1. A data storage system comprising: a virtualization engine connectable to a remote device via a network for communicating access commands between the remote device and a storage space; and a plurality of intelligent storage elements (ISEs) cooperatively defining the storage space that are each uniquely addressable by the virtualization engine via two or more differently addressed communication paths for communicating the access commands to a selected logical storage location of the storage space, wherein each ISE is configured to determine whether spare storage capacity exists in response to an observed failure in a storage device of the storage space, the determination based entirely on the respective ISE, and thereby not the remote device or any other device communication with the respective ISE via the network, self-executing a preventive recovery routine that predicts the observed failure in the storage device, and the respective ISE further configured in accordance with a result of the determination to migrate stored data from a first logical storage location addressed by the virtualization engine via a first communication path of the two or more differently addressed communication paths to a second logical storage location addressed by the virtualization engine via a different second communication path of the two or more differently addressed communication paths while access commands are being simultaneously communicated between the virtualization engine and the first logical storage location via the first communication path.