IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs Retrospect Backup comparison

IBM and Retrospect Inc are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #23 with an average rating of 7.8, while Retrospect Inc is ranked #95. IBM holds a 1.0% mindshare in BRS, compared to Retrospect Inc’s 0.1% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Retrospect Inc users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Read 31 IBM Spectrum Protect Plus reviews

1,590 Views
1,542 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Retrospect Backup

Read 1 Retrospect Backup review

280 Views
157 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Retrospect Backup

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and Retrospect Backup based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Veeam Software, Zerto acquired by HPE, Commvault and others in Backup and Recovery.

To learn more, read our detailed Backup and Recovery Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

June 2025

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Helped 863,429 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

23rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Retrospect Backup

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

95th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Backup (66th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Retrospect Backup is 0.1%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

Atif Najam

Chief Information Officer and Program Lead at Gatron Industries Ltd

Enables organizations to make large-scale recoveries easily, but the security must be improved

The security must be improved. We face a lot of cyber threats like ransomware. It impacts data availability and protection. The tool must provide a mechanism to make resilient backups. The tool must ensure that the recent backups have no ransomware. The backup must be immutable. They must be cyber-resilient backups. Finding a good resource person for IBM Spectrum in Pakistan is difficult. We have to rely on the support team. Resource availability is a challenge.

Read full review

Sujeet Rai

Director at Lighthouse Solutions

Can be used to back up servers and desktops, but needs to have an Oracle agent for its on-premises model

Retrospect Backup has a single console that can be used to manage and backup servers and desktops. The solution supports tape and cloud since certain customers are still on tape. The solution provides a dissimilar hardware restore feature. If you have a complete machine burnout, you can restore it on new dissimilar hardware. Retrospect Backup is used to protect file data and SQL databases. Streamlining data backup processes with Retrospect Backup is automated and does not need any human intervention. The solution doesn't take up much time and does the backups automatically. Policy creation is very easy with Retrospect Backup. Once it's done, you don't have to bother about it because it keeps working on its own. A disaster recovery (DR) solution has been built into Retrospect Backup. You can restore the whole machine on a fresh setup with ISO images. Retrospect Backup is very easy to use and not very complicated. Creating policies and adding clients is very easy in the solution. The solution doesn't take up much LAN bandwidth except for the first full backup. The solution is efficient and does the backups really fast. It takes backups in batches of 14 machines at a time.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The feature I find most valuable is the offload to Spectrum Protect for long-term retention. I think the deduplication and replication are quite nice on Plus."

"The initial setup of IBM Protect Plus is simple and not complex."

"The solution offers a very straightforward deployment. You click, click, click and it's done. There's not much configuration to do."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."

"With this product, we now have a reliable backup solution."

"The most valuable features of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus are you have many possibilities on how to use it. We use it for backups and to create secondary and third copies. It is possible to pick up Kubernetes containers and use a different cloud provider if you need to start backups on the cloud."

"The solution integrates well with other tools."

"What I like about IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is its integration, plus it has very good technical support."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pros

"Retrospect Backup has a single console that can be used to manage and backup servers and desktops."

Cons

"The solution only supports HyperV and VMware but doesn't support Nutanix."

"The backup support for IBM Power Virtualization needs to be added."

"An area that needs improvement is data validation. We currently use another product that gives us immediate validation, information about when the last backup was, and no risk of corruption happening. TSM in IBM Spectrum is not mature so that you can validate on the spot."

"You end up needing to do a lot of troubleshooting to get things to work effectively."

"I think the graphical reports are a shortcoming of the tool since it fails to provide my company with what we want in terms of reporting. Due to the product's inability to take care of its reporting part, we have to use third-party software."

"There's significant room for improvement. They are not yet where I want them to be."

"The one issue we are facing is related to file restores."

"With ransomware protection and cyber protection, more improvement is possible."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus cons

"Retrospect Backup needs to have an Oracle agent for its on-premises model."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is too expensive."

"If you need to extend it, it can be extended acting like a normal Spectrum Protect with a long archive."

"The price is perpetual, but the maintenance cost is annual. That is, we pay once for the product and pay annually for the maintenance and support. The price was much cheaper than what we would have had to pay for EMC or Veritas. The pricing is competitive, and I would rate it at four out of five."

"Unlike some other solutions, such as Veritas NetBackup where you have to pay for different licenses to use different features, there is a single license that allows you to use all of the features."

"The licensing model of Spectrum Protect Plus is more efficient and cheaper compared to the original."

"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a little expensive."

"The price offering from IBM is coming down because it is based on number of VM machines. So, IBM is coming to the market to show the added value of the product."

"In addition to the standard licensing fees, we paid for implementation and training."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pricing and cost advice

"Retrospect Backup is more cost-effective compared to other products."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that the product works and helps with restoration areas whenever there is a need to restore something.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?

It is probably based on the number of CPUs. They are fairly expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?

I used IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, but IBM is now replacing it with IBM Data Protect, which is a giant product now in common development with a well-known company in backup solutions.

See all answers

What do you like most about Retrospect Backup?

Retrospect Backup has a single console that can be used to manage and backup servers and desktops.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Retrospect Backup?

Retrospect Backup is more cost-effective compared to other products. Since it is sold as a perpetual license, users don't have to pay yearly. The solution's cost per client is much less. On a scale...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Retrospect Backup?

Retrospect Backup needs to have an Oracle agent for its on-premises model. The solution has it in the virtual version, but it needs Oracle support for the Oracle database for the on-premise model. ...

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Comparisons

IBM Spectrum Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 51% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 12% of the time

Rubrik vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 10% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Competitors

Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud vs Retrospect Backup

Compared 68% of the time

Arq Backup vs Retrospect Backup

Compared 32% of the time

More Retrospect Backup Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

July 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect Plus product report

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

June 2025

Download Retrospect Backup product report

Overview

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a data protection and availability solution for virtual environments that can be deployed in minutes and protect your environment within an hour. It simplifies data protection, whether data is hosted in physical, virtual, software-defined or cloud environments. It can be implemented as a stand-alone solution or integrate with your IBM Spectrum Protect environment to off-load copies for long term storage and data governance with scale and efficiency.

IBM

Retrospect Backup offers reliable data protection and quick data recovery, compatible with servers and workstations. It emphasizes ease of use, incremental backups, and data archiving.

Retrospect Backup serves users needing efficient data protection and disaster recovery services. Known for its compatibility with multiple systems, Retrospect Backup simplifies the setup process while ensuring comprehensive incremental backups. Users appreciate its automation capabilities, encryption, and detailed reporting features.

What are the key features of Retrospect Backup?

Reliable Data Protection: Ensures data remains safe and recoverable.
Cost-Effective Licensing: Affordable plans cater to different needs.
System Compatibility: Works with multiple operating systems.
Granular Restore: Allows recovery of specific files.
Data De-Duplication: Reduces storage needs and costs.
Automation Features: Saves time on routine tasks.
Encryption: Protects data with advanced security measures.
Detailed Reporting: Offers thorough insights for data management.

What benefits should users look for in Retrospect Backup?

Improved Backup Accuracy: Ensures precise data recovery.
Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines backup processes.
User-Friendliness: Simplifies the backup management experience.
Robust Support: Access to a knowledgeable support team.
Data Security: Keeps sensitive information protected.
Cost Savings: Reduces expenses related to data storage.

In industries such as healthcare, finance, and education, Retrospect Backup aids in safeguarding critical data and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. It allows organizations to adapt their data protection strategies, meet specific requirements, and maintain the integrity of sensitive information.

Retrospect Inc

Sample Customers

PT Wings Surya, Tectrade, State of Ohio

Information Not Available

Find out what your peers are saying about Veeam Software, Zerto acquired by HPE, Commvault and others in Backup and Recovery. Updated: June 2025.

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