Several choices are available to get the data written to the backup media.
You can simply copy the data from the primary storage to the secondary storage (disk or tape), onsite. This is a simple strategy, easily implemented, but impacts the production server where the data is located, since it will use the server’s resources. This may be tolerated on some applications, but not high demand ones.
To avoid an impact on the production application, and to perform serverless backups, you can mirror (or snap) a production volume. For example, you can mount it on a separate server and then copy it to the backup media (disk or tape). This option will completely free up the production server, with the added infrastructure cost associated with additional resources.
Remote Backup, can be used to comply with offsite requirements. A copy from the primary storage is done directly to the backup media that is sitting on another site. The backup media can be a real library, a virtual library or even a remote filesystem.
You can do a copy to a first set of backup media, which will be kept onsite for operational restore requirements, and then duplicate it to another set of media for offsite purposes. To simplify thr procedure, you can replicate it to an offsite location to remove any manual procedures associated with moving the backup media to another site.