Q. When people say they have RAID configured on their practice server, what do they mean?

A. RAID stands for redundant array of independent disks. In the context of a GP practice the usual configuration is RAID 1 where data are written to two disks at the same time. In the event that one hard disk dies, the second contains exactly the same data. The term used means that data are mirrored on the second disk.

RAID should not be confused with data backup. Although RAID 1 does give you redundancy for your hard disk, it does not remove the need to have a backup system in place, either local, online or both. Setting up RAID on your server is a job for IT experts. They will need to take into account the server operating system and hardware configuration, the RAID controller and the hard disk drives.