The present invention relates to write operations in data storage systems. In an embodiment, the invention relates to a method of writing data across a plurality of disk arrays, including writing a first copy of the data as a first plurality of stripes corresponding to the plurality of disk arrays and writing a second copy of the data as a second plurality of stripes corresponding to the plurality of disk arrays, wherein the second copy of the data is staggered with respect to the first copy on the plurality of disk arrays. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a data storage system including a plurality of disk arrays and a host, coupled to the plurality of disk arrays, with a program that instructs the host to write a first copy of the data as a first plurality of stripes that correspond to the plurality of disk arrays and to write a second copy of the data as a second plurality of stripes that correspond to the plurality of disk arrays, wherein the second copy of the data is staggered with respect to the first copy on the plurality of disk arrays.