The 3-2-1 Backup Rule: Protecting Your Small Business from Ransomware

Ransomware does not care how small your business is. Attackers automate their way into any network they can reach, encrypt everything, and demand payment. The single best protection is not a magic tool, it is backups you can actually restore from. That is where the 3-2-1 rule comes in.

What the 3-2-1 rule means

• 3 copies of your data: the live version plus two backups.
• 2 different media types, so a single kind of failure cannot wipe out everything.
• 1 copy off-site, physically separated from your office and your network.

That off-site copy is what saves you when ransomware, a fire, or a flood hits the building.

Why it beats ransomware

Modern ransomware deliberately hunts for and deletes local backups before it strikes. If your only backup sits on the same network, it can be encrypted right alongside your live data. An off-site, immutable copy, one that cannot be altered or deleted for a set period, gives you a clean restore point the attacker cannot touch.

How Nimbus implements 3-2-1

For the businesses we manage, that looks like:

• Microsoft 365 protection: your email, SharePoint, and OneDrive backed up beyond Microsoft's own limited retention.
• A local Synology appliance for fast on-site restores when you just need a file or a mailbox back quickly.
• Immutable Wasabi cloud storage off-site, so there is always a copy ransomware cannot reach.

Backups you never test are not backups

A backup is only real if it restores. We verify backups and run periodic restore tests, because the worst time to discover a broken backup is the day you need it. If you are not sure your current backups would survive a ransomware attack, that is worth a conversation.

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