1. An apparatus for virtualized storage control, operable in communication with a host and having mapped and unmapped storage resource pools, and comprising: a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: select a target device from the mapped storage resource pool for a destructive data storage operation; responsive to the selection of the target device from the mapped storage resource pool, create a virtual target device from the unmapped storage resource pool to represent the target device; responsive to the selection of the target device from the mapped storage resource pool, move the target device to a protected storage resource pool thereby removing the target device from the mapped storage pool; responsive to the creation of the virtual target device from the unmapped storage resource pool, move the virtual target device to the mapped storage resource pool thereby replacing the target device; and perform the destructive data storage operation on the virtual target device rather than the target device.