Many resources and professionals reference the 3-2-1 backup rule as an effective strategy to prevent active research data loss. However, the changes in storage technology and the pace of research data growth have outgrown the 3-2-1 rule. Objectives: The authors want to contribute background information and invite community input to evolve the 3-2-1 rule to fit modern research data and storage better. This evolution would provide better information to research data management professionals and researchers for more resilient research data. Methods: The authors facilitated a workshop at the Research Data Access and Preservation (RDAP) Summit in 2025 to present the necessary information for understanding the current storage and backup landscape. Backups were reframed as failure modes for data loss and corresponding preventative data protection measures. Results: The workshop resulted in an overview and summary of data protection methods and the ways in which they mitigate different “failures,” which allows for a more nuanced discussion of data protection that is not enabled by use of the 3-2-1 rule nor the term “backup” alone. Workshop participants brainstormed ways that the information presented in the workshop could be synthesized and incorporated into various learning materials, including materials for data professionals and researchers.
Evolving the 3-2-1 backup rule for more resilient data