The Importance of 3-2-1 Backup Rule: Protecting Your Precious Files from Disaster

When it comes to protecting our precious files, we often take a relatively casual approach. We might back up our important data on a USB thumb drive or an external hard drive, but do we really think about what would happen if that drive is lost, stolen, or destroyed? The answer is no, and this is exactly why we need to follow the 3-2-1 backup rule.

The 3-2-1 backup rule is simple: three copies of your data should be stored on at least two different media types, with one copy stored offsite. This means that if you back up your files to an external hard drive, for example, you should also have a copy stored on a different type of media, such as a USB thumb drive, and another copy stored offsite, such as in a cloud storage service like Dropbox or Box.

This rule may seem paranoid, but trust me, it's worth taking seriously. Disasters can happen to anyone, at any time. Whether you're affected by a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, or even something less catastrophic like a house fire or theft, having multiple copies of your data stored on different media types and offsite will ensure that you can recover your files when disaster strikes.

So, how do we implement the 3-2-1 backup rule? The first step is to back up our files to an external drive, which is a great start. But what if that thumb drive is in the bag with our laptop and gets stolen or lost? Or what if there's a house fire that takes out our desktop and the cool external drive we had stored on it? These are the kinds of scenarios that make us wonder why we bother backing up our files at all.

The solution to these problems lies in getting a copy stash somewhere else. This means keeping a couple of backups in rotation, such as storing one copy on your machine and another copy on a USB thumb drive, with an additional copy stored offsite. Alternatively, you can use online storage services like Dropbox or Box, which will automatically sync a folder full of your files to the cloud. These services are convenient and easy to use, making it simple to keep multiple copies of your data safe and secure.

Of course, there's no substitute for having multiple backups in rotation. If you only have one copy of your data stored on an external drive, and that drive gets lost or destroyed, you'll lose all of your files. That's why downloading and installing backup software like CrashPlan or Carbonite is a great idea. These programs allow you to back up your files to a local drive, another computer, or even central cloud storage for a modest fee.

One of the benefits of using online file services like Dropbox or Box is that they make it easy to share files or access them from anywhere. This is especially important if you have files that are irreplaceable and can't afford to lose. By getting your own 3-2-1 backup program rolling sooner rather than later, you'll be able to rest assured that your precious files are safe and secure.

As I always say, "It doesn't matter if we're talking about business data baby pictures your college thesis or all the music you bought from iTunes over the years" when it comes to protecting our files. But what does matter is taking the necessary steps to ensure that we can recover our data in case of an emergency. By following the 3-2-1 backup rule and using online file services, we can protect our precious files from disaster and keep them safe for generations to come.

So, don't wait any longer! Get your own 3-2-1 backup program rolling sooner rather than later, and take the first step towards protecting your precious files. As I always say, "I hope you never lose any files."

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm P nort from Tech thing and I'm here on Digital Trends today to help you save your precious files it doesn't matter if we're talking about business data baby pictures your college thesis or all the music you bought from iTunes over the years if your hard drive dies it all goes poof no worries you say you back it up on a USB thumb drive or one of those external drives that's a great start but what if that thumb drive is in the bag with your laptop and it gets stolen or if there's a house fire that takes out your desk top and that really cool external drive you had the copy stashed on sound paranoid just ask anybody that's been oh I don't know say through a hurricane tornado flood earthquake or you're kind of getting the idea by now I bet disasters natural or otherwise are the reasons it Pros follow the 321 backup rule three copies on at least two different media like the driveing your machine and a USB drive with at least one copy stored off site as in not where you are now if you're already already backing up files for an external drive awesome you're actually doing more than most people are the next step is to get a copy stash somewhere else as in not where you are now you might be capable of keeping a couple of backups in rotation wday at Grandma's house or in a safe deposit box but it is a lot easier to just use an online storage service Dropbox or box is a good place to start they'll automatically sync a folder full of your files in the cloud which is a fluffy way of saying in a data center full of servers that somebody else is responsible for someplace you aren't my person favor though is downloading and installing backup software like crash plan or Carbonite I like crash plan because you can use it for free to back up to a local drive to another computer that you trust say at your parents house or for a modest fee crash Plan central cloud storage it takes a while for the online services to back up all your data your in connection can only move so many megabytes per minute and you have gigabytes but they run automatically in the background and they keep going until you're backed up and unlike me they never forget to automatically back up your files and hey look online file Services they make it easier to share files or access them anywhere you can get yourself onto the internet so if you have files you can't afford to lose do yourself a favor and get your own 321 backup program rolling sooner rather than later thanks for watching I'm Patrick Norton for Digital Trends and I hope you never lose any filesI'm P nort from Tech thing and I'm here on Digital Trends today to help you save your precious files it doesn't matter if we're talking about business data baby pictures your college thesis or all the music you bought from iTunes over the years if your hard drive dies it all goes poof no worries you say you back it up on a USB thumb drive or one of those external drives that's a great start but what if that thumb drive is in the bag with your laptop and it gets stolen or if there's a house fire that takes out your desk top and that really cool external drive you had the copy stashed on sound paranoid just ask anybody that's been oh I don't know say through a hurricane tornado flood earthquake or you're kind of getting the idea by now I bet disasters natural or otherwise are the reasons it Pros follow the 321 backup rule three copies on at least two different media like the driveing your machine and a USB drive with at least one copy stored off site as in not where you are now if you're already already backing up files for an external drive awesome you're actually doing more than most people are the next step is to get a copy stash somewhere else as in not where you are now you might be capable of keeping a couple of backups in rotation wday at Grandma's house or in a safe deposit box but it is a lot easier to just use an online storage service Dropbox or box is a good place to start they'll automatically sync a folder full of your files in the cloud which is a fluffy way of saying in a data center full of servers that somebody else is responsible for someplace you aren't my person favor though is downloading and installing backup software like crash plan or Carbonite I like crash plan because you can use it for free to back up to a local drive to another computer that you trust say at your parents house or for a modest fee crash Plan central cloud storage it takes a while for the online services to back up all your data your in connection can only move so many megabytes per minute and you have gigabytes but they run automatically in the background and they keep going until you're backed up and unlike me they never forget to automatically back up your files and hey look online file Services they make it easier to share files or access them anywhere you can get yourself onto the internet so if you have files you can't afford to lose do yourself a favor and get your own 321 backup program rolling sooner rather than later thanks for watching I'm Patrick Norton for Digital Trends and I hope you never lose any files\n"