Sentry Group announced that the company has partnered with Maxtor Storage Solutions to develop the world's first affordable hard drives that protect data from fire and water disasters, as well as computer crashes and theft. The hard drive is in a SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof enclosure that protects data from fire and water. It is ETL verified for fire protection for 30 minutes up to 1550 degrees F and ETL verified waterproof - meaning it is fully submersible for up to 24 hours.

    Sondra McFarlane, director of marketing communications for Sentry Group stated: "We are thrilled to partner with Maxtor digital storage, a leader in manufacturing hard drives and backup solutions, to provide consumers with affordable FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof hard drives. As a leader in the security storage industry, Sentry Group sought to develop a new product that would help consumers connect, back-up and protect their digital information, while at the same time safeguarding their electronic data from fire and water.

    Electronic data is becoming increasingly prevalent and valuable to both the residential and business market segments. Today's home offices, small businesses and everyday consumers often store important digital files on external hard drives, as they are the primary means for backing up information. According to measurement firm IDC, more than 495 million hard drives were sold in 2006. Unfortunately Businesses are finding that when a disaster happens - fire, flood, theft or natural disaster - they are ill prepared to protect their data from loss. After a disaster, 44 percent of companies that lose their operating data close their doors forever.

    BenHur Castro, senior director of product line management for Maxtor storage solutions went on saying that "Maxtor is in the business of saving your digital life. In this digital era, much of what people value is now in a digital format. The tie in with a company like Sentry Safe simply makes sense. We are happy to take the next step in securing and backing up your digital data by partnering with a provider that can protect it from fire, flood and other unforeseen natural disasters."

    At the CES Unveiled at NY event, Sentry Group previewed six new Data and Document Security products that specifically protect digital assets. Among the six new products are two SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof Hard Drives containing the award winning Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini hard drive - the first mobile storage solution that contains a full suite of software protection tools, including data encryption and a bare metal system restore. The new SentrySafe FIRE-SAFE/Waterproof Hard Drive is available in 160GB, MSPR $319.99 and in 80GB, MSRP $259.99.

    "We were able to take our knowledge - which we've gained from being in the security storage industry for more than 75 years - and partner with Maxtor to provide consumers with a completely brand-new concept," McFarlane added.