Why raid is not backup

I would like to devote my last proof to the topic which is substantially unpleasant — a complete damage of the data server. Fire in the server room or any other factor that could destroy the whole server means data loss.

I have outlined four arguments that show why RAID is not the same as backup. I have focused on the weak points of RAID as a system of protection when it comes to data loss. Luckily, there are also many positive aspects of using RAID. RAID technology is often used on servers recording data backups. It is an environment usually supervised by a backup server application that uses RAID arrays as a storage unit.

No votes yet. Thanks for that last paragraph about using a RAID as part of a backup system. It hosts three volumes, one for active use, one for periodic local backups of the active volume, and a third for Time Machine Backups, Carbon Copy Clones of my main system disk and other backup utilities.

Lastly everything in the main, active drive gets backed up off-site to Amazon Glacier. Except the reasoning is wrong. What your looking for is a versioning file system on a RAID system. That solves problems with RAID as backup. Case 4 can be solved by using a chassi that is fire proof and chaining the hardware to the office. Next to prevention, a good backup strategy is the only way around paying the ransom and avoiding significant downtime.

RAID is a proven effective way to mitigate downtime caused by hardware failure. However, it is ineffective when human error comes into play. According to a recent study championed in tandem by Ponemon Institute and Emerson Network Power, human error is responsible for 22 percent of data center outages.

This percentage has not changed since the version of this study, suggesting that something is still amiss when it comes to employee education. If an employee accidentally deletes company data, backup copies kept on or offsite are the only option for recovery.

The mere thought is depressing. Dreadfulness aside, every organization should plan to combat unplanned downtime. Here, the available storage space can then be used more intelligently. If data is written incorrectly, a virus rages or a software error is present, these problems are also transferred to the copied data and are unusable despite multiple execution under certain circumstances.

Furthermore, accidentally deleted files are not easy to recover. Therefore, despite RAID, regular backups should not be neglected. Only the regular backup can guarantee the recovery in case of an emergency. RAID ensures especially in the higher configuration levels rather the unbraked continuation of work in the network, if one or even more disks should fail.

These can then be replaced during operation without necessarily having to stop working on the data. However, doing without a backup because of RAID is by no means recommended. Which format is better for backup? Expert Tips: What is backup?

Good Data Backup. Post a comment here Let us reiterate once again: RAID in itself is not a worthy replacement for backups, but rather a handy extension of your data storage arrangement. The appreciable convenience of RAID, however, is that it can be used as both as a backup destination and a backup target. So if you're intent on setting up a RAID at your workplace, be sure to take advantage of its benefits when designing backup plans. Blog Articles. Every week we deliver quality content about cloud storage, backups and security.

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Now let's break down the most popular RAID setups: RAID 0 data striping RAID 0 splits your files into blocks and scatters them across your physical storage units, thereby increasing the overall performance read and write speeds due to a higher cumulative throughput of all the storage units. Pros : Higher performance, disk failure tolerance. Cons : High cost, limited scalability The list of other RAID setups comprises a handful of other implementations that each has its own application, advantages, and drawbacks.