3-2-1. The golden rule for professional back-up

A professionally designed back-up solution is essential for any digitized company that relies on data to run its business. If a simple copy of the data can be sufficient for a micro-enterprise for example, a back-up solution that respects the 3-2-1 rule becomes necessary for complex companies for which data loss is an unacceptable risk. Such a solution offers protection on all levels, from hardware or software failures to human error and cyber-attacks.

The loss of some essential information (ERP or CRM databases, contracts, bank data, etc.) combined with the impossibility of carrying out the activity can bring bankruptcy for a business. A study by the National Cybersecurity Alliance (USA) shows that 60% of small and medium-sized companies that suffer significant data loss are forced to close six months after the incident. Maybe that’s an extreme statistic, but clearly, data loss and business downtime are costly regardless of industry. How much does a distributor lose who cannot deliver orders to customers for several days? How much does an online store lose if it can’t sell for a few days? To avoid these scenarios, adopting a back-up solution based on the 3-2-1 rule can become a true survival measure.

What is professional back-up? The three rules of the 3-2-1 strategy

The 3-2-1 strategy for data protection and recovery was created over 20 years ago by American photographer Peter Krogh after numerous discussions with IT professionals. Although storage technology has evolved, the three rules have remained the same:

• 3 copies of the data. It is recommended to make three copies of important data, the original and at least two other copies. Data copying should be done daily or as frequently as possible;
• 2 different supports. Use two different types of storage for each copy of data to eliminate any possibility of data loss (internal, external hard drive, cloud storage, etc.);
• 1 off-site copy. One of the three copies must be kept in a location other than the company headquarters (to ensure that all back-ups cannot be destroyed by events such as natural disasters, for example. This particular copy may physically exist in a different location, or it can be copied to a cloud platform.

How data recovery works in the 3-2-1 methodology

If the original data has been damaged or lost, it will be recovered based on the back-up copy, available internally, on the chosen secondary storage system. If even this second copy cannot be used, for various reasons, it is necessary to recover the data of the off-site copy on the internal servers. After all data has been recovered, it is necessary to resume the copying process according to the 3-2-1 strategy as soon as possible.

The 3-2-1 professional back-up strategy has been time-tested and remains a universal, basic method for data protection. However, due to the evolution of storage methods, the approach must be nuanced.

What options does a professional back-up solution offer

There are several types of professional back-up that you can choose from or combine:

• Full back-up involves creating a complete copy of all files, folders and data (from both on-premises and cloud applications) of an organization. Basically, all data is copied into one version and transferred to the back-up system. A disadvantage of this method is that it requires a lot of time and storage space.
• Incremental back-up involves backing up all files, folders and data that have changed since the last back-up activity. Consumes less storage space, back-up is fast, but data recovery time is longer because more back-up files will need to be accessed.
• Differential back-up, a variant located between full back-up and incremental back-up, involves copying the data that was created or modified since the last full back-up, not only the changes from the last incremental back-up. It is faster than full back-ups but needs more space than incremental back-ups.
• Mirror back-up means that an identical replica of critical data is created and stored in a separate location. In the context of cybersecurity, “mirror” back-ups are used to protect a company’s most important data and systems against loss and ransomware attacks.
• Cloud back-up (online back-up or remote back-up) involves copying the organization’s data to one or more remote cloud servers owned and managed by third-party cloud service providers.

M247 Back-up as a Service (BUaaS)

More recently, a back-up solution can also be delivered from the cloud as Back-up as a Service (BUaaS), a suitable choice especially for companies that do not have an IT team to manage data protection and recovery processes. Organizations can purchase this type of service as a subscription, with low costs and quick deployment.

M247 Back-up as a Service (BUaaS) based on Veeam technology is one such example. It is a complete back-up solution for instant recovery and data management with integrated cyber security. Organizations will benefit from flexibility, rapid adaptation to their security needs, cost reduction and unlimited scalability.

M247 Back-up as a Service is easy to set up and use and offers the option of automatic anti-malware check when saving data. In addition, it relies on Veeam’s market-leading back-up technology recognized by industry experts, helping to reduce downtime and loss of data and resources for businesses and their customers.

For a personalized offer contact us at sales@m247.ro