Sentry Group Partners With Maxtor(R) Storage Solutions on FIRE-SAFE(R)/Waterproof Hard Drives

NEW YORK, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentry Group, the world leader in residential and small office security-storage containers, today announced that the company has partnered with Maxtor(R) 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.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071113/NYTU160 )

Sentry Group and Maxtor made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show - Unveiled @ New York press preview event in New York City.

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.

At the CES Unveiled @ NY event, Sentry Group previewed six new Data & Document Security products that specifically protect digital assets. Among the six new products are two Sentry(R)Safe FIRE-SAFE(R)/Waterproof Hard Drives containing the award winning Maxtor OneTouch(R) 4 Mini(TM) 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. In the event of a fatal crash or virus attack, Maxtor's SafetyDrill(TM) software, a new bare metal system restore feature, allows for a nearly instantaneous restoration of an entire computer system including applications and setting as well as restoration of the operating system, to ensure access to important files even in a time of crisis.

The hard drive is in a Sentry(R)Safe FIRE-SAFE(R)/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.

"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(R)/Waterproof hard drives," said Sondra McFarlane, director of marketing communications for Sentry Group. "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.

"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.

"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," said BenHur Castro, senior director of product line management for Maxtor storage solutions. "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."

The new Sentry(R)Safe FIRE-SAFE(R)/Waterproof Hard Drive is available in 160GB, MSPR $319.99 and in 80GB, MSRP $259.99 on http://www.sentrysafe.com/. To learn more about the new line or to purchase Sentry(R)Safe Data & Document Security products, including the new Sentry(R)Safe FIRE-SAFE(R)/Waterproof Hard Drives, please visit http://www.sentrysafe.com/.

About Sentry Safe

Founded in 1930, Sentry Group is the world leader in offering fire- resistant and security storage solutions for important documents and valuables. A global presence, Sentry Group today produces more fire-resistant chests, files, safes, security storage containers and gun safes than any other company in the world. The company's manufacturing headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., and its factory operation in Shanghai, China produces affordable security storage containers distributed through retailers all over the world. Sentry's distinctive Made in the U.S.A. seal is on all American-made products. For additional information please visit http://www.sentrysafe.com/.

About Maxtor

Maxtor, one of the world's leading brands of consumer storage solutions, was acquired by Seagate Technology in May 2006. Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of hard disc drives, providing products for a wide-range of applications, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and Branded Solutions. The company has an expansive line of storage products that are sold under both the Seagate and Maxtor brands. Maxtor's reputation as a proven market leader was built by consistently providing high-quality products, services and support for its customers. Maxtor branded products can be found at http://www.maxtorsolutions.com/.

Maxtor, Maxtor OneTouch, Maxtor DrivePass, Maxtor SafetyDrill and Maxtor DriveLock are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or one of its affiliated companies. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. One gigabyte (GB) is equal to one billion bytes and one terabyte (TB) is equal to 1,000 gigabytes when referring to hard drive capacity. Computer operating systems may use different standards of measurement and report lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions, and thus, will not be available for data storage.

Quantitative usage examples for various applications are for illustrative purposes. Actual quantities will vary based on various factors, including file size, file format, features and application software.