PC bunker on wheels.

• Author: Wright, Austin
• Position: TECH WIRE: EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Public safety agencies in Avondale, Ariz., store a backup of all of their computer data inside one 5-foot-tall box that can withstand fire, rain and shock.

Now, the box's maker, Elliptical Mobile Solutions, is marketing the product to the Defense Department.

Avondale's campus self-propelled electronic adaptable rack, of C-SPEAR, runs on powered wheels, allowing city officials to move 1,000 pounds worth of computer equipment--or 44 terabytes worth of city e-mails, documents and databases--from one building to another.

"Literally, within an hour, we can unplug it, relocate it and get it running again," says Kevin Hinderleider, Avondale's director of information technology. The box has an inner frame that is suspended inside the outer frame using patented shock-resistant technology. It protects the city's sensitive information from being wiped out in the event of a catastrophe, Hinderleider adds.

Elliptical Mobile Solutions, which is based in Arizona, was founded in 2005 and has attracted about 40 investors who poured more than $1 million into developing the product. Versions built to withstand desert heat...