If ALTO is disk based, why can’t I just use RAID? Why High-Performance Storage is Failing Your Archive

In the world of media and entertainment, data isn't just an asset, it’s the legacy of the organisation. When dealing with petabyte-scale libraries, some organizations often reach for what they know: RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). It’s fast, familiar, and the backbone of Tier 1 production.

But the truth: RAID is not designed as an archive. It does not have the basic requirements of what is needed for long-term digital preservation. As we scale into the era of 8K and massive volume ingest, the "RAID-as-Archive" model is becoming a costly, high-maintenance liability.

Enter ALTO from Disk Archive, a platform designed from the ground up to solve the specific crises of long-term preservation.

1. The 5-Year Death Cycle vs. 15-Year Longevity

Cost aside, the most glaring issue with RAID is its shelf life. Because RAID disks are "always on" and always spinning, they are subject to constant mechanical wear and heat.

• The RAID Reality: You are trapped in a cycle of hardware refreshes every 3 to 5 years. This necessitates constant, risky data migrations that consume engineering time and threaten data integrity.

• The ALTO Advantage: ALTO is designed for a 15+ year lifespan. Because it only spins up disks on demand, the mechanical fatigue is virtually zero. There is no forced data migration; you simply let the archive live.

2. Failure Rates: A constant worry and headache

In a RAID environment, the more disks you add, the higher the probability of a "rebuild" event. During a RAID rebuild, the remaining disks are stressed to their limit, often leading to a second disk failure and total data loss.

• RAID: Requires constant parity checks and carries a significant risk of Unrecoverable Read Errors (URE) during large-scale rebuilds.

• ALTO: Across over 350 multi-petabyte sites globally, ALTO has recorded only a handful of disk failures in 15 years. By removing the heat and vibration of constant spinning, ALTO creates an environment where COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) disks perform with unprecedented reliability.

3. The Scalability Trap

RAID is rigid. To expand a RAID group, you typically need identical disk sizes, and the overhead cost of "hot spares" and parity disks scales poorly.

• The Cost of "Nearline": Using RAID for "Nearline" storage is an expensive middle ground. It’s too costly to be a true archive and too slow to be a true Tier 1 production volume. Ideal for tier 2 or as an ingest platform, nearline is not a true long-term archive.

• ALTO’s Random Access: Unlike tape, ALTO offers random access to any disk. Unlike RAID, it is highly scalable over time. You can mix and match disk sizes as technology evolves, making it a "pay-as-you-grow" platform rather than a "rip-and-replace" investment.

  
  

Comparison: RAID/NAS vs. ALTO Archive

Feature	RAID / Standard NAS	ALTO Archive Platform
Primary Goal	High-speed IOPS / Performance	Long-term Data Preservation
Disk State	Always Spinning (High Wear)	Fully Off / Spin-up on Demand
Lifespan	3–5 Years	15+ Years
Migration	Required every hardware cycle	Non-disruptive / No migration needed
Management	Intensive (firmware, parity, rebuilds)	Low-touch / Minimal
Power/Cooling	Expensive / High Carbon Footprint	Eco-friendly / Minimal Power

4. Respecting the 3-2-1 Rule

A professional archive isn't just about one box; it’s about a strategy. The 3-2-1 Method (3 copies of data, 2 different media types, 1 offsite) is the gold standard for archiving.

• While a NAS is great for Tier 1 work, ALTO serves as the perfect Primary Archive.

• It can replicate internally or to a second site.

• It integrates seamlessly into hybrid workflows involving LTO or Cloud, providing the "Disk" element of 3-2-1 with much lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) than keeping those files on a spinning RAID. Or on LTO tape for that matter.

  
  

5. Purpose-Built Functionality

It is important to understand what ALTO is not. It is not a NAS. You wouldn't edit a film directly off an ALTO (though it supports partial restores for efficiency).

The Bottom Line: If you want to open a file and work on it today, use a NAS. If you want to ensure that file is available, readable, and hasn't cost you a fortune in electricity and hardware refreshes 15 years from now, you use ALTO.

Ready to break the RAID refresh cycle?

The move from "spinning disks" to "intelligent archiving" is the single biggest favour you can do for your budget. Contact us now.