Backups: The 3-2-1 Rule Explained Simply

Hard drive failures don't just happen to other people—and they always happen at the worst possible time. The solution comes down to three numbers: 3-2-1.

The Rule

• 3 copies of your data (the original plus two backups).
• 2 various storage media (external hard drive, NAS, cloud, etc.).
• 1 back up your data outside your home (to the cloud or a drive at the office).

In practice

On a Mac, Time Machine + a cloud service will do. On a PC, file history + a cloud service. The important thing is that it’s automatic — A manual backup is a backup you forget to do.

Need help setting this up? We set up your backups remotely, once and for all.