Virtual Vault

iForem's Virtual Vault is a hosted service that enables individuals to purchase "digital safe deposit boxes," into which they can place confidential and critical documents for safe-keeping. Customers access their boxes from anywhere through a Web-based, SSL-protected interface; the boxes themselves are password protected (two-factor authentication can be purchased as an option). The vendor boasts a storage infrastructure that leverages data centers on three continents, and data is stored with 3DES encryption.

Behind the scenes, the vendor themselves currently leverages Amazon S3 storage; i.e., iForem provides the Web-based access interface but the actual data storage is handled by Amazon S3. The vendor states that this infrastructure enables them to transfer to different storage providers in the future if need be.

The key feature of the iForem service is its payment and operation terms: Customers purchase a Virtual Vault with a one-time, non-recurring payment, with a portion of that payment invested in a transferable trust certificate (from iNuity) that is dedicated to the preservation of the vault service for the customer permanently. According to the vendor, this model enables the virtual vault to continue to be available to you even if the vendor themselves goes bankrupt or out of business.

Other features of the base service include support for file retention periods (after which data is automatically deleted), "Lock box" functionality wherein multiple individuals can drop files in an account that only you can access, access management capabilities wherein you can authorize which individuals will have access to the account, notification capabilities (authorized individuals are notified whenever a document is added to the box), and a "Deep Freeze" option for permanent WORM storage.

The Virtual Vault service is available now, base business-level pricing is listed at about $60 a box.

Contact the vendor for further information.