As a Managed IT Services company servicing organisations across Victoria, we understand the importance of data backups. Data backup is crucial for several reasons, including providing a secure archive of important information, protecting against hardware failures, natural disasters, cyber attacks, and human errors, minimizing the time it takes for businesses to bounce back to usual conditions in the event of data loss, and helping recover data from off-site storage in the event of a disaster.
One of the minimum backup standards we at GBS recommend to our clients is the 3-2-1 backup rule. This is the standard that we recommend as a minimum - Sometimes depending on your risk profile and requirements there will be different methodologies that are more appropriate, but in this article we will discuss the 3-2-1 backup principal.
What is the 3-2-1 Backup Rule?
The 3-2-1 backup rule is a simple yet effective strategy for data backup and recovery. It states that you should have:
- 3 copies of your data - This means that you should have three copies of your data stored in different locations.
- 2 different types of media - You should store your data on at least two different types of media, such as hard drives, tapes, or cloud storage.
- 1 copy off-site - At least one copy of your data should be stored off-site, preferably in a different geographic location.
By following the 3-2-1 backup rule, you can increase your data protection against hardware failures, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks.
Why is the 3-2-1 Backup Rule Important?
The 3-2-1 backup rule is important because it provides a comprehensive backup and recovery strategy that can protect your data against a wide range of threats. By having multiple copies of your data stored in different locations, you can ensure that your data is safe even if one copy is lost or damaged.
Additionally, by storing at least one copy of your data off-site, you can protect your data against natural disasters such as floods, fires, and earthquakes. If your primary data center is affected by a disaster, you can quickly recover your data from the off-site backup.
How to Implement the 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Implementing the 3-2-1 backup rule is relatively simple. Here are the steps you should follow:
- Create three copies of your data. You should have one primary copy and two backup copies.
- Store your data on at least two different types of media. For example, you could store one copy on a hard drive and another copy on a tape drive.
- Store at least one copy of your data off-site. You could store a copy of your data in a cloud storage service or at a remote data center.
Need help with your backups?
If you’re looking for professional assistance with your backups, GBS can help. Our team of experts can assess your current backup strategy and provide recommendations to ensure that your data is protected against hardware failures, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks. To book a business technology assessment either give us a call or fill the in the form on our contact page.
