Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IBM Spectrum Protect vs Quest NetVault Plus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 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 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
Quest NetVault Plus
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
47th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (24th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quest NetVault Plus is 0.6%, up from 0.6% 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.
Isa Safii - PeerSpot reviewer
Comprehensive data protection and reliable backup capabilities enable smooth disaster recovery operations
The features of Quest NetVault Plus ( /products/quest-netvault-plus-reviews ) that are most valuable include the ability to pick up and restore to tape servers and external hard disks. It allows us to pick up from devices and then restore to the same devices or external server storage. Additionally, the application supports scanning files for malware before backup operations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"Regarding stability, it's been rock solid."
"The deduplication and compression features are the most valuable features."
"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."
"We can freeze and start databases for consistent backups."
"One of the main things that I like about IBM is the versioning of the data - meaning that we can have multiple versions of a file or directory of a server."
"It is scalable beyond anything my customers ever aspire to."
"Data archiving is easier and less time-consuming."
"It has File and SQL backup, which is the main benefit for us."
"The initial setup is straightforward. It's not that complicated. Deployment took maybe about 15 minutes."
"The user interface is good."
"If a job is pending, the solution communicates it to us through emails."
"The platform helps us with efficient QoreStor deduplication (DD) capabilities and configuration."
"Quest NetVault Plus has a high level of stability."
"Having the web-based interface is important to us because we can access it from any computer in the network, rather than having it installed and available for use only on a specific one."
"The interface is very user-friendly."
 

Cons

"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."
"The software is complex; setup is complex."
"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."
"Integration with Windows environments needs improvement. It should be more "assisted", both at the application and database level. It remains a product that fits better in Unix/Linux environments than in Windows environments, given its configuration procedures."
"My customers are not always happy with the Level 1 support. Sometimes, it just takes too long for the response to come, which is probably something that needs to be addressed."
"The product should be improved to save more space."
"Getting technical support all the necessary diagnostic information is still very painful."
"I would not recommend the tool to others because it is a really complex product."
"Improvements could be made in the deduplication and data management capabilities. There is also a need for better security measures, as security is critical to ensure backups are safe and free from malware."
"In the next version, I would like to see support for the MongoDB database. As it is now, there is no component that works with it and we cannot back the data up using NetVault."
"The initial setup is a little complex."
"There are certain issues with the product that we report to Quest, and we get offered a workaround instead of a fix. There could be better interaction with the development teams, perhaps in terms of transparency."
"I would like to see the option of cloud-based management."
"There are command-line limitations. There is not a very strong possibility to work with the command line. The commands that are there are not that powerful, and you need to be very good at scripting, for example, in PowerShell or in Bash in case it is running on Linux systems. You need to combine a lot of commands together, and still, you will not get a great output that is presentable to others. You cannot work with it as easily."
"The product’s SQL backup plugin needs improvement."
"The stability of the solution is poor."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Regarding retro-compatibility of the product between versions, your data is always available and the ROI is unquestionable."
"Technical support is pretty good. It is doing fine, but you pay for it."
"Spectrum Protect is not a cheap option."
"We have capacity licensing. We use the front end. The capacity licensing is pretty okay on the licensing price. I used to use the old PVU-based licensing in the early environment, but now we use capacity-based licensing."
"The solution is expensive."
"For my company, the tool is affordable and reasonable...I don't think most people know that when a company has large systems in place, the TCO is a lot lower."
"It is expensive."
"The tool is expensive."
"The price of our 12-month contract is approximately $1,500 AUD ($1,100 USD)."
"When we purchased four licenses, we were given a very good price. However, it is still on the high side when compared to some other vendors."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Backup and Recovery solutions are best for your needs.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
8%
 

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...
What do you like most about Quest NetVault ?
NetVault is a great cloud-ready enterprise backup software for hybrid data centers. Here are some of the things I really like about the solution: It is easy to use right out of the box and scales ...
What do you like most about Quest NetVault?
If a job is pending, the solution communicates it to us through emails.
What needs improvement with Quest NetVault?
Improvements could be made in the deduplication and data management capabilities. There is also a need for better security measures, as security is critical to ensure backups are safe and free from...
 

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
NetVault Backup, Quest NetVault, Quest NetVault Backup, BakBone
 

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
intel, Mars, MERK, Microsoft, Uber, Visa
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Quest NetVault Plus and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.