3-2-1 Backup Rule: How to Protect Your Data

Engadget explains the 3-2-1 rule, a backup framework popularized by photographer Peter Krogh in his 2009 book "The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers."

The rule requires three copies of your data, stored on two types of media (often interpreted as two different devices today), with one copy kept offsite. If your only copy of vacation photos sits on an SSD that fails, you lose everything. Even multiple drives in one home are vulnerable to a flood, fire or burglary. An offsite copy, ideally far enough away that the same disaster wouldn't affect both locations, adds protection.

Tech and threats have changed since 2009. People burn fewer CDs now, and media obsolescence is less of a concern. Reddit discussions show how individuals adapt the rule to their needs and budgets. Your requirements won't match a multinational corporation's.

A practical setup: files on your laptop, an external hard drive and a private cloud server. Services like iCloud or Google Cloud can work, but Engadget notes that deleting a file from your computer might also delete it from the cloud, depending on syncing settings. Other services offer automatic full backups at various storage limits and prices.

Newer risks include ransomware. An offsite copy on a networked device can still be hit. The framework remains a straightforward way to think about preservation. A few extra copies in different spots can turn a drive failure from a crisis into a minor inconvenience.

"Three copies across two media, one offsite."

• Three copies total: working copy plus two backups.
• Two media types: different devices like an SSD and a cloud server.
• One offsite: that backup lives somewhere a local disaster won't reach it.

• Backups
• Cloud storage
• Data protection
• Digital files
• Peter Krogh
• Ransomware