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Media Vault vs. a Self-Storage Unit
It happens more than you would think — a unit down the road, a padlock, and a box of tapes. It fails on three separate grounds.
Bring your retention schedule. We will tell you what it actually costs to meet it.
Side by side
| Category | Intervault Media | A Self-Storage Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | 70°F ±2°, 50% RH ±5% | Basic or none. Tape life ratings become meaningless |
| If rent goes unpaid | We contact you before the term expires | Florida lien law permits the facility to auction contents |
| Security | 9R vault, man-trap entry, armed monitoring | A padlock and a roll-up door |
| Chain of custody | Barcode scan at every handoff | None |
| Who else has access | No staff member can open a client box alone | Facility staff hold access |
| Audit defensibility | Timestamped records per item | None. This is usually the finding |
| Cost | Higher | Cheapest option available |
Our view
The honest verdict
A storage unit is cheaper and that is the only column it wins. For regulated data it is not merely worse — the absence of climate control and chain of custody is itself the audit finding. If the data were not worth protecting you would not be keeping it.
Other comparisons
Air-Gapped Vault vs. Cloud-Only Backup
Cloud backup is faster, cheaper per terabyte, and easier to test. It is also reachable, and that is the whole argument.
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Vaulted Tape vs. Tape Kept On Site
You already own the tapes. The question is only where they sleep, and whether the same event can take both the systems and the backups.
Read more →
Local Vault vs. a National Records Vendor
The national vendors are competent and enormous, and for a multi-state footprint they are usually the right call. For a South Florida business the trade is different.
Read more →
See the vault before you decide.
Tours are private and by appointment. You will see the vault door, the man-trap entry, and the box sizes in person. No account relationship is required to visit.