The 3-2-1 back up method or rule is nothing new, it’s been around for decades, but as we increase our data storage requirements, we also increase the space needed for even a vital and important information. When I started doing this, tape and 5.25 floppy disks were the common storage media, and offsite storage could only mean that you took a floppy disk to a friend’s house or put in a bank safe deposit box. The rule is still the same, but the pieces are very different.
Make 3 copies
Whatever it is that you don’t want to lose, tax records, financial records, photographs, scanned documents, etc., you make three copies of them. Yes, that means that you need three times the amount of storage just to keep them safe. If you’re not willing to go through with this, then those files probably aren’t really that important. If they are, it’s just a matter of time before something happens to the only copy you have, that’s just the nature of everything. This back up method is designed to help protect you, but only if you follow it, so choose only the files that really need this level of protection.
Use 2 different media/methods
It may have been floppy disks when I started, but it’s now DVD, Blu-ray, and portable thumb drives. Pick two, and go from there. Only you’ll know which two will really work well for you. Don’t worry, you’re not stuck with those two options because sooner or later someone builds a better floppy disk. That’s another thing to keep in mind, you’ll have to have the means to upgrade your storage methods as technologies come and go. It’s not a big deal, there is usually a lot of overlap between the time one tech finally dies out and the new one becomes defacto. (e.g. my mum’s computer still has a A: drive for 3.5″ floppy disks, while I have a Blu-ray burner and NAS). This back up method takes technology updates into account.
Store 1 copy off site
You’re not limited to safe deposit boxes and friends houses anymore, with the increased availability of high-speed always-on internet connections, you can back up your data through any one of a number of services dedicated to doing just that as well as to services which are part of other products you might not even realize. For example, many “internet security” packages, like Bitdefender Total Security come with some storage space as part of the product, same with Norton, and I’m sure many others. Use this back up method with whichever off site works best for you.
My 3-2-1 back up method
I use a combination of free online storage areas for specific categories of files. Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox (which I also have hooked in to my eBook library system), and some storage space on my servers. I also use an extra internal hard drive dedicated to backups, and a thumb drive for the most important files. It’s true, I don’t follow the 3 backups part for every file I want to back up, just for really, really important ones, and they’re the ones who get the third copy on the thumb drive.
