RAID (Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks) is a drive architecture designed to protect critical data through redundancy across multiple disks. It can deliver enhanced protection against data loss and downtime compared to conventional disk drives. Benefits of RAID include improved input/output performance and the ability to customize drive systems to specific applications. RAM is a data storage device that allows equally fast access to different locations, unlike magnetic tape or disks where non-sequential access is slower due to physical movement requirements.