Consider the many varieties

Depository safes, the rugged workhorses, work best for high-volume situations where safety and accessibility count. Fire and burglary-resistant safes come down to a matter of size and cost.

I recommend: Brown Safe and American Security Products Company offer a wide variety, from floor vaults to custom-made, including dual-purpose fire and burglar safes.

Installation

For the best protection, install safes in the floor (concrete is best) or wall.

I recommend: Kaploss.com supplies, installs and repairs business safes nationwide.

Media Safes

Media safes protect computer disks and tapes from fire. While paper can withstand heat up to 350 degrees, media is far more fragile.

I recommend: Advance Safes offers a selection of data media safes.

Shop for quality

UL Class 125 fire safes can maintain a temperature of under 125 degrees in 1700-degree fires for one hour. A TXTL-60 safe can withstand break-in attempts using common tools, explosives and welding torches for a period of 60 minutes.

I recommend: Beginnersguide.com identifies these and other criteria for selecting a quality safe. Underwriters Laboratories explains its safe testing.

For burglary safes, check that yours has a UL Group 2 lock or better

What good is a safe with a lousy lock? Look for a quality lock manufacturer and avoid costly malfunctions.

I recommend: LaGard, a leading manufacturer of electronic locking devices, designs locks for safes and vaults. Sargent and Greenleaf is another leading manufacturer of mechanical and electronic safes.