The RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system has redefined how companies store data. However, it is necessary to know both the benefits and risks of this system before adopting it for our company.
RAID, Storage Virtualization
The RAID system is a storage virtualization technology that consists of combining several physical disks in a single logical drive. The RAID was designed to achieve more security through data redundancy and faster transfer speeds.
Advantages And Risks Of A RAID System
RAIDs are used to support the operation of virtual environments and all those applications that require reliability and scalability. Among the benefits of a RAID system are:
Protection of stored data: The information is duplicated on several disks, which reduces the risk of data loss due to physical failures of a disk. The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen9 delivers an optimal unit which comes with low consumption and high-performance
Reliability: Data loss is less likely with respect to traditional storage.
Capacity: Being units composed of several disks, the total system capacity is multiplied.
Speed: Writing and reading information is distributed between different discs, so the speed increases.
However, not everyone is perfect, so the two main disadvantages of RAID systems are:
Data loss: No RAID system is completely immune to data loss since all can be affected by physical disk failures. Therefore, making backup copies is essential.
Data recovery: In addition, data recovery is very complicated, being distributed among several disks. The HPE StoreVirtual VSA is an ideal option for you for a complete functionality.
How To Choose The Most Suitable RAID System For My Company?
Currently, there are different types of the RAID system, called levels, which are password-numbered. The choice of the RAID system for our company will be made, taking into account the requirements in terms of speed, information protection. Let’s see the main levels and the associated benefits:
RAID 0: Uses two or more disks together, distributing the data equally between them. High-speed performance is the main feature of this level, which, however, does not provide redundancy and, therefore, data security. You have to resort to backup solutions.
RAID 1: Uses two or more disks but always in even numbers, doubling the information. The system is based on redundancy, so it is resistant to the physical failures of the disks that compose it. The information that is written on the half of available discs is duplicated in the other half, for which the transfer speed is sacrificed.
The RAID system brings many benefits, but you have to be aware of its limits and implement a strategy to prevent data loss.
