It is often misunderstood that RAID is a form of backup. This is not true. RAID is not a backup. RAID helps add a layer of protection against drive failure by providing redundancy. When a drive fails, RAID can help protect the data inside the volume when replacing the failed drive. What is written to the drive, either intentionally or unintentionally will not be protected by RAID. On a similar note, snapshots are not a backup either, but help restore data from unintentional or unauthorized changes. The only way to secure data is to take complete and regular backups.
There are often people who mistakenly think that putting files in different folders or volumes constitutes a backup, but the data remains in the same device. When a device, drive or volume fails or sustains damage, the data is still gone.
If your NAS is the only place you store your data, then your NAS is not your backup device. Backups, whether they are to another ASUSTOR NAS, an external drive, tape drive or other storage medium all have their advantages and disadvantages. For offsite backups, a cloud service or a NAS/external drive at another location can be used. Cloud services used in ADM’s Cloud Backup Center can be affordable and complement your holistic backup solution. Data protection is crucial and no one device is a silver bullet for data security. Following the 3-2-1 backup rule helps minimize the risks to your data and with every additional copy of data on a separate storage medium and/or location will continue to lower that risk even further.