IBM Spectrum Protect vs NovaStor NovaBACKUP comparison

IBM and NovaStor are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.3, while NovaStor is ranked #33 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to NovaStor’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NovaStor users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Read 149 IBM Spectrum Protect reviews

3,421 Views
2,509 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Read 3 NovaStor NovaBACKUP reviews

374 Views
161 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect and NovaStor NovaBACKUP are two popular backup solutions. IBM Spectrum Protect offers comprehensive coverage and scalability, while NovaStor NovaBACKUP is simpler to use and quicker to set up. Based on the data comparisons, IBM Spectrum Protect seems to have the upper hand due to its robust features and long-term ROI despite initial complexity.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect users find its scalability, advanced data protection, and comprehensive coverage highly valuable. NovaStor NovaBACKUP is preferred for its ease of use, quick setup time, and intuitive design.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Protect reviews suggest enhancements in user training, technical support, and simplifying its complexity. NovaStor NovaBACKUP users seek better cloud integration, more sophisticated reporting tools, and an enhanced level of technical support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect's deployment is complex and often requires professional services, but it has responsive customer service. NovaStor NovaBACKUP offers hassle-free deployment, though its customer service could be more proactive.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect has a higher initial setup cost, justified by long-term ROI through reliability and scalability, appealing to large enterprises. NovaStor NovaBACKUP is more cost-effective with lower upfront costs, attracting small to mid-sized businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NovaStor NovaBACKUP Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NovaStor NovaBACKUP

June 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

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

149

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

33rd

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (19th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 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 NovaStor NovaBACKUP is 0.2%, up from 0.2% 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.

Read full review

Rainer Kummerfeldt

IT-Teamleader at Bechtle

Easy to work and offers features for tape backups, disk backups, and whatever you want

NovaStor NovaBACKUP is still working on new features because they listen to the customers and integrate their needs into new versions. You can see they make progress with each new version. They are much faster than IBM, where you sometimes have to wait years for new features. It is very quick and fast. NovaStor have big competitors like Veeam, which is very fast and aggressive. It's good, but it depends on the price. I think NovaStor might be cheaper. They have a direct connection to their developers and sales teams, which makes getting answers very fast. Veeam has a lot of features, like a special reporting tool. However, I've heard from some customers that Veeam wasn't always the right decision because it couldn't work with their environment. But Veeam has aggressive marketing, which is why they are probably in first place at the moment, besides Commvault. IBM has lost its competitive edge and is trying to catch up, but it might be too late.

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 main thing is to keep the data safe and in files, keep it on tape ready for a request from a bank, and it is working perfectly with all our hardware."

"It's very robust and has been on the market for a long time."

"The most valuable features are compression and de-duplication."

"The scheduled backups ensure we meet the requirements for our business, and we keep backups of certain environments."

"The MN backup for a cluster is most valuable because it has made backing up the GSF as a zero-file system easier. I like its stability a lot. Over the years, I very rarely had a problem with it."

"The backup of Sybase databases is the most valuable feature in the existing environment. They have got the most documentation out there on the internet for its software protection. The documentation is excellent, and there are a lot of blogs, websites. Because it's still one of the oldest products out there for data protection, there are also lots of people who have a lot of experience in using this solution."

"The product is very stable."

"In the past, one of the most valuable features, and the biggest advantage, was the incremental forever feature. Not many other backup vendors provided that. In the pre-virtualization environment, it was very robust and simple technology, especially writing to tape."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"It's the easiest way to configure it."

"It is a very good and easy-to-use tool for non-technical people."

Cons

"The installation process could be simplified."

"The deduplication must be perfect, and thus should be improved."

"The solution should improve the ability to monitor backup failure."

"We would like to see bare-metal restorers."

"The product’s recovery process in terms of agent installation needs improvement"

"Easier configuration of some of the products, e.g., VE comes to mind."

"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."

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

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"The room for improvement lies in the compatibility of NovaBACKUP with older operating systems."

"The price of NovaStor NovaBACKUP is an area that can be considered as a weakness or drawback, where improvements are required."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Regarding retro-compatibility of the product between versions, your data is always available and the ROI is unquestionable."

"The licensing is varied. If we have small environments (not many TB being managed) it is best to license by PVUs (depending on the number of cores of the machine). If we manage many TBs we look at licensing by capacity which allows us to use all the agents of the product."

"One can go with either a PVU licensing model or a capacity based licensing model. Either solution does not block the usage, if over used."

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

"The pricing of the solution is high in comparison to other products on the market. For example, IBM and Symantec have less costly options."

"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."

"You need to put it in a PoC and test it out if you can."

"Spectrum Protect is not a cheap option."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the solution's maintenance and support."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Educational Organization

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?

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?

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about NovaStor NovaBACKUP?

It is a very good and easy-to-use tool for non-technical people.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NovaStor NovaBACKUP?

My company has to make yearly payments towards the solution's maintenance and support.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NovaStor NovaBACKUP?

The room for improvement lies in the compatibility of NovaBACKUP with older operating systems like Windows XP. Some customers still rely on outdated systems due to specific production requirements....

See all answers

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 15% of the time

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 15% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 12% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 10% of the time

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Compared 77% of the time

Acronis Cyber Protect vs NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Compared 23% of the time

More NovaStor NovaBACKUP Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

June 2025

Download NovaStor NovaBACKUP product report

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

NovaBACKUP

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

NovaBACKUP is a data protection software that enables SMBÂ users to backup and recover mission critical data across a hybrid of physical and virtual machines. NovaBACKUP is designed to work onÂ Microsoft Windows operating systems, offering local and online file backups and disaster recovery image backups.

NovaStor

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

Ex'pression College, Osborne Wood Products Inc., REIT Technologies

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NovaStor NovaBACKUP

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NovaStor NovaBACKUP

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. NovaStor NovaBACKUP and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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