IBM Spectrum Protect Reviews

I am using Oracle Database as well as MySQL and MHSQL. In terms of security products, I have Tenable Micro. For the backup solution, I am using IBM TSM only, however, I am searching for a more robust solution for my central backup needs. 

I am looking into options like TSN, IBM, and Tably. Specifically, Tably is being considered for my core banking database, but I still need a solution that can cover all my Linux and Windows systems platforms, including the 5GS file system and other database backups. I am actively searching for another solution.

The best functional system I utilize is integrated with the data domain and DIGS backup solution, which makes it easily manageable and comprehensive. Incremental and differential backup features are built-in, which I frequently utilize on a weekly and daily basis. 

Additionally, the solution has proven to be robust, especially being an IBM product, making it easier to manage and configure for my core banking system running on AIX. My local partner manages all these aspects efficiently, which contributes to my satisfaction.

People mostly use IBM Spectrum Protect for protection of comprehensive workloads such as databases, file systems, and file servers NDMP and NetApp, usually in combination with tape libraries or object storage.

In terms of functionality, there weren't any special features, but commonly used features such as compression and automation were helpful, along with server-less functions that allow for easy upgrades.

IBM Spectrum Protect has excellent integration capability.

IBM Spectrum Protect is designed for data centers, catering to large enterprises, including banks, insurance companies, etc. There is competition in the market for data protection solutions. Price is a significant factor in this competition. We must explore alternative solutions beyond Spectrum Protect, especially concerning virtual environments, cloud infrastructure, and other emerging technologies.

Customers need a clearer understanding of how to implement IBM Spectrum. However, issues revolve around financial constraints. If you lack the correct service contract, resolving problems can be time-consuming, requiring escalation and waiting. Sometimes, the solutions provided are standard and could be more helpful. The initial advice is often to update to a newer version, which may not address the specific issue. In our experience, newer versions sometimes resolve different errors. Overall, there is room for improvement in the service aspect.

So IBM Spectrum Protect is part of our Cyber Recovery as a service delivery to other MSPs, an IT company, and also in clients. 

The reason why we're using IBM is both the beneficial support that we have and can provide. But also security. We do provide AirGap solutions. From there, we also see, based on statistics, that both IBM Spectrum Protect and also the other software that we're using, which is Rubrik, are rarely an issue when it comes to ransomware attacks, in comparison with Veeam or NET Backup or DPM, or other vendors.  

The deduplication and compression features are the most valuable features. For example, one of our clients has a quarter of a terabyte that we are protecting and the deduplication and compression of that data is in the back end around 75%, which means that it's just magic.

IBM Spectrum Protect is a very good product. However, we need to understand its structure better. In Poland, customers are happy with IBM's solution, making it a wonderful protection tool.

IBM is a valuable security component for our customers. Given the increasing threat of cyber attacks and ransomware, IBM provides excellent support to combat these kinds of attacks.

I run IT infrastructure for a banking group based in Southeast Europe, I am in charge of IT infrastructure.

Traditionally, we used it across two locations, supporting various systems like XADC's platform and Unix power systems. It was utilized depending on the business impact technologies, with multiple levels of protection copies and retention periods defined by our business and products department.

We plan to use it for archiving and as the third copy of data in a remote location.

As a highly regulated institution, like any bank in the European Union East, we have mandatory requirements for data protection in case of data loss, cyberattacks, or some kind of catastrophic event. We test it regularly, daily. 

These are the main benefits, but there's also a practical one for forensics, which we don't use as often, but it does happen from time to time. 

Spectrum Protect allows us to retrieve a point-in-time view of our data, like the balance sheet or any other information at that specific point. So, the benefits are for security, regulatory compliance, and even for forensic or business needs.

Integration with IBM products is out of the box, and fully supported across everything from mainframes and Unix platforms to the latest container platforms. It supports all major operating systems, application stacks, databases, and file systems out of the box, providing essential features like security, compression, and encryption for enterprise-class protection in financial institutions like banks.

Moreover, the incremental forever strategy in our backup processes has been in place for more than a decade. At this point, it's not so much a choice as it is a standard we've adopted. 

Since the technology is reliable, it simplifies the backup process significantly. Now, our focus can primarily be on managing full backups and creating some offline copies. The incremental forever approach is widely accepted and has been for over ten years.

We use the product as a primary backup solution for enterprise or tier-one workloads. We implement a disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) strategy for our data backups for long-term retention.

The platform’s most valuable feature is its ability to verify the recoverability of backups. It helps us take data backup at different levels to be used during structural disasters. 

The solution can back up every kind of workload in the environment. It is a very old and robust solution. The product evolves with technology. I have been working on it since it was just a physical server. If we are using tapes, we can ship them offsite. We can build our new server and recover the data. If we use the online application, we can start recovering from the disaster location.

The VM backups are very useful. Most companies use VMs. The solution also provides agents for databases like Oracle, SQL, and SAP HANA. It is also a useful feature. The deduplication and compression feature eliminates almost 80% of the data. We have been using the tool until now. It's working fine. We do not have any complaints. The technology is always evolving. I rate the product’s performance an eight out of ten.

There are new products in the market that might be more useful for various cyber threats like ransomware. IBM is not doing its best for such threats. The solution must protect against ransomware attacks better. It must let us know if something has gone wrong with the server. Cyber Recovery must be improved.