Backup Strategy
Everyone means to back up until the drive dies or the phone is lost. This builds a real system on the 3-2-1 rule — three copies, two media, one off-site — sized to your actual data and devices, automated so it happens on its own, and (the step everyone skips) tested by doing a restore, because an untested backup is just a hope.
What This Skill Produces
- A 3-2-1 plan — three copies, on two types of media, with one off-site/cloud, mapped to your devices
- Priorities — what to back up first (irreplaceable photos/documents) vs. what's re-downloadable
- Automation — how to make backups run automatically so they don't depend on remembering
- A restore test — actually recovering a file to prove the backup works
- Resilience — protecting backups from ransomware/accidental-deletion and sync tools propagating a deletion to every copy (versioning, offline copy)
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Devices & OS — computers, phones, and what platform each is
- What matters most — photos, documents, work files, and roughly how much data
- Current backups — what (if anything) exists now, and whether it's tested
- Budget & comfort — external drives, cloud services, willingness to pay/automate
- Threats of concern — device loss/theft, hardware failure, ransomware, accidental deletion
Framework: 3-2-1, Automated, Tested
- Apply 3-2-1. Three copies, two different media (e.g. local drive + cloud), one off-site — so no single event (fire, theft, ransomware) takes everything.
- Prioritize the irreplaceable. Photos, personal documents, and unique work first; apps and media you can re-download come later.
- Automate it. Scheduled/continuous backup beats manual — the ones you have to remember are the ones that lapse.
- Protect the backups themselves. Keep at least one copy offline or versioned, so ransomware or a bad sync-delete can't wipe every copy at once.
- Test the restore. Recover a real file (and ideally a full-system test once). An untested backup fails exactly when it matters.
Output Format
Backup plan: [devices] · [key data] · [budget]
3-2-1 for you
- Copy 1 (primary): [device].
- Copy 2 (local): [external drive / NAS] — automated [how].
- Copy 3 (off-site): [cloud/off-site] — automated [how].
Back up first: [photos, documents, unique work]. Later: [re-downloadable].
Automate: [schedule/tool per device].
Protect backups: [versioning + one offline copy] against ransomware/sync-deletes.
Test: restore [a file] now; full-restore test [once].
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- A single copy on one drive — no redundancy.
- Manual backups that quietly lapse.
- Never testing a restore — discovering it's broken during a crisis.
- All copies online/connected so ransomware or a sync-delete hits them all.
- Backing up everything equally and burying the irreplaceable stuff.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "How should I back up my photos and files properly?"
- "Set me up a backup system for my laptop and phone."
- "I don't want to lose my photos if my phone dies — what do I do?"
- "Is my current backup actually safe from ransomware?"
- "What's the 3-2-1 backup rule and how do I set it up?"
1---2name: backup-strategy3description: Set up a backup system that actually protects your photos, files, and devices — built on the 3-2-1 rule and, crucially, tested so it works when you need it. Use when asked how to back up my data, set up backups, protect my photos/files, or what's a good backup strategy. Produces a 3-2-1 plan tailored to your devices and data, specific what-to-back-up priorities, an automation setup so it happens without you, a restore-test step, and protection against the failure that ruins backups (ransomware/sync-deletes reaching the backup).4---5
6# Backup Strategy
7
8Everyone means to back up until the drive dies or the phone is lost. This builds a real system on the 3-2-1 rule — three copies, two media, one off-site — sized to your actual data and devices, automated so it happens on its own, and (the step everyone skips) *tested* by doing a restore, because an untested backup is just a hope.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **A 3-2-1 plan** — three copies, on two types of media, with one off-site/cloud, mapped to your devices
13- **Priorities** — what to back up first (irreplaceable photos/documents) vs. what's re-downloadable
14- **Automation** — how to make backups run automatically so they don't depend on remembering
15- **A restore test** — actually recovering a file to prove the backup works
16- **Resilience** — protecting backups from ransomware/accidental-deletion and sync tools propagating a deletion to every copy (versioning, offline copy)
17
18## Required Inputs
19
20Ask for these if not provided:
21- **Devices & OS** — computers, phones, and what platform each is
22- **What matters most** — photos, documents, work files, and roughly how much data
23- **Current backups** — what (if anything) exists now, and whether it's tested
24- **Budget & comfort** — external drives, cloud services, willingness to pay/automate
25- **Threats of concern** — device loss/theft, hardware failure, ransomware, accidental deletion
26
27## Framework: 3-2-1, Automated, Tested
28
291. **Apply 3-2-1.** Three copies, two different media (e.g. local drive + cloud), one off-site — so no single event (fire, theft, ransomware) takes everything.
302. **Prioritize the irreplaceable.** Photos, personal documents, and unique work first; apps and media you can re-download come later.
313. **Automate it.** Scheduled/continuous backup beats manual — the ones you have to remember are the ones that lapse.
324. **Protect the backups themselves.** Keep at least one copy offline or versioned, so ransomware or a bad sync-delete can't wipe every copy at once.
335. **Test the restore.** Recover a real file (and ideally a full-system test once). An untested backup fails exactly when it matters.
34
35## Output Format
36
37### Backup plan: [devices] · [key data] · [budget]
38
39**3-2-1 for you**
40- Copy 1 (primary): [device].
41- Copy 2 (local): [external drive / NAS] — automated [how].
42- Copy 3 (off-site): [cloud/off-site] — automated [how].
43
44**Back up first:** [photos, documents, unique work]. Later: [re-downloadable].
45**Automate:** [schedule/tool per device].
46**Protect backups:** [versioning + one offline copy] against ransomware/sync-deletes.
47**Test:** restore [a file] now; full-restore test [once].
48
49## Quality Checks
50- [ ] Plan follows 3-2-1 (three copies, two media, one off-site)
51- [ ] Prioritizes irreplaceable data first
52- [ ] Backups are automated, not manual/remembered
53- [ ] Includes a restore test, not just a backup
54- [ ] Protects backups from ransomware/sync-delete (offline/versioned copy)
55- [ ] Tailored to the person's devices and budget
56
57## Anti-Patterns
58- **A single copy** on one drive — no redundancy.
59- **Manual backups** that quietly lapse.
60- **Never testing a restore** — discovering it's broken during a crisis.
61- **All copies online/connected** so ransomware or a sync-delete hits them all.
62- **Backing up everything equally** and burying the irreplaceable stuff.
63
64## Example Trigger Phrases
65- "How should I back up my photos and files properly?"
66- "Set me up a backup system for my laptop and phone."
67- "I don't want to lose my photos if my phone dies — what do I do?"
68- "Is my current backup actually safe from ransomware?"
69- "What's the 3-2-1 backup rule and how do I set it up?"
Mohit Aggarwal