3-2-1 backups: how to truly protect your company’s data

Keep at least three copies of your important data, on two different media types, with one copy offsite. The original on your server counts as one; a copy on the same disk does not count at all. The offsite copy protects you against fire, theft and ransomware that encrypts everything connected to the network.

Against ransomware, add a modern requirement: at least one copy must be offline or immutable (impossible to modify or delete during its retention period). A backup permanently reachable from the network will be encrypted along with everything else.

Most data losses we see do not come from failing technology, but from an assumption that was never verified. Four pitfalls come up constantly.

Schedule a restore drill at least twice a year: pick a representative folder, restore it to a test environment, verify files open and measure how long it takes. Record the result. This drill reveals permission, dependency and timing problems before they become a crisis.

Also define two numbers with your support: how much recent data you can afford to lose (backup frequency) and how long you can be down (restore speed). These two answers determine the technical solution, not the other way around.

Take inventory: company files, email, databases (accounting, CRM), equipment configurations, website, and the data of cloud software you assume is “backed up by the provider”. For each item, record where it lives, who is responsible and how it is backed up. SolutionsCW performs this inventory, implements monitored backups with failure alerts, and documents the restore procedure so you depend on no one.