--- title: "Vault Buddy: Nominated Access and Digital Succession" description: "Vault Buddy lets you nominate who can reach your Firevault vault after death or incapacity, released only on documentary evidence and verified identity, never…" lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization", "name": "Firevault", "legalName": "Firevault Limited", "url": "https://fire-vault.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/logo.png", "width": 200, "height": 60 }, "foundingDate": "2025-03", "description": "Protect what matters with Offline Secure Storage and control what moves with Control by Firevault. 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" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/vault-buddy#webpage", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/vault-buddy", "name": "Vault Buddy: Nominated Access and Digital Succession", "description": "Vault Buddy lets you nominate who can reach your Firevault vault after death or incapacity, released only on documentary evidence and verified identity, never…", "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/vault-buddy#breadcrumb" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/vault-buddy#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": "Vault Buddy: Nominated Access and Digital Succession", "item": "https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage/vault-buddy" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a Vault Buddy?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A Vault Buddy is the person you nominate to reach your Offline Secure Storage® vault if you die or lose capacity. It is a succession framework built into the product, not a shared password." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does my Vault Buddy have access now?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. While you are able to act, a nominee holds no credential and no key. Access only exists after a qualifying event is evidenced and their identity is verified." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What counts as a qualifying event?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Death or long-term incapacity, evidenced by documents such as a death certificate, a grant of probate or a registered lasting power of attorney." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How is the nominee checked?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Through identity verification in line with know your customer and anti-money-laundering practice, so release is not granted on the strength of an email or a phone call." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I limit what they see?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. You define the scope of the release, so specific records can be made available while others stay closed." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I change my nomination?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, at any time. Circumstances change, and the nomination should be reviewed alongside your will and your wider estate planning." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is this a substitute for a will?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. A will decides who inherits. Vault Buddy makes sure the records behind those decisions can actually be reached. The two work together, and your solicitor should know the vault exists." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which products include Vault Buddy?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Succession nomination is available across LUV, Vault, Storage and Enterprise. For businesses it is usually set alongside administrator roles rather than instead of them." } } ] } ] --- 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 Lidl GB Customer contact data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Asahi Group Production systems disrupted ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Kido International 8K records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](/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 Lidl GB Customer contact data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Asahi Group Production systems disrupted ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Kido International 8K records ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](/learn/breaches)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](/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 [Help](/help)[Get started](/get-started) Overview Why it existsHow it worksSafeguardsWho it suitsFAQ Offline Secure Storage® (#OSS) # Vault Buddy Most digital records die with their owner. Vault Buddy is the succession framework inside Offline Secure Storage®: you nominate the person who should be able to reach your vault, and access is released only on documentary evidence and verified identity. - Nominated in advance - No standing access - Evidence-led release - Identity verified [Get started](/get-started) [Talk it through](/demo) ![Vault Buddy nomination screen on a laptop and nominee confirmation on a tablet, showing successor and next-of-kin details](/__l5e/assets-v1/9f907df1-3128-425e-beab-33ad1ee715eb/hero-square-vault-buddy.png) Vault Buddy How succession is controlled 01 Credentials held by a nominee 0 Credentials held by a nominee 02 Gates before release 2 Gates before release Documentary evidence, then identity verification 03 Records released, chosen by you Scoped Records released, chosen by you 04 Release actions written to the audit log 100% Release actions written to the audit log 01 Why it exists ## Succession is the failure nobody plans for Families and executors are routinely locked out of records they are legally entitled to, because the only route in died with the account holder. Sharing a password in advance solves that by creating a permanent weakness instead. ### Someone you name, not a guess You nominate the person who should be able to reach your vault if you cannot. Nothing is assumed from a family relationship or an email address. ### No standing access, no shared password A Vault Buddy holds no credential and no key while you are able to act. There is nothing for them to lose, and nothing for an attacker to phish from them. ### Release on evidence, not on a request Access is only opened after a qualifying event is evidenced and the nominee's identity is verified. Asking politely is not enough. 02 How it works ## Five stages, from nomination to release Nothing is released early, and nothing is released on trust alone. 01 ### Nominate your Vault Buddy You name the person, record how they can be reached, and define what they should be able to reach. The nomination sits with your vault, not with them. 02 ### We confirm the nomination The nominee is informed that they have been named and what it means. They receive no credential, no key material and no route into your data at this point. 03 ### A qualifying event is evidenced On death or long-term incapacity, documentary evidence is required, such as a death certificate, grant of probate or a lasting power of attorney. 04 ### Identity is verified The nominee completes identity checks in line with know your customer and anti-money-laundering practice before anything is released. 05 ### A supervised access window opens Access is granted for a defined window against the scope you set. Every action in that window is written to the audit trail. 03 Safeguards ## The controls that make nomination safe A succession route is only useful if it cannot be abused. These are the safeguards around every release. ### Identity verification The nominee is verified as a person, not as an inbox. Checks follow know your customer and anti-money-laundering practice. ### Documentary evidence A qualifying legal event must be evidenced. A death certificate, grant of probate or registered power of attorney is the trigger, not a phone call. ### Time-limited release Access is a defined window, not a permanent handover. It closes and the vault returns to being physically disconnected. ### Full audit trail Nomination, evidence, verification and every action taken during release are recorded, which matters to executors and to any subsequent dispute. ### Scope you define You decide what a Vault Buddy may reach. Some records can be released while others remain closed. ### Revocable at any time Change or remove a nomination whenever your circumstances change, as families, executors and advisers do change. 04 Who it suits ## Where nominated access earns its place Anyone holding records that other people will need, at a moment when the owner cannot help. [ ### Families and individuals Wills, deeds, policies, identity documents and irreplaceable media, held so the next of kin can reach them without a password hunt through a drawer. See the use case ](/oss-for-personal-records)[ ### Solicitors and executors A defensible route to a client's records after death or incapacity, with evidence and identity checks a probate file can stand behind. See the use case ](/oss-for-legal)[ ### Business owners and partners Constitutional documents, share registers and signing keys that a business cannot operate without if the founder is unavailable. See the use case ](/oss-for-directors-and-boards)[ ### Digital asset holders Seed phrases and recovery material that die with the owner unless succession is designed in advance. See the use case ](/oss-for-estate-and-succession) 05 FAQ ## Questions about nominated access ### What is a Vault Buddy? A Vault Buddy is the person you nominate to reach your Offline Secure Storage® vault if you die or lose capacity. It is a succession framework built into the product, not a shared password. ### Does my Vault Buddy have access now? No. While you are able to act, a nominee holds no credential and no key. Access only exists after a qualifying event is evidenced and their identity is verified. ### What counts as a qualifying event? Death or long-term incapacity, evidenced by documents such as a death certificate, a grant of probate or a registered lasting power of attorney. ### How is the nominee checked? Through identity verification in line with know your customer and anti-money-laundering practice, so release is not granted on the strength of an email or a phone call. ### Can I limit what they see? Yes. You define the scope of the release, so specific records can be made available while others stay closed. ### Can I change my nomination? Yes, at any time. Circumstances change, and the nomination should be reviewed alongside your will and your wider estate planning. ### Is this a substitute for a will? No. A will decides who inherits. Vault Buddy makes sure the records behind those decisions can actually be reached. The two work together, and your solicitor should know the vault exists. ### Which products include Vault Buddy? Succession nomination is available across LUV, Vault, Storage and Enterprise. For businesses it is usually set alongside administrator roles rather than instead of them. Next step ## Decide now who should be able to reach your vault Set up a vault, nominate your Vault Buddy, and tell your solicitor it exists. That is the whole of digital succession planning done properly. [Get started](/get-started) [The File Manager](/offline-secure-storage/file-manager)