What Is an Air-Gapped Backup?
An air-gapped backup is a backup copy maintained outside direct access paths from the primary production environment and broader networks, like the Internet, through physical separation or controlled logical isolation.
The purpose of an air gap is to create a recovery source that remains insulated from events affecting connected production systems. By limiting direct connectivity, organizations reduce the likelihood that backup copies are altered, deleted, or accessed through the same pathways as operational infrastructure.
Historically, air-gapped backups were often stored on removable tape media that could be physically separated from active systems. Modern implementations may use isolated recovery environments, secured backup vaults, immutable cloud storage, or segmented networks to create logical isolation.
Air-gapped backups are commonly included in cyber resilience strategies because they provide an additional layer of recovery protection when production environments or administrative credentials are compromised. They can also support protection against accidental deletion, insider activity, and site-level disruptions.
Many organizations incorporate air-gapped backups into 3-2-1 and 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategies and use recurring testing to verify recovery readiness.
Why Air-Gapped Backup Matters
Air-gapped backups provide an isolated recovery source that remains separated from primary production environments and routine operational access paths.