What does the 3-2-1 backup rule actually mean for us?
3 copies of your data, on 2 different media types, with 1 off-site. Sounds simple, but most SMB setups do not meet it.
Try this first
- 1Count your real copies. The live data is 1. A NAS in the same room is a 2nd copy but not a different media type if both are disk.
- 2Identify your off-site copy. It must be physically elsewhere: cloud backup, an external drive kept at home, or replication to a second site.
- 3Fill the gaps. No off-site? Add cloud backup (Backblaze, Wasabi, Azure). No second media type? Combine disk backup with object storage or tape for archive.
- 4Check whether the off-site copy is immutable or air-gapped; otherwise ransomware encrypts that one too. The modern extension on 3-2-1, sometimes called 3-2-1-1-0.
When to bring us in
Not sure your setup qualifies? Send us a sketch of where things live; we spot the gaps in an hour and tell you what to fix. Before you build anything new, call first.
See also
- We have backups but we do not know if they workA backup that cannot be restored is not a backup. Testing matters as much as taking the backup.
- Suspected ransomware: what to do RIGHT NOWThe first 30 minutes are critical. One wrong move spreads the damage. Read before acting.
- Someone accidentally deleted an important folderUsually fine to recover. The trick: do not save anything new on that drive until you know how.
None of the above fits?
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