1. A data storage system comprising: a virtualization engine connectable to a remote device over a network for passing access commands between the remote device and a storage space; and a plurality of intelligent storage elements (ISEs) that are uniquely addressable by the virtualization engine for passing the access commands, wherein the ISEs are configured for migrating data from a first ISE to a second ISE independently of access commands being simultaneously passed between the virtualization engine and the first ISE.