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IBM Storage Protect vs OpenText Data Protector vs Veritas Backup Exec comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 2.3%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Data Protector is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Veritas Backup Exec is 1.7%, down from 2.5% 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.
Jeroen Vranckaerts - PeerSpot reviewer
Though a highly stable tool, it needs to be made easier to use and configure
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten. OpenText Data Protector is complex to configure correctly, but the areas concerning the data and compression are good. Once you get the product to work, it works, but it's much too complex to configure and troubleshoot, as it takes a lot of time and energy, making it not so efficient. Once the tool is configured in your environment, it provides good backup and compression features. In my company, we use OpenText Data Protector as a backup for our servers, and we have a team of 20 people to take care of the data backup using the tool. My company doesn't use OpenText Data Protector as a backup for our client's computers. In my company, we have scheduled the process related to backup, which makes the tool run daily around 30 to 40 times.
Pawel Augustyn - PeerSpot reviewer
Simplified interface with good performance but needs monitoring
I need to use PowerStore and Veritas Backup Exec. It is a direct backup to types, and it is supported by my backup. It offers good performance and stability, and it works properly. I am happy with this program. It is still working on aligning with security requirements and data encryption for Amazon or ATAC. It has a lot of functions and security measures, which ensure our backups are secure.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The fact that we can take the backup straight onto tape is the most valuable feature."
"It scales from very small to very large. It is easily the most scalable product out there."
"It provides our customers with the comfort of having reliable enterprise data protection."
"We have better, faster backup times, and it has improved efficiency in the backups."
"The most valuable feature for data recovery in IBM Spectrum Protect is its database protection capabilities."
"It has increased our security, scalability, and high availability."
"SPIR is Instant Recovery for Spectrum Protect. It sends snapshots using space efficiently and blocking backups to the Spectrum Protect server. It provisions the snapshot from the backup server to the same or new server near instantly."
"When I have to do disaster recoveries, I can do it with this tool."
"I like that it supports HPE UNIX servers since many backup solutions do not - this is the main reason why we chose this solution."
"Backup of SAP/Oracle -- they are more robust than the competition."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"Deduplication implementation with CAPA is very good."
"I have used Micro Focus Data Protector for the file backup facilities. My primary use of the software is to backup file data."
"It is a traditional backup model. If you talk about file server and the official Windows database, it's a stable product."
"What I like the most about this solution is that I can change and access the Oracle backup file."
"The installation was simple and provided an easy way to install even on Unix servers. It has excellent features like deduplication."
"Veritas helps me manage business-critical backups effectively and has been pretty useful in keeping the functions comfortable."
"The solution was stable and reliable."
"I have not seen another backup solution as scalable as this one."
"The implementation is straightforward."
"We have never had any problem with storage and backups. It works very well and is a user-friendly solution."
"Veritas is good for small environments."
"One nice feature with Backup Exec is mainly that disaster can happen to any server and the disk image can be destroyed very easily. It's also easy to fully email the backup image and restore the server."
"Veritas is simple and easy to deploy. In terms of the presentation and UI, they do their job well."
 

Cons

"The interface could be more user-friendly."
"Integration with some applications in the healthcare field could be added, as that is a big part of our business."
"One point for improvement for IBM Spectrum Protect is security, as IBM has not been investing as much as in the past."
"Probably educating the virtual group who are not as used to the product. Most of our expertise is with AIX servers and virtual server backups."
"I am looking forward to new features in the next release. One of the main features is the cloud storage integration, which was one of my main required features. I've had more difficult experiences with other platforms than with this one."
"Replication of data could be more user friendly."
"I need to have more than two instances working together. I need a worldwide grid able to have replication between three, four, or five instances."
"They do not have a unified GUI, they only work on CLI and operations center, which is really complicated for the installation and configuration."
"It would be ideal if they could improve their level of support."
"It has a lot of undeveloped functions like window searching and patent searching, and within the main backup processes like VMware and Microsoft Exchange. It's completely not user-friendly, and it has no built-in antivirus software. In my opinion, Micro Focus Data Protector is not an enterprise level solution."
"People prefer Veeam because the interface is easier, and Data Protector is difficult in comparison."
"Other tools seem to be easier to use."
"Many of our users complain about the GUI. You still need to rely on the command line interface. Because it originated as a Unix system, Data Protector is still a command line-driven solution, which makes it seem rather dated compared to systems that are built around a GUI from day one. It doesn't affect the functionality, but some people don't find it user-friendly."
"This solution is not scalable."
"I'm uncertain if it supports virtual machine backup and restoration. If they could enhance this aspect, they could gain more support from end users."
"In SAP restoration, we faced issues with changing the SIDs and changing the path for every backup object. It is quite a lengthy process to do that."
"The image backup functionality needs to be examined, because I know a few customers who are using Veritas Backup Exec find it difficult to take a proper image backup and perform image restoration in case of a hardware failure of the client."
"The solution is too heavy and complex with 1,000 menus and options that make it messy rather than lightweight."
"One area that needs improvement is SQL backup. Backup Exec doesn't support higher availability."
"I wish that they have an outlet for the other products from Veritas built into the Backup Exec product. For example, Backup Exec does only server backup. Currently, it is possible to read the backup of one other product, but if they can add more products so that you can just go into the dashboard of these other products by clicking on a button within the Backup Exec product, it would be great."
"More stable environment in a WAN infrastructure."
"The backup is not robust enough when you have a lot of technology."
"Currently, the solution does not have the capability to restore a single mailbox, so you lose a lot of time having to restore for example ten mailboxes just to recover one."
"I have experienced some errors, such as failures, but there have not been very many."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The most important feature which I wish to be added involves the GUI, the user interface."
"It's very complicated. Licensing is a pain."
"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."
"Its licensing is complex, and its price is not really reasonable. It is on the expensive side. IBM, in general, is slightly expensive, but with IBM Spectrum for the virtual environment, they are looking into the aspect of helping customers with the cost and providing a cost-effective solution."
"You need to put it in a PoC and test it out if you can."
"The different license models can give good benefits to the end customer."
"The pricing is a little expensive for our current employer, so they want to move to a cheaper solution."
"Technical support is pretty good. It is doing fine, but you pay for it."
"The license for the solution is very expensive compared to the other products in the market."
"Pricing for Micro Focus Data Protector is reasonable."
"The licensing cost is too high."
"Data Protector's pricing is very competitive and we have no issues in this regard. I would give it an eight out of ten in terms of pricing."
"There is a perpetual license involved in addition to support which needs to be renewed annually."
"Pricing/licensing is Data Protector's single best offering. In its most basic environment, the only license required is for whatever target device is required."
"It is fast, reliable, and its licensing policy is great."
"The solution requires paying for a license."
"I rate the price of Veritas Backup Exec a four out of five."
"The product is inexpensive compared to enterprise software."
"The solution could be more cost-effective."
"It is not an expensive product."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"It's a good price for the product."
"This product is priced for smaller customers."
"We are satisfied with the price of this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
10%
Performing Arts
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 contin...
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 m...
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....
What do you like most about Micro Focus Data Protector?
I haven't experienced any crashes while using the solution...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Data Protector?
The solution is expensive as it requires purchasing all features without the option to negotiate based on client numb...
What needs improvement with Micro Focus Data Protector?
OpenText Data Protector is not user-friendly, especially for cloud backup. It lacks functions and facilities compared...
How do the backup solutions of Veeam and Veritas compare?
Technically, Veeam is best for hyper-v & VMWare replications, snapshots, HA failover, also support for file syste...
What do you like most about Veritas Backup Exec?
The most important feature is the variety of backup applications it supports, including ERP systems and most other pr...
 

Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover
Micro Focus Data Protector, Data Protector, OmniBack, HPE Data Protector
Backup Exec, Symantec Backup Exec
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CEMEX
GSK Vaccines, Repsol, Vodafone Group, Siemens AG, Medium Enterprise Transportation Services Company
Beta Offshore
Find out what your peers are saying about Veeam Software, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Commvault and others in Backup and Recovery. Updated: July 2025.
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