The 3-2-1 rule predates cloud storage by decades, but it's still the fastest way to sanity-check whether a backup setup will actually save you in a real emergency. It's three numbers: 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of media, with 1 copy offsite.
Breaking down the numbers
- 3 copies: your live, working data, plus at least two backups. Not one backup, two, because a single backup is itself a single point of failure.
- 2 different media types: don't put both backups on the same kind of storage in the same place, for example two external drives sitting on the same desk. If one type fails or is affected by the same event, the other should survive.
- 1 offsite: at least one copy has to live somewhere physically separate from your main location. A fire, flood, theft, or hardware failure that takes out your office shouldn't be able to take out your backups too.
Where businesses actually get this wrong
Other common gaps: backups that are never tested, so nobody finds out a restore is broken until it's needed; and backups without version history, so a slow-moving problem like ransomware gets faithfully backed up right along with your good data.
How Vouchio's plans map onto 3-2-1
| 3-2-1 component | What it looks like with Vouchio |
|---|---|
| Copy 1: live data | Your working files, on your own systems |
| Copy 2: local or fast-access backup | Active Storage, for quick day-to-day recovery |
| Copy 3, offsite | Archive Storage or Recovery Ready's replicated copy |
| Different media / independence | Cloud storage on Vouchio's infrastructure, separate from your local hardware |
An extra layer: call it 3-2-1-1
Some businesses extend the rule with a second "1": at least one copy that's immutable, meaning it can't be altered or deleted even by a compromised account. Retention Lock on Archive Storage covers this, so ransomware or a bad actor with valid credentials can't erase your way back through your own backups. See the ransomware recovery guide for how this plays out during an actual incident.
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