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The Advantage of Using RAID Configurations

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Let’s face it – at some point you will need to back up your computer data to keep your information safe. The average user finds external hard drives to be helpful for basic presentations or when a hard drive crashes, but what happens if your experience a crash before you were able to backup? That would be a sad and mournful day, which is why it is recommended to use a RAID 1 hard drive configuration.

Your hard drive is something to keep in tip-top shape because of its value and constant moving parts (unless it’s a solid-state drive). This can be most closely related to a car, in which its engine runs constantly and should always be in its best condition to run safely and smoothly. RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a system created by multiple hard drives that exceeds the normal function of a stand-alone drive. They can be linked together to act as a single hard drive that offers greater data access speeds, data redundancy (multiple disks backing up the same data), or both. A RAID1 configuration is especially attractive to those in the professional market who use PCs for their business and need to protect their mission critical data.

RAID1 In Your Computer

RAID has five different levels, but the most well-known and used level is RAID1. A RAID1 configuration can be noted as a mirroring or duplexing process, containing two hard disk drives managed by either a software or hardware controller. A RAID 1 array (with two drives) has the ability to write the same piece of data to two disks simultaneously, so if one of those hard drives fails, the other will have a complete and updated backup of the data from the failed hard drive. Another great feature of a RAID1 system is if your first hard drive crashes, the second disk will be able to operate on its own and keep your computer running! For these reasons, the functionality of RAID controllers are superb, even with low-end controllers being able to support hot sparing and can restore RAID 1 arrays back to normal working order with little effort.

Raid 1 Mirroring

Redundancy, low-cost, and increased performance are the two top primary advantages of using RAID 1 in the IT industry. Due to the high demand for computers in work settings and not affording the risk of losing important data, the low cost (due to reduced time spent recovering a system in the event of a crash) and redundancy features are the big draw for candidates of a RAID1 configuration. As an example, business owners and government agencies constantly have massive amounts of information coming through their computers every day. It would be detrimental to your job and your company if any of that information was lost. This is where Raid 1 comes in to save the day! It is highly important to note the value of having the right  kind of system and configuration for your hard drive. Making a small investment could truly save you some large maintenance and recovery costs in the future. So, you can either waste a lot more time and money attempting to restore lost data, or you can save time and make more money just by investing in a RAID configuration.

RAID 1 is known for its mirroring or duplexing feature. To be explained, this is a process in which the data on a computer is duplicated on two separate disk drives by using a RAID controller. RAID1 is highly recommended by users in the administrative and government field, or any company that has a high demand for computers and holding documents! This is due to having a large quantity of information constantly being passed on and noted throughout its industry. Owning your own RAID1 could save you and your company money and time as far as keeping your documents up to date and constantly backed up!

We here at H Power Computing try to offer the best solutions we can to our clients, and a RAID system is one feature we highly recommend. Drop on in to our store to learn more or to get yourself set up with a RAID configured computer today!

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