Every backup copy reachable from production is a copy an intruder with sufficient credentials can destroy. The air-gapped copy exists precisely because that reachability is the weakness ransomware operators have learned to exploit first.
What an Air Gap Means Now
The classic definition was physical: media disconnected and removed. The working 2026 definition is broader, covering any copy an attacker holding production credentials cannot reach, alter, or delete through the network.
Logical Versus Physical
Removable media and offline tape provide a literal gap. Isolated, immutable repositories with separate credentials provide a logical one. The logical form is more operable at scale; the physical form is harder to defeat. Most mature estates run both.
Implementing It
A workable air gap backup veeam pattern combines offline or removable media with hardened immutable repositories, so at least one copy stays outside the blast radius of a compromised console.
Credential Separation Is the Point
An isolated repository sharing a directory with production is not isolated. Separate authentication, separate accounts, and separate administrative paths are what make the gap real rather than nominal.
Rehearse the Recovery
Recovering from an air-gapped copy is slower and more manual than a routine restore. Practise it before you need it, and measure how long it truly takes so the recovery plan reflects reality rather than optimism.
