Which of the following best describes redundancy in system design?

Redundancy in system design primarily refers to the duplication of critical components or systems to ensure reliability and availability. By implementing component duplication, such as having multiple servers, storage devices, or network paths, a system can maintain functionality even in the event of a failure or malfunction of a single component. This approach minimizes the risk of downtime and enhances the overall resilience of the system.

The other options, while important aspects of system security and functionality, do not capture the essence of redundancy in the same way. For example, data encryption techniques focus on securing data rather than providing backup or alternative systems. Backup data creation is related to data protection and recovery but does not necessarily involve active operation of duplicate systems in real-time. Network load distribution pertains to efficiently managing network traffic across multiple resources but does not inherently provide backup or failure resistance in the same sense that redundancy does. Thus, the focus on component duplication distinctly aligns with the definition of redundancy in system design.