Business Continuity Advice & Consulting

An Evening with Business Coach John Schallert

2009-10-30T07:44:00.003-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a seminar with nationally recognized business coach, Mr. John Schallert. With over 100 local businesses in attendance were able to learn several new methods of business promotion and marketing as well how to tailor our unique positioning statements.

Mr. Schallert did a great job of presenting, had just the right amount of humor and always made sure to provide some real world examples of other destination cities and businesses that are doing great through a tougher economy.

It's always great to reaffirm that you are doing many things right within your business such as social media websites LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Overall it's great to be reminded that business is continually evolving and you need to stay ahead of the curve. We pride our business on the ultra service of self service pricing for our safes and gsa approved containers. This allows all of our clients to get budgetary pricing in just a matter of minutes. It's very useful for last minute budget meetings and comparing prices to our competitors and other brands.

We'll continue to work hard at making our business the best choice for safes, fire files and bank equipment by providing tremendous service, expert product knowledge and 24/7 quotes and estimates.

Luxury Safes for High Security

2009-10-29T08:43:00.003-05:00

When it comes to keeping precious valuables, jewelry, coins or collectibles at home, the German safe makers dominate the luxury-class safe niche with Doettling and Stcokinger.

These high end safes feature solid wood, glass, leather, natural fabrics, aluminum and carbon. The interior components include electronic locks, display with backlight, shelves with adjustable height settings and is resistant to both cracking and fire.

BPAs Blanket Purchase Agreements

2009-10-28T07:30:00.004-05:00

Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) are a business tool that our company uses to help our client fulfill their needs for safes, fire files and paper shredders.

A blanket purchase agreement (BPA) is a simplified method of purchasing and acquisition that we use for trusted clients to fulfill their needs for specialty products. In a nut shell, the BPA is a charge account.

By utilizing a BPA for your GSA Approved Safe and container needs we can better plan and forecast production needs. Throughout the year there are peak times for acquisition and the need to buy a GSA Approved Safe, by having a BPA in place we can reduce the lead times and provide products in a timely fashion.

Delivery schedules can then be adjusted to meet the unique needs of each client no matter if safes are being delivered to 100 locations or by the truckload to a central warehouse. We specialize in working out logistics to ensure that you are meeting your goals and deadlines for secure document storage.

For more information in establishing a BPA for your business call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Record Storage Cabinets from FireKing

2009-10-23T08:11:00.003-05:00

Oversized record storage often requires a special cabinet that can meet a wide range of needs. For businesses that store binders, end tab files or side tab files, the FireKing Record Storage Cabinet is often the best choice.

Available in two (2) sizes and many optional features for storing medical records, plans, files or boxes this versatile fireproof cabinet might be right for your business.

Standard Features Include:
High Security Oversized Record Storage
*

UL Rated 350 1 hour
*

Adjustable Shelves for customized interiors
*

Medeco Key lock - drill and pick resistant
*

Powder Coated finish for scratch resistance

The model CF7236-D and the CF44236-D are each 72" and 44" High respectively, giving you the most storage capacity in a UL Fire Rated Cabinet.

Optional Accessories

End-Tab Filing
Store end-tab files with adjustable and modular end-tab filing shelves for easy, at-a-glance records archiving.

File Drawer
The optional modular File Drawer comes in either a legal configuration, storing two rows of legal-sized folders side by side, or letter configuration, holding letter-sized folders in a single row.

Pull-Out Tray
Create a convenient tabletop workspace in seconds with the Pull-Out Tray. It’s sturdy enough to act as a writing surface, and discreet enough to slide out of the way when not in use.

Blueprint Holder
Organize, store and access blueprints quickly with this convenient accessory. Blueprints are stored unfurled and upright so that designs and schematics are stored for easy access fire safe protection.

For more information call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Backup Hard Drives: Lessons Learned

2009-10-22T08:05:00.004-05:00

Back up your data.

Repeat: Back up your data.

We can never say this enough to our clients, friends and family, but please back up your data. I am often baffled when I speak with clients and other business owners who have never taken the time to backup their important databases, email or confidential information. More often than not the reasoning tends to be 'laziness' or not 'having enough time' in the day.

No matter if you are a business owner or simply have a personal computer or laptop, the fact of the matter is that at some point your hard drive will crash. Often times this means the loss of family photos, video of birthday parties, etc. Your data and priceless and spending a few moments of your time and a few dollars on a backup hard drive or flash drive is well worth it.

You never realize how priceless your data is until you have lost it forever.

If you would like to learn more about external hard drives visit our website at http://www.hddfiresafe.com

Compare GunVault Bio and MiniVault; Review the Pros and Cons

2009-10-21T08:22:00.008-05:00

The Gun Vault lines of safes from Cannon has been a great solution to several challenges of gun ownership - Safety and Security.

For gun owners that want to ensure the safety of their families from burglary or intruders the GunVault comes in two flavors, a hand operated touchpad or keypad lock or the biometric fingerprint lock. Each of these locks has its pros and cons and we'll take a look at each one below.

GunVault Bio

The biometric lock on the BIO gun vault safe offers convenience and safety for children. Programmable up to 30 fingerprints, you can limit access to the safe very easily. If you buy the gunvault bio you can rest assured that children or teenagers will be deterred from getting into the safe.

Pros: Limits Access (access control), Improved Safety for Families with Children.

Easy to install the 9V volt battery.

Cons: One downside to the Biometric lock is that it does not open as quickly as the keypad or touchpad version. If you require lighting fast entry to this gun safe it is suggested that you demo each model to determine which works best for you.

MiniDeluxe

The MiniDeluxe features an interior courtesy light just like the biometric safe and utilizes a four button touchpad lock for entry.

Pros: Easy programming of combination lock. Fast entry. With just a little practice you can open the GunVault mini or mini deluxe in mere seconds.

Cons: Difficult to install batteries. This gun safe requires eight (8) AA batteries for operation without the power supply and they are difficult to install if you have large hands.

Overall both of these gun safes from Cannon are great for safety and security. Ultimately it is up to you to decide which is best for your situation.

For those of you with children, the biometric fingerprint lock offers great safety from loaded handguns. For those looking for security and to keep a loaded firearm in the home, the Mini Deluxe might be the best choice.

For more information call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306.

IPS Containers Revisited

2009-10-20T10:33:00.003-05:00

Detailed Look at at Class 5 Containers for SIPRNet and Compusec

Our full line of GSA Approved IPS Containers and Safes are fully approved for the storage of computer equipment, encryption devices, servers and PC's that process classified and top secret materials and data. When comparing IPS safes it is important to take a look at the full features available.

Our Hamilton Safe brand include the following:

• 2 fans, 10 inches diameter circulate up to 550 CFM free air each

• 12" X 12" X 1" air filter slot for proper air filtration

• Cable-entry box with six (6) half inch diameter openings for power and signal input cables

• Optional Hoffman box for cables inside of conduit

• 19" EIA rackmounts or 24" EIA vertical rackmount

• X-09 Digital Lock

• Class 5 protection

Some GSA safes for IPS concerns in extreme environments are required. For specialized containers with air conditioning, climate control and shielded environments we refer clients to Trusted Systems @ www.trustedsys.com

Transactiion Drawers & Bank Drive Up Deal Drawers

2009-10-20T09:44:00.004-05:00

Emphasizing Bank Teller Comfort

Transaction drawers for banks and retail restaurant drive up and drive thru business are primarily designed with safety and security in mind. This includes UL Rated Level 3 bullet resistance rugged construction to handle a variety of sizes and weights during the transaction process. Today, Hamilton Safe manufacturers in the USA a variety of deal drawers that also place importance on customer relationship management (CRM) and comfort of the employee.

The microphone and speaker (audio system) communication is built to provide years of reliable performance is serviceable from outside your bank branch or restaurant drive thru. This allows for improved security and mitigates risk of having non-employees in secure areas of the bank safe.

From a comfort perspective the deal drawer is sealed to outside air; outside and inside doors are never open at the same time to keep employees comfortable during winter weather months. Optional heaters will warm any cold air inside the deal drawer during the process.

Most clients choose the 400DD or DCD-18 for the best in value and price.

For more information call 1-866-867-0306

ioSafe

2009-10-19T10:40:00.004-05:00

Hard drives and storage represent a very large market in the United States. Research indicated that by 2014 there will be approx. 12TB of data in the home and storage is compounding by 60-100% per yr.

When you factor in the thousands of digital family photos and videos of precious memories you are talking about some very important data. From a business standpoint this mean customer databases, lists, documents, literature as well as confidential digital files that cannot be stored off site or in the 'cloud.'

ioSafe, the leading manufacturer of hard drives now offers home and businesses users a better value per gigabyte when comparing backup hard drives. The ioSafe drives are fireproof and waterproof and meant to be used a backup of your primary computer hard drive, Mac, laptop or server. When choosing storage options, ioSafe delivers tremendous value, support and included data recovery service (think of it as an insurance policy on your data) for all of your important data.

For a Free consultation call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

TRTL Rated Safes Made In America

2009-10-16T07:52:00.006-05:00

Hamilton Safe recently announced that their line of TRTL 30x6 safes are the only dual rated high security safes Made in America. As the premier manufacturer of safes in the United States, Hamilton continues to serve the banking and financial markets as well as pharmaceutical, government and retail environments with the best in physical and electronic security equipment.

In 2009, the TL rated safes from Hamilton also passed the UL 1-Hour fire rating and carry a dual label. This engineering feat allows businesses to achieve business goals for physical security and business continuity or disaster recovery (DR) with a single solution.

For more information call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Computer Media Fire Safes

2009-10-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

Storing computer media over the long term, often called archiving or archival storage is a very important part of business continuity planning for many businesses.

Data retention policies, or the need to retrieve data from a certain number of years prior is very common in today's climate of information security. Many companies choose to archive data on media tapes such as DLT or LTO tapes. These magnetic media backup copies are much like the "cassettes" you used to play in your tape deck. Albeit these forms of backup computer media can store a large volume of Gigabytes (GB).

Proper storage of removable backup tapes includes limiting moisture or humidity levels as well as protecting from dust, fire and water. In order to properly store magnetic media it is suggested that the humidity levels stay below 80% (especially during a fire) and that the storage temperature never exceed 125 degrees F.

Imagine if you put your computer hard drive or SD card in the oven and baked them at 350 degrees for 1 hour? What would you get? Melted plastic!

Media or Data fire safes are engineered to specifically protect precious backup media tapes from fire, water and other natural disasters. Just as important they offer physical security to prevent theft of priceless or regulated data.

While media safes come in a variety of sizes, UL fire ratings and security ratings it's best to consult with experienced professionals before you purchase.

HELPFUL TIPS

- Make sure you store computer media in a UL 125 Rated Safe
- DO NOT store removable computer tapes or external hard drives in a UL 350 fire rated safe or cabinet, this fire rating will not keep your devices from melting!
- A 3 hour fire safe is not always necessary! Understand your location relative to the fire department and make an educated decision from there.

Speak with a consultant by calling Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Bank Drive Thru Tubes

2009-10-13T09:02:00.002-05:00

Drive up banking and drive through teller lanes are very common in suburban areas and smaller cities across the United States. A common question our staff is asked is how do bank air tubes work?

Quite simply, air tubes (known as pneumatic tube systems) is a closed system of compressed air that is powered by a blower or fan. Through computer control the air is able to move your bank transaction from the drive thru lane to the bank in a system of vacuum tubes.

These "point to point tubes" are also used in a wide variety of industries to transport documents, medications in the drive up pharmacy or even heavy objects in a manufacturing facility.

Hurricane Rated Window Applications

2009-10-12T08:38:00.004-05:00

We offer a full line of Miami Dade County Approved windows that can withstand hurricane and high wind conditions. Through specialized high velocity wind tests these windows are tested by shooting boards and wooden posts at high speeds with a pneumatic air gun. To pass the test the windows must meet the following specs.:

Air Infiltration Test, per FBC, TAS 202-94
Uniform Static Air Pressure Test, FBC, TAS 202-94
Water Resistance Test, per FBC, TAS 202-94
Large Missle Impact Test, per FBC, TAS 201-94
Cyclic Wind Pressure Loading per FBC, TAS 203-94
Forced Entry Test, per FBC TAS 202-94

The frames of each window are maintenance-free stainless steel inside and out and are made with bullet resistive glass. The frames have also been UL rated.

Hurricane rated:
- approved by Miami-Dade County, Florida, building code compliance
- approved for second-story installation

Other applications include:

- Bank Transaction Windows
- High security needs (business executive offices and homes, Embassy rooms, etc)

For more information or a Free Consultation call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

File Cabinet Drawers and Safety

2009-10-08T08:40:00.004-05:00

When storing documents in your file cabinet it is very important to consider how much weight you are adding. From a safety perspective the manufacturer of the fire file cabinet only allows for a maximum of two drawers to be open at any given time.

By limiting the number of drawers being open this helps prevent accidental tipping of the cabinet. The average weight of a 4 drawer fire file cabinet is approx. 400-600 lbs empty. When you add in the weight of 4 drawers of paper documents (about 50 lbs per drawer) you are looking at a combined weight of up to 800 lbs. This significant weight can be deadly if it falls.

Remember, it is a best practice to only open one drawer at a time!

Space Heater Fire Safety for Your Business

2009-10-07T14:36:00.003-05:00

It's that time of the year again when the temperatures begin to drop and space heaters get pulled out of the storage closet.

One of the most common causes of fires is the misuse of portable electrical space heaters and there are simple steps that you can take to avoid a fire disaster in your business or home. Here are 5 Tips for fire safety.

1) For starters it is imperative that the space heater be used on a dedicated grounded circuit or grounded extension cord.
2) Make sure you look for UL Ratings and UL Listed Equipment.
3) Do not use plug adapters and multi-outlet plug strips with electric heaters
4) Never leave a heater unattended with pets and small children
5) Make sure you have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home, ALWAYS!

These practical tips for space heater safety can always be found at the Electrical Tip of the day from our friends at Artisan Electric. Check back often and book mark the blog at Artisan for a constant stream of useful information that can be put to great use!

FREE Hard Drives

2009-10-05T20:18:00.001-05:00

That is correct! Win on the best hard drives in the world from ioSafe by simply becoming a fan of the ioSafe on Facebook!

You can get a free 1TB external hard drive by becoming one of the first 5000 fans to join their group.

You can sign up as a friend for the giveaway at: http://www.facebook.com/iosafe

Postivie Take on Fire Disaster from Wildfires

2009-10-01T06:56:00.003-05:00

Fire disaster can strike at any time. The causes range from electrical circuit fires to natural disaster such as lighting strikes or wildfires in California. In positive news, iosafe, the manufacturer of hard drives that are fireproof and waterproof announced that they are giving away free ioSafe solo hard drives to the victims of the Highway 49 wildfire.

This California wildfire took place in Auburn, CA the headquarters of ioSafe, Inc. where the CEO Robb Moore and his family live. Fire insurance can help victims rebuild homes, but often times the photographs and videos are gone forever. Read more about this story in the Auburn Journal

Photo by Michael Kirby

Pictures of Vault Construction

2009-09-28T11:25:00.004-05:00

Building a gun vault in your home can be accomplished with our modular vault panels. These easy to assemble panels require heavy machinery or fork lifts, but can can be build on a concrete reinforced floor and welded in place with anchors.

For your reference we have uploaded several photos of a gun vault room that can be used for gun or firearm storage or a safe room.

Welding a Gun Vault

2009-09-28T08:26:00.003-05:00

Proper Construction of a modular gun vault room includes secure welding of panels, corners and seams. More information can be found on our modular vault construction blog entry

Modular Vault Construction

2009-09-24T07:29:00.004-05:00

Building and constructing a modular bank vault or panel vault for security and storage is no easy task. With vaults weighing tens of thousands of pounds they require heavy equipment and several trained installers to ensure that the vault is plumb, level and square at all key points.

Typical wall panels in new vault construction have 8"x8" a 1/4" steel in each corner.
The vault panels should be attached to each other and to the floor anchor plates by 3" of weld. This can be done as a 3" long weld or three 1" beads.

Included in the image above are the primary welding points that must be made for proper construction and vault assembly. This welding detail is one of the most important features in the erection of a modular vault.

For more information on constructing a new vault call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Preventing Fire in Your Business and Home

2009-09-23T07:59:00.005-05:00

Building Codes Changes Improve Fire Safety

Old or questionable wiring has long been a cause for electrical fires that contribute to the $2.23 Billion in annual loss from fire in the United States. While an overwhelming number of businesses (90%) close their doors after losing records due to a fire many of these fire disasters can be prevented or mitigated by being proactive on electrical safety, updates and upgrading.

New construction codes continually evolve to improve safety and a more recent update involves the use of arch fault breakers. This style of breaker offers better protection and sensing of arc faults and greatly reduces the risk of fire.

Learn more about these breakers from our friends at Artisan with the Electrical Tip of the Day.

The Artisan Electric Blog is a great resource for anyone that is planning to upgrade existing electrical service or in the process of building a new home or business office. The daily electrical fire safety tips offer practical advice and insight on knowing how to prevent electrical fires.

More information at http://www.artisanelectric.net

IPS Containers

2009-09-21T15:29:00.004-05:00

IPS or information processing containers are modified class 5 safes engineered for closed-door, unmanned on-line operation of computers, network servers, computer workstations, hard drives or encryption equipment that process classified information.

At KL Security we offer the Hamilton Safe line of Class 5 containers with the following features:

Junction Boxes (Hoffman Box)
Adjustable Shelves
19" or 24" Rack Mount Rails
Cable exit/entry
Two (2) Fans to circulate air
Lock that meets Federal Spec FF-L-2740A

Our IPS containers do not include air conditioning cooling system units or environmental monitoring such as temperature, humidity, etc. For specialized severe climate IPS Safes we recommend contacting Trusted Systems

If you have specific questions please call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Sentry Gun Safes

2009-09-21T09:50:00.003-05:00

At KLSecurity we now offer the complete line of Executive security safes from SentrySafe. Since the recent acquisition of Schwab Corp. our product offering has expanded to include Sentry executive fire files, safes as well as the most affordable gun safes on the market today.

'When theft deterrence is the main consideration, your choice of the best gun safes from the family of Sentry should be evaluated before you make a purchase. Standard features include:

Carpeted Interiors
Door Back Organizational Hooks
Bungee Organizational System
Flush floor compartment
Bolt Down Capability

A UL Listed RSC (residential security container) rating make these safes and fire rated gun safes the most affordable security for your firearms collection available.

Adjustable shelves provide storage for documents, business records, valuables and ammunition or handgun firearms.

To Learn more about these affordable gun safes call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

Pros and Cons of B2B Website Pricing

2009-09-18T10:11:00.006-05:00

At KL Security we work very hard to ensure that our clients and customers have the best product information to make educated buying decisions as well as the best possible pricing available to meet budgetary needs and goals.

For many of our fire files and safes we post our retail prices and standard selling prices. This allows you, our valued customers to gather information quickly for small ticket item purchases.

On many of our higher end products we provide 'self service' price quotes that allow budgetary quotes to be obtained from our company websites 24/7. This valuable feature is made available for many reasons including;

Our customers do not want to calculate or work through pricing matrix forms. By simply listing our product catalog online in a simple format we are able to provide far more quotes per day and improve conversions.

Certain products offerings involve a much more complex sales process. This includes but is not limited to installation, set up, delivery and special discounts on package purchases.

Self service pricing models are very straight forward and allow both our sales and marketing staff to reach goals for customer satisfaction, website conversions and sales. After all, our top priority is to engage our current clients and web visitors with the most value possible.

K.I.S.S. - The 'Keep It Simple Stupid' means we don't collect a large amount of contact information. Our forms are clean and require only a name, email address and phone number to get price quotes within minutes.

For deeper support questions and as standard customer service practice we have two (2) Toll Free numbers to connect our clients directly to an expert sales rep. By maintaining a total of four (4) phone lines we ensure that customers speak with a real live person EVERY time. This allows our staff to ensure that you get the right product for your unique business needs the first time - at the best price possible.

As an added measure we also use our self service pricing model internally, giving our sales staff the ability to generate quotes while on the phone with customers. Typically by the time they finish the call our customers already have a PDF quote in their inbox.

CRM best practices give our business the edge over our competition and we will continue to evaluate and improve every aspect of B2B customer relations as our company grows.

Water Resistant File Cabinets with FREE Delivery

2009-09-16T08:00:00.004-05:00

The drivers will unload, uncrate and set in place in your desired location your ready to use file cabinet. All packing material discarded with any standard lift-gate delivery order of the following products:
Water -Resistant Fire Files
4-drawer vertical letter and legal files with ETL verified water-resistant and UL classified fire, impact and explosion rating.

Models: 4T3130, 4G3130.

2-hour Rated Fire Files
2 and 4-drawer vertical letter and legal files with UL 2-hour fire, impact and explosion rating.

Models: 2T3120, 2G3120, 4T3120, 4G3120