IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs Synology DSM comparison

IBM and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #49 with an average rating of 7.0, while Synology is ranked #22 with an average rating of 9.3. IBM holds a 1.0% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Read 32 IBM Spectrum Protect Plus reviews

1,507 Views
1,462 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,418 Views
2,394 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and Synology DSM are leading data management solutions. Synology DSM seems to have the upper hand due to its ease of use and cost-efficiency.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus provides extensive backup and recovery features, robust capabilities, and reliable performance. Synology DSM is noted for its integration with multiple devices and services, flexibility, and versatility.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus could benefit from enhancements in scalability, user experience, and support. Synology DSM needs improvements in customer support, advanced user functionalities, and service response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is straightforward in deployment but some users face challenges with initial setup. Synology DSM is user-friendly in deployment and less complex. In customer service, Synology DSM offers faster, more responsive support, outperforming IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus' higher pricing affects its perceived value. Synology DSM is cost-effective with lower setup costs and comprehensive features, offering better return on investment.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs. Synology DSM

September 2025

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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

49th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

22nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 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 Synology DSM is 1.7%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Synology DSM	1.7%
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus	1.0%
Other	97.3%

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

Michael Adejoh

Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures

Reliable and cost-effective

One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

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 biggest benefit of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is that it's an agentless backup product which is very easy to configure and use."

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

"There is protection against disasters with good, fast, reliable recovery options."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the integration with Oracle."

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

"Large-scale recoveries are very straightforward."

"The solution's stability is high because it is derived from Spectrum Protect."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pros

"Because of its simplicity and the wide array of features it offers, I would recommend DSM for both tech-savvy individuals and those who prefer a straightforward file-serving solution."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

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

"The solution should allow for backup of iOS snapshots."

"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus could improve security."

"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."

"The user experience is very bad and the interface needs to be improved."

"IBM has made a decision to withdraw the product and replace it with IBM Data Protect."

"Instead of using the command prompt for troubleshooting and administering the backup, there should be an easy-to-use graphical user interface."

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

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus cons

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."

"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"The initial cost of the product is perpetual but the support fees are billed annually."

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

"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."

"Clients prefer to buy a perpetual license, but the majority opt for a yearly subscription."

"There are a few options available for purchasing the solutions. Overall, the price of the is high."

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

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pricing and cost advice

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	17

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	1

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.

See all answers

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

Pricing is good; it is reasonable and more reasonable than any other vendors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?

Technical support could be improved significantly. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus could be made more lightweight and user-friendly in terms of GUI features to make it closer to a perfect score.

See all answers

What do you like most about Synology DSM?

The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?

The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Synology DSM?

Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 42% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 12% of the time

Rubrik vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 10% of the time

Atempo Live Navigator vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 8% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 10% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 9% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 8% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 7% of the time

Acronis Cyber Protect vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

September 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect Plus product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

September 2025

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

No data available

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

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

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

Sample Customers

PT Wings Surya, Tectrade, State of Ohio

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs. Synology DSM

September 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs. Synology DSM

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