about the fan noise that was generated from the location I had chosen to place this unit.  A rather high-pitched whine was coming from the back of the unit.  It was quite noticeable and very annoying.  However, within a matter of minutes, the noise level simply went away to the point where I had to get up close and personal to hear it.  After letting it run for a few hours, I turned it off and back on.  I heard a momentary whine before it settled back down to a near silent device.  I can only attribute the initial fan whine when first turned on originally was a bit of fan “break-in”.

My WHS console pre-Solo:

My WHS console post-Solo.  Recognition was almost instant.

And a picture of Windows Explorer. 500 GB’s of (io)SAFE storage was now at my disposal.  If you read the specs, one can purchase this unit with a 1TB or 1.5TB hard drive, if so desired.  And it would not surprise me if 2TB versions will be available in the near future.

Back Up That Data!

So now what?  Add it to the pool, of course.  But not as part of the main pool, but as a back-up drive for the Share folders.  Click on the Server Storage tab, highlight the Solo drive,

click on the Add option,

and add the drive as seen in the following screens.

Not required, but I did it anyway!

I now have a Server Backup Hard Drive.

Of course, we are not done yet.  The drive is sitting there empty just waiting for some data to protect.  It now time to click on the Computers and Backup tab.  When you add a Backup drive to WHS, it also creates a new computer under Computers and Backup, your WHS!  Simply highlight this computer:

click on Backup Now

tell WHS which Share folders you want backed up

and click on Backup Now.  Be sure to check the “Remember these settings for future backups” box.

378 GB’s of data backup takes a while to do, about 4 hours to be exact.  Just go away, take a nap, watch a movie or 2, or simply go to bed and come back in the morning.

The result:

Once you have backed up your Shares folder, it is now time to backup your client images.  WHS BDBB does an incredible job of performing this function, which really should be a part of the base OS.  As with the Shares backup, this is not an automated backup.  You do have to remember to perform this function.  Please refer to my review of this add-in on how to setup and use.

Performance

One of the review sections that a device such as this normally requires is performance tests and discussion.  I decided to forego the “normal” tests.  Why?  This device is designed and built to survive.  Fast performance, while always good to have, is not the primary function.  Especially when one considers that this is a USB attached drive, not an eSATA attached drive.

Perhaps another way of putting this is the ability to survive various disaster scenarios are the performance tests needed here.  Unfortunately, that is not something that I can do.  I have neither the equipment, tools, or expertise to perform disaster and recovery tests.  So, the next best thing is to find some information that does demonstrate these features.  I trust that the following video will leave little doubt in your mind that the ioSafe Solo passes any disaster “performance” test.

The Worst Case Scenario

By using WHS’s built-in backup feature for the Shares folder and using WHS BDBB to backup your client images, you are now set to have a disaster-proof backup of whatever you choose to duplicate.  The only problem that would occur is if your Shares were to become larger than the Solo drive capacity.  At that point, it would be time to buy a second Solo!  There is one more disaster prevention feature that the ioSafe Solo has.  Remember the picture of the back of the ioSafe that I told you to take note of?  That tab/hole is there to allow you padlock the Solo to whatever you desire.  Assuming you use an appropriate padlock and cable, you have now made it theft-proof.

Simply imagine the disaster of all disasters.  Someone breaks into your home while you are on vacation.  They steal everything of value that can be easily hauled away.  Since the ioSafe Solo is anchored and padlocked, it doesn’t fall under the “easily hauled away” category.  Upon finally exiting your home, those dastardly thieve(s) decide to torch your house to cover their tracks.  1100°F of hot flames envelope your home, just before a hurricane hits.  Wave upon wave of water washes away every last bit of evidence that your home ever existed.  With the exception of 2 items.  That ioSafe device and the item it was anchored to.

While you finish up the insurance details and start to get your life back together, you send in the ioSafe Solo to ioSafe, where they remove the hard drive, recover your data and provide you with a new ioSafe Solo unit.  Your insurance settlement gets your life back on track and ioSafe gets back your digital memories.  This disaster recovery process is part of the complete disaster package you get when you purchase an ioSafe Solo.

From ioSafe:

• The Disaster Recovery Service must be activated with product registration and is a critical aspect of your disaster contingency plan.
• If you or your company has a disaster or system failure, simply call 1.530.886.1578 ext. 430 or email disastersupport@iosafe.com.
• The ioSafe Disaster Response Team will assist you with the recovery process.
• A Disaster Response Team Leader will be assigned to your disaster as your single point of contact.
• Up to $20,000 Data Extraction Guarantee
• All overnight freight costs associated with the disaster event paid for by ioSafe.
• Free replacement ioSafe unit with recovered data.
• Follow up support to integrate recovered data with computer system.
• Available during the original warranty period and can be extended up to 5 years.

Costs and Conclusion

So, there you have it.  The ioSafe Solo is a bit like having an extension of your bank right in your home.  Secure, water-proof, and fire-proof.  And since this device can stay in your home, you don’t have to have that second hard drive.  You don’t have to swap out hard drives with an off-site drive on some daily, weekly, monthly, or when-I-get-around-to-it schedule.  The only thing you have to remember is to:

1. Manually backup your Shares folder daily.
2. Manually backup your client backups daily.

Once you done the initial backups, any further backups are incremental-based backups.  A rather quick and painless chore to perform.

Do I like the ioSafe Solo?  You bet!  Quiet, unobtrusive, and designed to give you peace-of-mind that your digital memories can survive the worst.  But what is all this going to cost you?  Going over to the ioSafe website provided me with the following cost matrix.

$1000 Disaster Recovery Service (DRS) Cost Matrix:

$400 sounds like a lot for a 1.5 TB drive.  However, if you consider the next best alternative where one switches a drive out with an off-site drive:

(2) 1.5 TB hard drives: ~$260

(2) external USB enclosures: ~$50

Total: ~$310

Yes, you do pay a small premium.  Hopefully, you would never need to test the Disaster Recovery Service.  But if you ever did need it, $90 is cheap insurance.

Pros:

• Complete protection of your digital data/memories.
• It is quiet.
• If one were to use this device in conjunction with a wireless network device such as the Silex SX-2000WG+, you could locate (hide) this device just about anywhere in your home.

Cons:

• You do pay a premium for this device, but that is to be expected.  Quite simply, you get what you pay for: peace of mind.
• You have a choice of silver or… silver.  Of course, this is not a vanity product.
• USB is a universal I/O port, but an eSATA port would also be nice to have.

Company: ioSafe

Model Reviewed: ioSafe Solo

Cost: See the above cost matrix