IBM Spectrum Protect vs IBM Storage Protect comparison

IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Storage Protect are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM Spectrum Protect is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.2, while IBM Storage Protect is ranked #41 with an average rating of 8.5. IBM Spectrum Protect holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to IBM Storage Protect’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM Spectrum Protect users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM Storage Protect users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Read 149 IBM Spectrum Protect reviews

4,073 Views
3,133 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM Storage Protect

Read 3 IBM Storage Protect reviews

343 Views
245 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

IBM Storage Protect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Storage Protect cater to organizations seeking data management and protection solutions. IBM Storage Protect has the upper hand with advanced features and user satisfaction despite higher costs.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect offers robust data recovery and scalability features. It also supports straightforward integration and has strong automation capabilities. IBM Storage Protect provides a comprehensive data protection suite, advanced encryption, and fine-grained control over data management policies.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Protect requires enhancements in performance speed, better integration with other software, and more intuitive navigation. IBM Storage Protect could improve its documentation and error reporting mechanisms.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect users find deployment straightforward but note variability in customer service quality with occasional support challenges. IBM Storage Protect users experience smoother deployment and consistently responsive customer service, aided by well-organized documentation.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect is perceived as cost-effective with reasonable setup costs and satisfactory ROI, making it suitable for budget-conscious buyers. IBM Storage Protect is more expensive with higher initial setup costs, but it delivers high ROI due to its extensive features and reliability.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Storage Protect Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Storage Protect

April 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

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

149

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Storage Protect

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

41st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 0.4%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

Syed Habib

Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd

Manageable and comprehensive and integrates robust backup features for core banking

It's adequate for my core banking, however, I am looking for another solution for all systems. It is not compatible with other operating systems like Windows or Linux, and lacks a consolidated dashboard from Browser Spectrum. This is why I am searching for another solution. The product also lacks any centralized graphical user interface (GUI), such as Jarek Pod, and I am limited to using a console-based text user interface, which my local partner handles completely.

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Maik Zutz

Produktverantwortlicher Storage und Backup at BITMARCK TECHNIK GmbH

A stable enterprise solution for backup and restore

New workloads are not good for storage protect like container or virtual machines. IBM acknowledges that users and partners with companies do it better and integrate it into the product. It takes too much time to implement it in old Storage Protect. It have features for big databases and big data environments. Although, the product seems to be old fashioned, but it is stable, robust and works for the most use cases where a lot of data is to be protected. It could be easier to manage client data. You have to use configuration. It is not on modern architecture. They should change it on the client area. You can achieve a better environment using Protect. IBM tapes serves as an air gap, consumes less energy, and provides a resilient, stable environment with fewer infrastructure and environmental costs. Intergrating it can help store large amounts of data more cheaper than on disk.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Everyone wants a full backup. It gives them safety and peace of mind, like an insurance policy for that rainy day when they may need to restore a system."

"We've found the product to be quite stable and the performance is very good."

"Support of the IBM X platform and the backup data replication to DR are the most valuable features."

"Spectrum Protect's best feature is that I can use it practically anywhere, on any platform, and for any servers or clients."

"Its flexibility is valuable. It is a very flexible solution. There are always more ways than one to do something. It is a software solution, which means you can buy your own hardware and expand it whenever you want. You are not boxed in or locked into something you've bought and outgrown. You can always expand it."

"The fact that we can take the backup straight onto tape is the most valuable feature."

"The backup is very good. In other backup systems, you need a lot of storage to gain the same backup policy."

"The licensing isn't very clear. They should work to simply or clarify the cost structure."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"The best point about IBM Storage Protect is that it can use IBM tape environments, which we still use and will continue to use in the future."

"Overall, my experience with the solution is very positive, and I rate it a 9 out of 10."

"The tool's backup engine is very powerful. Previously, our client finished backup with HPE product in 48 hours. IBM Storage Protect completes backup in 8 hours."

Cons

"We are having a balance issue between the reclamation and the backup function. It has to take the space back from the tapes before it can record to those tapes, but sometimes those two processes are overlapping."

"I want a better user interface, support, and integrations."

"We would like to see cloud integration."

"I would like to see monitoring within the platform: monitoring for storage pools and monitoring for the server's health (e.g., CPU and memory)."

"We need everything cloud. Strong support for cloud services. S3 connectivity, which is mandatory for us in the future along with this integration of Spectrum Copy Data Management or Spectrum Protect services together with these Spectrum Protect Plus functionalities, e.g., hardware, snapshots, and Copy Data Management. They should come together in one solution."

"It can be improved for large file systems with many files. Spectrum Protect can restore large files very well, but if you're restoring millions of little files, it is not as great. At one point, we tried to implement the VMware module with it, and it was awful and terrible. I don't know if that has improved. If it hasn't, this would be one big improvement."

"It seems like they are a little behind on the integration to Azure Cloud as well as Amazon."

"It doesn't integrate with storage pools, with a normal pool. I'd like to see that."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"The product should improve its GUI. It should also support Windows clustering."

"The solution is expensive."

"Some features are outdated as the product does not use the latest technologies. The graphical user interface, known as the operation center, is not very well designed. Additionally, IBM Storage Protect does not work well with virtual environments such as VMware and Hyper-V."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of IBM Spectrum Protect is expensive and there is only a standard licensing fee."

"The pricing is a little expensive for our current employer, so they want to move to a cheaper solution."

"IBM Spectrum Protect can be considered an averagely-priced product."

"Licensing can be either complicated or simple depending on what type of licensing you wish to use and what works best for your environment."

"The solution's pricing is fair. Price-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten."

"I rate the pricing a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is not cost-effective, and ten is cost-effective."

"That's a hard estimate. It depends on the licensing, the hardware, and other stuff, but it is fairly expensive. It is generally more expensive than other solutions."

"Going to IBM Tech University Conference saved me from making a major purchase of the wrong thing, which was very helpful."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

"IBM Storage Protect is not expensive and fits the needs of all business types. The licensing is based on a capacity-based model. You can take a license for one, two, or three terabytes."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

University

Manufacturing Company

25%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

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?

IBM Spectrum Protect is stable.

See all answers

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

It's expensive. I acknowledge the cost associated with it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect?

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Storage Protect?

The best point about IBM Storage Protect is that it can use IBM tape environments, which we still use and will continue to use in the future.

See all answers

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

IBM Storage Protect is generally an expensive tool. However, with good contracts with IBM or its partners, the cost might not be so high. New customers can expect very high prices.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Storage Protect?

Some features are outdated as the product does not use the latest technologies. The graphical user interface, known as the operation center, is not very well designed. Additionally, IBM Storage Pro...

See all answers

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 18% of the time

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 17% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Rubrik vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 23% of the time

IBM Storage Protect Plus vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 15% of the time

More IBM Storage Protect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

April 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

April 2025

Download IBM Storage Protect product report

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

No data available

Overview

IBM Spectrum Protect (Tivoli Storage Manager) is a data protection platform that gives enterprises a single point of control and administration for backup and recovery. It is the flagship product in the IBM Spectrum Protect (Tivoli Storage Manager) family. It enables reliable, cost effective backups and fast recovery for virtual, physical and cloud environments of all sizes.

IBM

IBM Storage Protect is designed for data backup and recovery, ensuring protection of critical information and business continuity. It is ideal for managing large-scale datasets and offers compatibility across cloud and on-premises environments.

IBM Storage Protect provides robust data backup and recovery features, supporting multiple workloads while integrating effortlessly with different platforms. It is known for reliable performance, scalability for growing storage needs, and automation of repetitive tasks. Users find it effective in protecting expansive datasets through efficient deduplication.

What are the key features of IBM Storage Protect?

Data Backup and Recovery: Comprehensive data protection in diverse environments.
Integration: Seamless collaboration with various systems.
Scalability: Handles growing storage demands effectively.
Deduplication: Efficient data deduplication to optimize storage use.

What benefits or ROI should be considered when evaluating IBM Storage Protect?

Reliable Performance: Consistently protects multiple workloads.
Compatibility: Works well with cloud and on-premises systems.
Automation: Automates repetitive tasks to save time and resources.

IBM Storage Protect is implemented in various industries, supporting sectors with significant data management requirements like finance, healthcare, and retail. These industries benefit from its robust data protection, scalability, and ease of integration, making it a preferred choice for organizations with large and complex datasets.

IBM

Sample Customers

CERN, Einstein Healthcare, Nyherji, Allianz Australia, TZM, ABT Online, NCT, Kindred Healthcare Inc., Cobalt Iron, TransGrid, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Cash America, Piedmont Healthcare, RWGV, Arkansas Tech University, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Storage Protect

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Storage Protect

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Storage Protect and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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