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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule?
The 3-2-1-1-0 rule is the modern enterprise backup standard: keep 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite, 1 copy offline or immutable (air-gapped or WORM), and 0 errors verified through automated backup testing. The original 3-2-1 rule was extended with the "1 immutable" and "0 errors" requirements after ransomware attacks began targeting and encrypting backup repositories.
What is the difference between RTO and RPO?
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable time to restore a system after a failure — how long the business can tolerate being down. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time — how much data the business can afford to lose. A bank might have an RTO of 4 hours and RPO of 15 minutes. A retail website might have an RTO of 1 hour and RPO of 1 hour.
How do you protect backups from ransomware?
Ransomware protection for backups requires: (1) immutable backup storage (WORM or object lock) that cannot be modified or deleted for a defined retention period, (2) air-gapped copies physically or logically isolated from production networks, (3) separate backup infrastructure credentials not shared with production systems, (4) automated backup integrity verification, and (5) regular recovery testing to validate that backups are actually recoverable.
Key Terms
The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. An RPO of 1 hour means the business can tolerate losing up to 1 hour of data.
The maximum acceptable time to restore a system or application after a failure. An RTO of 4 hours means the system must be restored within 4 hours of a failure.
A backup copy that cannot be modified, encrypted, or deleted for a defined retention period, protecting against ransomware attacks that target backup repositories.
A physical or logical isolation of backup data from production networks, preventing ransomware or other malware from reaching and encrypting backup copies.
Buyer\'s Guide
Questions to ask when evaluating backup solutions.
Why it matters: Ransomware attacks now specifically target backup repositories. Solutions without immutable storage or air-gapped copies leave organizations with no clean recovery point after an attack.
Red flag: Backup solutions that store all copies on network-connected storage without immutability features.
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