Digital preservation and the 3-2-1 rule

The 3-2-1 rule is a guideline followed by librarians and archivists (and lots of other professionals who work with digital content) for digital preservation and backup. It's a simple yet effective strategy to ensure the safety of your digital content. Here's the rule:

3: Keep at least three copies of your data, digitized or born-digital content. This includes the original data and at least two backups.

2: Store the copies on two different types of storage media. This could mean using a combination of internal computer or laptop hard drives, external hard drives, cloud storage, or even physical media like DVDs.

1: Keep one copy off-site. Store at least one copy in a different physical location from the others. This protects against physical disasters like fire or theft. This could also be your copy in cloud-based storage.

3-2-1 Backup Rule

This process helps protect against various data loss scenarios, including hardware failure, accidental deletion, natural disasters, and cybersecurity incidents.

Let's get started!

1. Save your main research on your home or work computer using your folder organization and file-naming schemes.

2. Back up this same information regularly to an external hard drive stored at home or work.

3. Use a cloud storage service for your off-site backup.

Here are a few additional resources for services and equipment:

1. The Best External Hard Drives for 2024 (PC Magazine) - https://www.pcmag.com/lists/best-external-hard-drives 

2. Digital Preservation Handbook: Cloud Services (Digital Preservation Coalition) - https://www.dpconline.org/handbook/technical-solutions-and-tools/cloud-services 

   
   

Tobias History Research is a premier provider of history research and archives management services. With 20+ years of professional experience, founder Vicki Tobias helps clients expertly discover their history and enthusiastically share their stories. Learn more about her services.