Is the cloud part of your 3-2-1 strategy?

We recently read of a survey in which it was revealed that more than half of respondents had recently lost data, or knew someone else for whom this was the case.

Quite frankly, there is an incredible amount of important data being lost all of the time, and if you aren’t sufficiently prepared, you might just become the next victim. You might want to consider the cloud as part of your 3-2-1 strategy.

After all, the aforementioned study also discovered that two-thirds of the polled companies did not even make use of such basic security practices as encryption and backup.

Using the cloud for offsite backup

Once upon a time, keeping an offsite backup would have meant keeping a duplicate tape or hard copy at a separate physical location, that you then had to drive to (or worse!) if you needed to access your data.

It was hardly a quick and convenient backup solution, and nor was it free of such other risks as corruption or loss, which is why it’s no surprise that the cloud has risen to prominence as a more secure and reliable mode of backing up data offsite.

Many organisations therefore keep some of their data onsite and some of it offsite in the cloud, a strategy known as hybrid cloud computing. However, while this is one option, it is worth bearing in mind that many businesses make use of full-on cloud computing for their backups, whereby files are saved on office PCs but are otherwise entirely contained in the cloud. This enables their employees to work in any location with an Internet connection.

Why have an offsite backup?

It has long been acknowledged by the industry that even multiple onsite backups aren’t enough for the ideal level of data security. What if a flood or fire strikes your office, wiping out not only your main PC, but also the external hard drive that was backing it up, and which you had left inches away on the same desk?

If you, therefore, want to protect your files to the greatest extent possible, there’s no realistically better solution than a 3-2-1 strategy, which has even been endorsed by the United States Government.

Introducing the ‘3-2-1’ strategy

The basic principle of a 3-2-1 strategy is keeping a minimum of three total copies of your data – two of them on site and the third, offsite.

Having two backups onsite means that in the event of a crashed hard drive for your main PC or laptop, you can easily retrieve all, or the majority of your data from the second backup – ideally an up-to-date external hard drive.

If you do proceed with a 3-2-1 strategy for your firm’s backups, you should seriously consider making the cloud a big part of it. Whichever route you take, there are big benefits to business from doing so, including greater agility and mobility.