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IBM Spectrum Protect vs NAKIVO Backup & Replication comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

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
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
150
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NAKIVO Backup & Replication
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
6th
Average Rating
9.4
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NAKIVO Backup & Replication is 1.6%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Mattia Sangiorgio - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhances data protection strategies and ensures the reliability of backups with helpful support
The features we have found most valuable in NAKIVO Backup & Replication include its cost-effectiveness, seamless integrations, comprehensive functionalities, and ease of installation and management. The pricing model is very competitive, providing excellent value for the robust features offered. Its seamless integration with our VMware infrastructure ensures smooth operation without any compatibility issues. The wide range of functionalities, including incremental and full backups, storage optimization, and disaster recovery options, meets all our backup needs comprehensively. Moreover, the simplicity of installation and the intuitive user interface have made it easy for our team to quickly set up and manage the backups without requiring extensive training.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Once setup, you do not need to touch it again. You just need to do a formal check on possibly batch updates."
"High availability (HA): It is one of the best features."
"The feature that I have found the most valuable is that IBM Spectrum Protect is highly integrated with IBM ESS. In addition, it allows us to back up our virtual servers directly to take VM snapshots. It runs on Linux as well."
"With the new features that we have added, it has made a difference as far as faster recovery and speed."
"Data archiving is easier and less time-consuming."
"Nothing beats this solution for file backup."
"The fact that we can take the backup straight onto tape is the most valuable feature."
"The platform has valuable stability."
"It is fast, simple, powerful, and has a price without competition."
"The backup for physical machines and replication for the virtual environment are the most valuable aspects."
"The automatic backup and replication features are invaluable, saving us time and resources by automating routine backup tasks and ensuring data protection without manual intervention."
"We spend less time to get data recovered."
"This is a user-friendly solution that has a lot of certifications and documentation for the Microsoft Hyper-V infrastructure."
"You can have it setup and running within a few minutes."
"We are able to take backups on a regular interval and restore data/VMs as we choose making the process work as advertised."
"The user interface in general is very good. I"
 

Cons

"Restoring massive files is a very time-consuming process."
"Most customers still struggle with the reporting piece, especially generating reports. I think it needs some improvements in this area."
"It does what we need it to do, but it could be better with VM backups. It could be better integrated with virtual machines or VM backups, but that's why they have their Plus out now. Plus version is more geared toward VM backups. The regular version is more for endpoint clients."
"It is not compatible with other operating systems like Windows or Linux, and lacks a consolidated dashboard from Browser Spectrum."
"RTO is a huge gap for us. If we had a disaster scenario and had to recover a bunch of stuff from tape, the RTO would be too long for us."
"I find the solution somewhat difficult to use with virtual environments or VMware."
"The solution could be more user-friendly and provide better monitoring. The monitoring should be improved first since it is a higher priority."
"The reporting could be better."
"I need no more valuable features for backs-up. I have not yet tried the latest release, however, I have all the features that I need."
"I would love to see compatibility with KVM Backup."
"They had given a feature of real-time replication which they stopped in NAKIVO."
"For us, it would be best to improve the speed of the backup instead of adding new features."
"Automatic updates do not work, and every update has to be done manually."
"The interface might be improved, but the interface of every product might be improved."
"Implementing more comprehensive data deduplication and compression techniques could optimize storage utilization and reduce backup times, improving overall efficiency."
"There are some errors requiring support to correct and bugs and glitches should be addressed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Spectrum Protect is not a cheap option."
"Technical support is pretty good. It is doing fine, but you pay for it."
"The pricing of the solution is high in comparison to other products on the market. For example, IBM and Symantec have less costly options."
"We pay for a terabyte license to support our backend usage."
"License-wise regarding IBM, it's licensed per terabyte. And that is after compression and deduplication."
"Use capacity licensing. It's easier and cheaper."
"IBM Spectrum Protect, cost-wise, has way higher pricing than Veeam. By switching over to Veeam, my company saved over $600,000 in USD. The IBM Spectrum Protect pricing is a two on a scale of one to ten. My company paid additional fees for maintenance, apart from the standard licensing fees."
"At scale, the consumption license (per TB) is very expensive."
"Nakivo is cheaper per machine and per backup."
"We use a perpetual license that is priced well."
"I think the price is competitive. However, for some projects, it can be a bit much for price-sensitive small businesses."
"The price is not a problem in NAKIVO, as it is the most competitive in the market."
"As a free solution for a small environment, this is a great solution!"
"This product provides good value for the price."
"The licensing model is very affordable compared to competitors, with a good quality-to-cost ratio, and the software is quite simple and fast to setup."
"It has a much higher bang for the buck than other products we evaluated."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect?
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 dash...
How does Nakivo compare with Veeam Backup & Replication?
Nakivo is my favorite backup software. Below are the main benefits of Nakivo compared to Veeam 1. Low cost. 2. Backup storage with global deduplication (this is the main requirement of a backup sol...
What do you like most about Nakivo?
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is very easy to use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nakivo?
The product is affordable even for smaller organizations.
 

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
Coca Cola, Honda, 3M, University of Arizona, University of Maryland, University of Arkansas, Johns Hopkins University, Marriott, Radisson Hotels and Resorts, Fujifilm, Eiffage
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NAKIVO Backup & Replication and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.