Patent ID: 7769890

Claim:
A method for protecting data in a storage system, the storage system comprising a management server, a media management component connected to the management server, a plurality of storage media connected to the media management component, at least one network attached storage (NAS) device connected to the media management component, and a data source connected to the media management component, the method comprising the following computer-implemented steps: receiving a request to perform a storage operation for source data stored on the data source; determining a first data path for the source data from the data source to the network attached storage device; monitoring a load of the data path; and determining a second data path for the source data from the data source to the network attached storage device the second data path being distinct from the first data path, wherein the media management component further comprises a verification component, a routing component, a browsing component and a metadata component for coordinating and verifying the transfer of data between the data source and a file server associated with the at least one network attached storage device, and wherein the first and second paths include respective media management components and network attached storage components.