Every business runs on its data. Customer records, invoices, contracts, the accounting file someone has been building since 2015. Most people only find out how fragile all of it is on the day a server dies or a laptop goes missing. By then it is too late to start backing up.
Protecting your data does not have to be complicated, though. The 3-2-1 backup rule is a simple approach that IT people have trusted for years, and it works just as well for a ten person office in Tema as it does for a large bank.
What the rule says
- Keep three copies of your data: the live copy and at least two backups.
- Store them on two different types of storage, for example a backup device in the office and a cloud service.
- Keep one copy offsite, so a fire, flood or break in at the office cannot take everything.
Follow those three steps and no single bad event can wipe out every copy at once.
Why ransomware changes things
Ransomware does not stop at encrypting your files. Attackers go looking for your backups too, and they delete or encrypt those as well so you have no choice but to pay. That is why a lot of organisations now add two more steps and talk about 3-2-1-1-0 instead.
- Keep one copy that cannot be changed, either offline or immutable, so not even a hacked admin account can delete it.
- Aim for zero errors by testing your backups regularly, so you know they will actually restore.
A backup you have never tested is really just a hope. Book in regular test restores and keep a note of how they went.
Where to start
- Work out what you cannot afford to lose. For most businesses that is the accounting system, shared files, any databases and your Microsoft 365 email.
- Decide how much lost work you could live with. If losing a full day would hurt, you need to back up more often than once a night.
- Use proper backup software. Tools like Veeam can protect physical servers, virtual machines, cloud systems and Microsoft 365 from one place.
- Add an offsite or cloud copy. It protects you when something happens to the whole building, including long power or equipment failures.
- Turn on immutability. Copies that cannot be altered are your last line of defence against ransomware.
- Test a restore every quarter. Bring back a few files and at least one whole system, just to prove it works.
What about Microsoft 365?
A lot of people assume Microsoft backs up their email and files. It does keep the service running, but getting back something that was deleted or damaged months ago is your responsibility. A separate Microsoft 365 backup closes that gap, and it is not expensive.
In short
The 3-2-1 rule is cheap, simple and it works. Add a copy that cannot be changed, test it now and then, and when something does go wrong you will be back up in hours rather than weeks.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your setup, our engineers are happy to take a look. Get in touch or call us on +233 24 419 7610.