Do you try to protect your onsite backup from fire? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I fully understand backup in layers. Ideally you want an onsite backup, and an offsite backup. But for the onsite... do you even try to protect it from fire?

If not, doesn't that mean all your "fire" protection is really just the one online layer?

And if you do, where do you get such a thing. I have looked around, I can't find anything that actually lists hard drives as protected. Like sentry safe has "data protection" safes, but they say this

"CDs, DVDs, memory sticks and USB drives up to 1700°F (927°C) for all FPW base models. These products are NOT intended to protect computer floppy or 21⁄4” diskettes, cartridges, tapes, audio or video cassettes, or photo negatives. "

That doesn't seem to include HDD or SSD. So I started wondering if anyone actually tries to protect their onsite backup from fire.

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[-] rmuk@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago

As far as I'm concerned fire and flood are just game over for data. There are resistant enclosures but I wouldn't count in them. For what they cost, I'd rather buy a cheap HP Microserver with a bunch of hard disks and install it at family's house, which is what I do. That way I've got a physical object I can drive over and collect if needed, and it's still remote.

[-] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 days ago

Yes. At work

[-] xylene@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 week ago

I don't bother.

A fire (or flood or theft or...?) threat might take out both of my local copies. To offset that risk, I put a lot of effort into making sure the offsite copy is always functional, up-to-date, and healthy (S.M.A.R.T and otherwise).

I've been considering keeping a fourth copy of extra extremely crucial data encrypted on Backblaze B2, but honestly...if I lose my whole 3-2-1 stack, it's probably time to go live as a goat.

[-] hansolo@lemmy.today 17 points 1 week ago

Just put some stuff on a HDD, encrypt it, and keep it at your parent's house.

[-] postnataldrip@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Yeah this is what I do. All the important or irreplaceable stuff easily fits on a USB HDD, and I leave one with a friend I visit regularly. I just run three drives total and no more than two of them are in the same place at the same time. Cheap, simple, and a good excuse to catch up.

[-] hansolo@lemmy.today 7 points 6 days ago

This should be a thing. Like a trusted group of people to store encrypted backups at their house. Just needs a catchy name. "Data Safety Social Club"?

[-] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 3 points 6 days ago

Crash plan used to have a "backup to your friends" solution. They ended it, dammit

[-] zxqwas@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The cloud storage is backed up to an external harddrive (only like 200 GB) and the on site stuff is backed up to the cloud.

If we end up with the office burning down and a ransomware attack or something at the cloud storage at the same time we are beyond fucked anyway.

At home I've got nothing important enough to care for either.

What I'd do is occasionally take an external harddrive with a backup to another site. Does not need to be fire proof. Sure you can have two simultaneous fires, but you've got to draw the line somewhere.

[-] DrDystopia@lemy.lol 6 points 1 week ago

My off site backup are physical drives in another building.

[-] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

My production and onsite backup burned in a fire this summer. Everything backed up remotely. Once I get new hardware I'll be back where I left off in less than an hour (if everything goes as planned)

[-] astrsk@fedia.io 5 points 1 week ago

Sure, my place has the required residential sprinklers and a couple up to date fire extinguishers around.

Besides, offsite backup is 1:1 on identical hardware with off-grid power resilience. Worst case scenario I have to order new hardware and physically move the old machine for a local duplication again.

All of it is insured of course with yearly audits.

[-] HubertManne@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago

I use a fireproof safe but never bothered to look to see if it would protect. just assumed.

[-] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Seems like the vast majority don't. They protect paper, but not drives...

[-] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

maybe he keeps on his backup on punch cards?

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

You can if you use USB HDDs or tapes for backups.

[-] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I assume the intent here is humor. Or am I missing something?

[-] sparky1337@ttrpg.network 5 points 1 week ago

I think they mean if you’re using removable media that is easily portable then the answer to your question about fire proofing is doable.

You can store them in a fire safe when not actively backing up or need constant access.

[-] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 1 points 6 days ago

Fireproof safes are for paper, not drives or tape.

They work by having a material in the walls that breaks down from heat, keeping the interior cool enough for paper.

I wouldn't trust that without some kind of testing.

[-] sparky1337@ttrpg.network 1 points 6 days ago

Well, honestly they’re not really good for anything. Most manufacturers use a bake type method, which is not in anyway comparable to a house engulfed in actual flames.

As a general consumer, this is about the best you can do. Put whatever in a “fireproof” bag inside a “fireproof” safe and you might save your data in the event of a fire.

It’s the same thing about gun “safes”. They’re not really safes unless you spend big money. Like $10,000+. Otherwise they’re categorized as “residential containers”.

I should have clarified whether or not my answer was in response to “is it possible” instead of “is it recommended”.

[-] Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me 2 points 1 week ago

That's what the off-site backups are for.

[-] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

MTO answer your title, yes. He's you should.

[-] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

No. I didn't do backups during the last decades, so maybe I'm going to start some day, eventually, but surely not with overdoing it ;-)

this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2025

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