A system, program product, and computer implemented method for data replication, comprising enabling a virtual service layer to consume a storage medium of a site and map the storage medium of the site as one or more virtual storage volumes, enabling the virtual service layer to present the one or more virtual storage volumes for consumption by a host, enabling a splitter of the site to intercept I/O written to the one or more virtual storage volumes, splitting intercepted I/O to a journal based replication appliance, and enabling the journal based replication appliance to create a continuous data protection image of the data written to one or more virtual storage volumes.