The 3-2-1 backup rule, explained for studios

Backup is usually assumed and rarely checked — until a drive fails the week a client asks for a re-edit. The 3-2-1 rule turns "I think it is backed up" into something you can actually count on.

What 3-2-1 means

It is three numbers, and each one closes a common gap:

• 3 copies of any file that matters
• 2 different types of storage (for example a local drive and cloud/object storage)
• 1 copy kept offsite, away from your studio

The part everyone skips: restore tests

A backup you have never restored from is a guess. Once a quarter, pick a finished project and actually pull it back from the archive. If it comes back clean, you know the system works. If it does not, you found out on a calm day instead of a deadline.

Scheduled restore tests are built into every archive plan we set up, so protection is proven, not assumed.