Data can be found spread across a variety of platforms in directly attached storage (DAS) devices connected to application servers, in network attached (NAS) systems, and in storage area networks (SANs) using RAID (redundant array of independent disks) components. These systems offer varying levels of fault tolerance to protect stored data. Storage Area Networks (SANs) are incorporated into enterprise systems to reduce and/or eliminate single points of failure, improve data manageability, and consolidate large amounts of data in enterprise environments. A SAN offers heterogeneous connectivity with multi-platform support, allowing access to the same physical pool of storage. RAID storage systems, hubs, switches, bridges, servers, backup devices, and software are all part of SANs.