Hard drives die, laptops get stolen, humans delete the wrong folder, and ransomware is having a record year. The question is no longer if you’ll lose critical data, but when. The 3‑2‑1 backup principle gives home users, freelancers and enterprises a simple, affordable playbook for surviving the inevitable. The 3-2-1 backup principle in this article is the de facto standard for managing copies of your data, whether those are files, photos, notes, or calendar appointments.
What Exactly Is the 3‑2‑1 Backup Principle?
3 copies of your data, 2 different storage media, 1 copy kept off‑site. Follow those three numbers and you dramatically reduce every common single point of failure.
1️⃣ Keep Three Copies
• Primary copy – the version you work on daily (laptop, NAS, production server).
• First backup – an independent duplicate created automatically on a schedule.
• Second backup – a further duplicate that lives on entirely separate media or location.
Why three? One backup can fail or become corrupted without you noticing. A second backup gives you a safety net and lets you roll back further in time if ransomware encrypted the first backup before it was detected.
2️⃣ Store on Two Different Media
Different media fail in different ways and on different timelines. Mix & match from:
- External HDD – affordable, but mechanical wear and drops are common.
- SSD – faster and shock‑resistant; can fail without warning due to electronics.
- Tape – archiving powerhouse with decades‑long shelf‑life, yet slower and manual.
- Cloud storage – instantly scalable and geo‑redundant, but dependent on your account security and vendor uptime. For backing up the calendars connected to our systems, we use high available cloud storage (99,99% uptime) to ensure that you can always access your backups.
1️⃣ Keep One Copy Off‑Site
Fire, flood, burglary or a lightning strike can destroy every device in a single location. Move at least one backup off‑site:
- A reputable cloud backup provider.
- Another office or branch location.
- A secure bank safe‑deposit box (for tape drives or encrypted drives).
Tip: “Off‑site” doesn’t have to mean far away, but it should be in a physically separate building with its own power and network. BackupMyCalendar can be your off-site backup for your calendars. We work with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and many more.
Ready to start with something simple? Secure your online calendar against accidental deletions. Create your free BackupMyCalendar account now—no credit card, cancel anytime.
