Why should one have a second and third copy of a backup?

by Martin Teetz OpenText Employee

in Portfolio

Backups are crucial in safeguarding against data loss, serving as a vital insurance policy for individuals and organizations alike. In our increasingly digital world, where vast amounts of critical information are stored electronically, the potential for data loss due to hardware failures, cyberattacks, human error, or natural disasters is ever-present. A robust backup strategy provides a safety net, ensuring that even in the face of catastrophic events, valuable data can be recovered, and operations can continue with minimal disruption. Without backups, years of work, irreplaceable memories, financial records, and essential business information could vanish in an instant, potentially leading to severe personal distress, financial losses, or even the collapse of entire enterprises. By regularly creating and maintaining backups, we not only protect against unforeseen circumstances but also gain peace of mind, knowing that our digital assets are secure and recoverable, no matter what challenges we may face.

Experience in the past and best practices in IT suggest following a 3-2-1 backup strategy. With having three copies of data on two types of media and one copy stored offsite. This will provide a high level of protection against all sorts of data loss causes, be it human error, natural disaster ransomware or other causes.

Following a secure 3-2-1 backup strategy is crucial for robust data protection and business continuity in today's digital landscape. This approach, which involves maintaining three copies of data on two different types of media with one copy stored offsite, provides multiple layers of defense against various threats and disasters. By implementing this strategy, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of data loss due to hardware failures, cyberattacks like ransomware, human error, or natural disasters. The 3-2-1 method ensures redundancy, allows for faster recovery times, and protects against different types of failures by diversifying storage media and locations. Moreover, it aligns with industry best practices and can help meet compliance requirements. In an era where data is a critical asset and cyber threats are constantly evolving, a secure 3-2-1 backup strategy not only safeguards valuable information but also enhances an organization's resilience, minimizes downtime, and maintains customer trust in the face of potential data loss incidents.

A second and third backup copy is important for several reasons:

Redundancy: Having multiple copies of your data provides redundancy in case one backup fails or becomes corrupted. As the saying goes, "two is one and one is none" - if you only have one backup and it fails, you're left with no backups at all.
Protection against different types of disasters: Storing backups on different media types and in different locations protects against various disaster scenarios. For example, if both your primary data and local backup are destroyed in a fire or flood, an offsite backup ensures you can still recover your data.
Geographical Diversity: If both copies are stored in different locations, it protects against geographical risks like natural disasters, theft, or hardware failures affecting one location.
Faster recovery: Keeping a local backup copy allows for quicker restores compared to retrieving data from an offsite or cloud backup, which may be slower due to network limitations. Read our blog about how backup software can ensure business continuity.
Defense against malware and ransomware: Some malware specifically targets backups. Having multiple copies, especially offline or air-gapped backups, provides protection against such attacks.
Compliance with best practices: The 3-2-1 backup rule, widely recommended by IT professionals, calls for at least three copies of data on two different media types, with one copy stored offsite. A second backup helps meet this standard. More about compliance and regulations for backup and recovery.
Compliance with regulations: Government regulations require you to implement a solid backup and recovery strategy. Using the 3-2-1 backup rule is a great way of being compliant.
Protection against human error: If someone accidentally deletes or overwrites data in one backup, having another copy provides a safety net.
Versioning: Multiple backups allow you to keep different versions of your data over time, which is crucial if you need to recover from changes made days or weeks ago.

In summary, a second backup copy significantly enhances data protection, improves recovery options, and follows industry best practices for ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery preparedness.

How OpenText can help to implement a secure backup strategy

OpenText Data Protector is an enterprise grade backup and recovery solution that can backup and recover almost any content. From cloud SaaS solutions to on-premises solutions like SAP, Oracle and others. Data Protector supports a wide range of clients and target systems and offers strong deduplication capabilities.

Data Protector has built-in features to automatically create a second or third copy of your backup. Data Protector can replicate backup copies from, for example Dell Data Domain, HPE StoreOnce, and from the Data Protector deduplication storage.

Data Protector supports a very wide range of storage solutions including tape and other write-once media. Enabling you to create true airgap copies of your valuable backups. Protecting your organization from the dark cyber forces and from political changes and natural disasters.