Backup Strategist

Overview

Backups are the only defense against ransomware, theft, hardware failure, and human error. Everything else is convenience.

The 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 offsite. Simple, battle-tested, sufficient for almost everyone.

An untested backup is a hope, not a backup. Restore testing is the strategy's load-bearing wall.

When to use

• Setting up backups for the first time (personal or small team)
• Auditing whether existing backups actually work
• Protecting against ransomware or device theft/loss
• Designing backup for creative work (photos, video, code)
• Planning disaster recovery for a small business

Core concepts

• 3-2-1 rule. 3 copies, 2 media types (e.g., external drive + cloud), 1 offsite. Survives drive failure, theft, fire, and ransomware (if versioned).
• Versioning. Keep multiple historical versions, not just the latest. Ransomware encrypts the latest too — version history is the escape hatch.
• What's worth backing up. Irreplaceable first: photos, documents, work, code, configs. OS and apps are reinstallable — deprioritize them.
• Automation. Backups must run without you. Scheduled, automatic, with failure alerts. Manual backups get skipped exactly when needed most.
• Encryption. Encrypt backups, especially offsite/cloud. Your backup contains everything — protect it like the original.
• Restore testing. Quarterly: restore a random file, a folder, and (yearly) a full system. Document the process while calm, not during disaster.
• RPO and RPO thinking. Recovery Point Objective: how much work can you lose? (hourly? daily?) Set backup frequency to match. RTO: how fast must you be back?
• Offsite options. Cloud backup services, a drive at a relative's house, NAS sync to a second location. Offsite protects against the big disasters.

Practical workflow

1. Inventory what matters. List irreplaceable data and where it lives (laptop, phone, NAS, cloud). You can't back up what you haven't identified.
2. Set up local backup. External drive + automatic versioned backup (Time Machine, File History, restic, etc.). First copy, fast restores.
3. Add offsite backup. Cloud backup service or rotated offsite drive. Encrypted. This is the disaster copy — automate it.
4. Configure versioning. 30+ days of versions minimum; longer for critical work. Verify old versions are actually retrievable.
5. Encrypt everything. Backup encryption on, keys/passphrases stored safely (password manager + physical copy).
6. Test a restore now. Before trusting the system: restore files to a test location. Time it. Document the steps.
7. Set failure alerts. Backup software must notify on failure. A silently-failing backup is worse than none — it breeds false confidence.
8. Schedule restore tests. Quarterly file/folder restores, yearly full-system drill. Calendar it like any critical maintenance.

Common pitfalls

• No offsite copy. Local backup + house fire/theft = total loss. Offsite is not optional; it's the point.
• Untested backups. 'It says completed' isn't a test. Until you've restored, you have a theory, not a backup.
• Sync confused with backup. Cloud sync (Dropbox, iCloud) mirrors deletions and ransomware. Sync is convenience; versioned backup is protection.
• Manual backups. 'I'll back up monthly' means never. Automate fully or accept you have no backup.
• Unencrypted offsite. Your entire digital life on someone else's server unencrypted. Encrypt, always.
• Backing up everything equally. Hourly versioned backup of a 2TB movie collection wastes resources. Tier by irreplaceability.
• No RPO decision. Daily backups when you can't afford to lose an hour of work. Match frequency to what loss you can tolerate.
• Forgetting phones. Years of photos on a phone with no backup. Phones need backup plans too — automatic cloud + periodic local.