The 3-2-1 Backup Rule That Can Save You From Losing Everything
Hard drives fail. Phones get stolen. Ransomware encrypts your files. If your important data exists in only one place, it is not a matter of if you lose it but when. The 3-2-1 rule is simple: keep three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with one copy stored off-site.
In practice, this might mean your files live on your computer, on an external drive, and with an online backup service that keeps older versions. A synced folder such as iCloud Drive or OneDrive is not a separate copy on its own: it passes on deletions and damaged files too — see why sync is not backup. The rule also does not require any copy to be offline, and ransomware can reach every copy that stays connected, so keep at least one drive unplugged when you are not using it, or use a service that keeps versions for a set period. Setting this up takes an afternoon. Recovering from data loss without it can take months, if recovery is even possible.
Living experience
1 storySign in to leave a comment.
I work as a photographer and lost a full wedding shoot once — 1,800 images — when a card failed and the laptop backup drive turned out to be corrupted. Clients were devastated. Now I run Backblaze continuously, with a local NAS and a quarterly cold copy to an offsite drive at my parents' house. Three years of zero losses since.