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IBM Storage Protect vs Microsoft DPM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2025

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 Storage Protect
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft DPM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
37th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 2.0%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft DPM is 0.9%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Storage Protect2.0%
Microsoft DPM0.9%
Other97.1%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Syed Habib - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Nirukshitha Gamage - PeerSpot reviewer
User finds setup straightforward but seeks wider platform support and advanced features
Microsoft DPM could implement backup capabilities for third-party systems such as Linux. They also need to consider other features such as replication to DR sites, similar to what Veeam and other products offer. Microsoft DPM didn't have that capability at that time. If they want to remain competitive in the market, they need to observe the competition and implement improvements. The backup should have compression, deduplication, and DR replication. They should also improve monitoring of the environment. Microsoft DPM didn't have these basics at that time. If they had continued development on the products, they could have reached a higher level, especially given Microsoft's significant presence and majority of servers. Microsoft DPM didn't have any support structure in the backend. If they had a support structure, we could have escalated issues. I never received any support from Microsoft DPM.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have better, faster backup times, and it has improved efficiency in the backups."
"We apply the new dedupe and compression technology, using maintenance and time to give more time for the backup window and less time for the overhead related to the daily housekeeping."
"I love the TDP for VMware because of the web interface and the possibilities provided by this tool. It's amazing."
"Good deduplication and compression features."
"The most valuable features of Spectrum Protect would be the compression and the deduplication."
"Our performance is better."
"The backup is very good. In other backup systems, you need a lot of storage to gain the same backup policy."
"The solution is mostly stable."
"Its capability to give a BMR for all the workstations that I want to connect to."
"One of the most effective features of Microsoft DPM is its integration with the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"This solution helps us to manage all of the operations across servers and different workstations."
"One of the most effective features of Microsoft DPM is its integration with the entire Microsoft ecosystem."
"The most valuable feature is the recovery."
"I could back up all the stuff we had, even the VMs we have for Hyper V."
"The user interface is very good. The reporting and monitoring features are also good."
"The most important feature is that it's easy to use."
 

Cons

"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."
"An area for improvement would be the ease of use - the GUI is not up to the mark compared to other products in the market."
"It could use single store. The ability to mark an archive from my backup for long-term retention."
"The interface could be more user-friendly."
"We are not so happy with the technical support because dealing with them is not easy. We have a very complicated environment, therefore I understand for a support person that it is not easy to troubleshoot it."
"Easier configuration of some of the products, e.g., VE comes to mind."
"The solution should have better integration with VMware and with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus."
"Their support is lacking. I've talked to their developers and stuff in the last couple of weeks and they reassure me that some people have retired, and they're working on getting that bumped back up. But the support lacks a lot to be desired at this point."
"Microsoft DPM could improve by adding S3 backup to S3 storage capabilities."
"You have only a few settings and if you change them for some special configurations, it's very difficult."
"Microsoft DPM didn't have any support structure in the backend. If they had a support structure, we could have escalated issues. I never received any support from Microsoft DPM."
"The user friendliness could be improved."
"Compatibility and integration with other products needs improvement."
"Setting up the solution can be complex."
"The problem lies with the 2019 version, it's the file system they’re using."
"We can't take a snapshot and take it outside, which is a problem."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its licensing is complicated. It goes by CPUs, and it is pretty expensive as well."
"Use capacity licensing. It's easier and cheaper."
"The solution's pricing is fair. Price-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten."
"Spectrum Protect is not expensive, and it is simple to use."
"We are paying for support and maintenance on a monthly basis."
"Spectrum Protect is not a cheap option."
"The solution has a capacity based licensing, front and back-end license."
"It is really expensive. Its price is not good for Latin America. Its price is good for the United States or Europe."
"Microsoft DPM can be considered as an expensive solution for smaller or medium enterprises, but we have been satisfied with the price structure as it is fixed and it offers a variety of useful features"
"Microsoft DPM is a free solution. However, we pay approximately $3,000 annually for support."
"I think Microsoft DPM pricing is reasonable. The additional costs are related to storage and technical support."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business53
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise94
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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.
What needs improvement with IBM Storage Protect?
One point for improvement for IBM Spectrum Protect is security, as IBM has not been investing as much as in the past. There is a need for additional layers of security to fill the gaps, which is wh...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft DPM?
The pricing of Microsoft solutions rates in the middle range at five out of ten.
What needs improvement with Microsoft DPM?
Microsoft DPM could improve by adding S3 backup to S3 storage capabilities. AI integration is not necessary for backups as this is not a security solution.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft DPM?
We use Microsoft DPM for backup servers. ManageEngine is used to manage workstations and servers, and Operation Manager is used for monitoring.
 

Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover
DPM, Data Protection Manager, MS DPM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CEMEX
Medical Park, Centropol Energy, a.s., NCFE, D & H Distributing, Metalor, Colosseum, a.s., Sanitas S.A., Icebreaker
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Storage Protect vs. Microsoft DPM and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
872,837 professionals have used our research since 2012.