The 1-2-3 backup rule is a straightforward and effective approach to safeguarding your data. It recommends maintaining three copies of your data across two different types of media, with one copy stored off-site. Three copies of your data: This includes your original or production data, along with two additional copies. On two different media: Your data should be stored on two distinct types of media. One copy off-site: It is essential to keep one copy of your data in a remote location, ideally at a significant distance from the other two copies.