FIVE The 3-2-1 Rule The 3-2-1 rule stipulates that you should have a minimumofthreecopiesofallarchivedimagefiles;a primarycopyandtwobackupcopies.Onecopyshould beonadifferentmediafromtheothertwocopies.For example,ifyourprimarycopyisbackeduptoanother hard drive, there should be a third copy on different media. It is ideal if the second media choice is write once media such as CD/DVD/Blu-Ray. In addition, one of the copies should be offsite. Keeping a set of backupdrivesofflineprovidesacertainlevelofprotec- tion; keeping them in a separate location protects against many more hazards. A balance needs to be struck so that a weekly backup routine is easy to do but the backups reside at a different address. Many people are able to use an office and a home scenario. Online Storage Online storage providers are another option for a digitalphotographyarchive.Onlineservicesarebecom- ingapopularwaytobackuplaptops,personalfiles,and other digital data. These services can work well for thosepurposesbutareproblematicforlargecollections ofdigitalimagefiles.Inadequatebandwidthisthefun- damental stumbling block. The average broadband speedintheUnitedStatesisaround1.9megabitsper second (MBS).Theoretical vs. actual speeds can vary widely, depending on the efficiency of the network, timeofday,networklatency,protocoloverhead,driver efficiency, and other technical parameters. In general, you can expect transfer speeds of 40 to 80% of the maximumspeed.Alsokeepinmindthatdigitalimages are measured in terms of megabytes (MB), a much