3-2-1 backup is a widely recommended data backup strategy that helps ensure the safety and recoverability of important data. The strategy involves creating three copies of your data, storing the copies in two different storage media, and keeping one backup copy offsite or in the cloud.
The 3-2-1 backup strategy helps protect against data loss due to various events such as hardware failure, software corruption, theft, fire, or natural disasters. By having multiple copies of your data, in different locations, and on different storage media, you increase the chances of being able to restore your data in the event of a catastrophic data loss event.
For example, you could have one copy of your data stored locally on your computer’s hard drive (copy 1), a second copy stored on an external hard drive or network-attached storage device (copy 2), and a third copy stored in the cloud (copy 3). This way, if your computer’s hard drive fails, you still have two additional copies of your data that you can recover from. And if a fire or other disaster strikes your home or office, you still have a copy of your data stored safely offsite or in the cloud.