Businesses need to have a solid backup strategy in place to protect their data. Simply keeping a backup of your digital files is not enough to protect your business-critical data. You must implement a robust data backup strategy to shield your organization against data loss. Now, let’s talk about 3-2-1 Backup Strategy.

The 3-2-1 backup rule offers a simple yet effective framework that works in almost any situation. You can build your entire data protection strategy based on this widely adopted and flexible data backup rule. It not only benefits businesses; this strategy can also be implemented to protect personal data. 

What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?

The 3-2-1 backup rule was introduced by Peter Krogh, an American photographer, writer, and consultant. In his book, The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers, Krogh offers an outline of how photographers should store their files. Later, the strategy was adopted by organizations operating in different fields.

The 3-2-1 backup rule suggests:

3- Create 3 copies of your data files

2- Store backup copies in 2 types of media storage

1- Store at least 1 backup copy offsite

How to implement the 3-2-1 backup rule in today’s scenario?

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends that every individual and organization implement the 3-2-1 rule to protect their data against emerging cybersecurity threats.

We often assume that we need not keep backup copies of the files we store in Google Drive or DropBox since they are saved in the cloud servers. However, that’s not true. They help us collaborate but are not an alternative to backup. They store only one copy of your data file. If something untoward happens to their server, you might lose your files forever.

According to the 3-2-1 rule, you must create at least three copies of your file, one working data, and two backups. It reduces the risk of single-point failure. If one copy is deleted, you still have two more copies.

You also must store the backup copies in two types of storage. In a business scenario, you can keep one local copy on your desktop or laptop and save another copy in a network folder hosted on an on-premises server. If you work independently or want to preserve your personal documents, photos, video, and music, you may store the second copy in an external hard disc.

The third and perhaps the most important step:

Is to store a copy in a remote location. Cloud servers are the best solution in this regard. In case of a natural disaster or a fire incident, both your local copy and the data saved on the company’s server can be wiped out. Cloud backup will help you recover the files easily without delay. Make sure that the cloud storage service you choose offers end-to-end encryption so your data is safe with them. 

The 3-2-1 rule offers you the basic premise of how and where to store your data for optimized safety. You can modify the rule and use any combination of storage media that suits your need. 

How can Blomp help you?

You can use Blomp both for personal and business purposes. It offers up to 200 GB of free cloud storage; with a paid plan, you can increase the storage space to 1 TB. The Blomp app is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android. More than 100k users trust it.

Your files are absolutely safe on the Blomp server. We do not sell your data, do not share it with a third-party vendor, and do not look at it unless it is necessary to identify a service-related issue.