--- title: "Physical Ownership: Your Dedicated Storage Inst… | Firevault" description: "Physical Ownership means a Firevault Offline Secure Storage instance is allocated to a specific customer, with dedicated capacity and a defined hardware…" lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/physical-ownership#webpage", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/physical-ownership", "name": "Physical Ownership: Your Dedicated Storage Inst…", "description": "Physical Ownership means a Firevault Offline Secure Storage instance is allocated to a specific customer, with dedicated capacity and a defined hardware…", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#website" }, "about": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/images/og/og-base-platform.jpg" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/physical-ownership#breadcrumb" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/physical-ownership#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://fire-vault.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Offline Secure Storage", "item": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Physical Ownership: Your Dedicated Storage Inst…", "item": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/physical-ownership" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I own the physical drives in a Vault?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A hosted Vault is allocated exclusively to you and Firevault holds and maintains the equipment. Eligible hardware can be returned at the end of the relationship. Enterprise programmes can purchase equipment in the organisation's name." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can another customer use my unused capacity?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. Your allocated capacity is dedicated to your instance and is never pooled or commingled." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is physical ownership the same as dedicated hardware?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "They are closely related but not identical. Dedicated hardware describes single tenancy. 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Physically disconnected, always reachable by you.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressCountry": "GB", "addressLocality": "United Kingdom" }, "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "contactType": "customer service", "email": "hello@fire-vault.com", "availableLanguage": "English", "areaServed": [ "GB", "EU", "US", "AE" ] } ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/firevault", "https://x.com/firevaultuk" ], "slogan": "Disconnect to Protect", "knowsAbout": [ "Offline Secure Storage", "Physical Air Gap Data Protection", "Ransomware Protection", "Data Sovereignty", "GDPR Compliance", "NIS2 Compliance" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#website", "name": "Firevault", "alternateName": [ "Firevault", "Firevault UK", "Firevault Limited" ], "url": "https://fire-vault.com", "publisher": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB", "description": "Protect what matters with Offline Secure Storage and control what moves with Control by Firevault. Physically disconnected, always reachable by you.", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://fire-vault.com/learn?q={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } } ] --- Recent Breaches Breaches [2026 PowerSchool 62.4M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 DISA Global Solutions 3.3M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Globe Life 850K records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Co-operative Group 6.5M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Harrods Attempted intrusion ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Legal Aid Agency (Ministry of Justice) 2.1M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 PowerSchool 62.4M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 DISA Global Solutions 3.3M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Globe Life 850K records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Co-operative Group 6.5M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Harrods Attempted intrusion ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Legal Aid Agency (Ministry of Justice) 2.1M records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](/learn/breaches) [View All →](/learn/breaches) [![Firevault - offline secure storage, physically disconnected from the internet](/assets/logo-color-DBVl0KCg.png)](/) Products Solutions [Why OSS](/why-oss) More Buy your Vault Overview Why it mattersHow it worksEvidence of ownershipHow it differsFAQ Offline Secure Storage® (#OSS) # Physical ownership Your Offline Secure Storage instance is assigned to a specific customer with dedicated capacity and a defined lifecycle. Your data is never pooled, commingled or left inside an anonymous shared storage estate. - Named customer - Dedicated instance - Defined lifecycle - No commingling [Buy your Vault](/get-started) [See pricing](/pricing) ![A Firevault storage assignment record connecting a verified customer to dedicated hardware](/__l5e/assets-v1/31cc73a1-7971-4fc9-a760-f043a4d2a74f/physical-ownership-oss.webp) ![Physical ownership icon](/__l5e/assets-v1/05459581-eb0c-40ee-83f5-82dba6da2d45/firevault-oss-physical-ownership-icon.webp)Physical ownership A defined chain of responsibility 01 Customer to dedicated instance relationship 1:1 Customer to dedicated instance relationship 02 Other customers on your capacity 0 Other customers on your capacity 03 Hardware lifecycle documented 100% Hardware lifecycle documented 04 Clear stages from assignment to retirement 4 Clear stages from assignment to retirement 01 Why it matters ## Ownership should not disappear behind a tenancy dashboard A cloud account tells you who may use a service. Physical ownership records whose instance it is, what equipment supports it and what happens when the relationship ends. ### A named accountable holder The instance is commissioned against a verified business or individual, not an anonymous storage credential. ### Exclusive assignment The capacity belongs to that instance alone. Other customers cannot occupy or inherit part of it. ### A complete lifecycle Commissioning, maintenance, renewal, return and destruction can all be evidenced against the same record. 02 How it works ## How physical ownership is established Ownership begins with identity and continues through the full hardware lifecycle. 01 ### The customer is verified Business or personal identity checks establish the accountable holder before an instance is commissioned. 02 ### A dedicated instance is assigned Specific capacity and hardware are recorded against that customer rather than added to a shared entitlement. 03 ### Custody is maintained Firevault operates and safeguards the equipment inside a Bunker while the customer's allocation remains distinct. 04 ### The ending is explicit At contract end, the customer renews, retrieves eligible hardware or chooses destruction to certificate. 03 Evidence of ownership ## A storage relationship you can describe precisely The answer to who, what and when remains clear throughout the life of the instance. ### Verified customer The instance is tied to a known legal entity or verified individual. ### Dedicated capacity Capacity is reserved for one instance rather than shared across unrelated tenants. ### Allocation record The instance and supporting hardware can be identified in Firevault's operational records. ### Managed custody Firevault protects and maintains hosted equipment without converting it into a shared storage pool. ### Defined choices at exit Renewal, eligible return or certified destruction avoids an ambiguous end state. ### Enterprise ownership models Large programmes can purchase equipment in the organisation's name as part of the agreed design. 04 How it differs ## The other three physical principles Physical ownership answers whose instance it is. The media, connection state and protected location are separate controls. [ ### Physical storage The data is held on real, dedicated media rather than in a shared cloud bucket. Read more ](/offline-secure-storage/physical-storage)[ ### Physical control Ownership does not mean permanent exposure. The route exists only during an authorised session. Read more ](/offline-secure-storage/physical-control)[ ### Physical security The assigned hardware is held inside a monitored Firevault Bunker. Read more ](/offline-secure-storage/physical-security)[ ### Hardware return At the end of the relationship, renew, retrieve the hardware or destroy it to certificate. Read more ](/offline-secure-storage/hardware-return) 05 FAQ ## Questions ### Do I own the physical drives in a Vault? A hosted Vault is allocated exclusively to you and Firevault holds and maintains the equipment. Eligible hardware can be returned at the end of the relationship. Enterprise programmes can purchase equipment in the organisation's name. ### Can another customer use my unused capacity? No. Your allocated capacity is dedicated to your instance and is never pooled or commingled. ### Is physical ownership the same as dedicated hardware? They are closely related but not identical. Dedicated hardware describes single tenancy. Physical ownership adds the verified customer assignment and defined lifecycle. ### Who has custody of hosted hardware? Firevault maintains operational custody inside the Bunker while the instance remains exclusively allocated to the verified customer. ### What happens at the end of 36 months? You can renew, retrieve eligible physical hardware or choose secure destruction to certificate. ### Does Firevault gain ownership of my data? No. Your data remains yours. Firevault provides and operates the physical storage service under the agreed terms. Next step ## Move from an account in a storage pool to a defined instance Choose the Vault capacity your business needs and create an Offline Secure Storage instance assigned to you. [Buy your Vault](/get-started) [See hardware return](/offline-secure-storage/hardware-return)