A high efficiency portable archive (“HEPA”) implements a storage system running in a computer architecture to generate point-in-time versions of a raw data set. The HEPA can be implemented in a variety of computer architectures with the storage system being implemented as a conventional application on a host operating system or as a virtual system on a virtualization layer. In either case, the point-in-time versions and optionally the storage system itself can be archived on archive media. Alternately, the point-in-time versions and optionally the storage system itself can be replicated to a virtualized storage system first and then archived on archive media. The storage system and point-in-time versions of the raw data set can be restored into a virtual system on any hardware subsystem that supports the virtual system.