IBM Spectrum Protect vs Synology DSM comparison

IBM and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.4, while Synology is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Read 150 IBM Spectrum Protect reviews

3,616 Views
2,660 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,068 Views
1,585 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect and Synology DSM are key players in the data protection and storage solutions market. Synology DSM appears to have an edge due to its user-centric design and affordability, making it more attractive to small to medium-sized businesses.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect offers extensive data protection capabilities, scalability for large enterprises, and robust support. Synology DSM provides ease of use, seamless integration with other systems, and flexible backup options.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Protect could simplify complex configurations, improve performance speed, and enhance its user interface. Synology DSM can improve its enterprise-level capabilities, increase technical support availability, and enhance security features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect deployment is complex and time-consuming, but customer service is highly rated. Synology DSM offers a straightforward deployment process that requires minimal technical expertise, though its customer service is satisfactory but less highly rated.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect has higher setup costs but delivers significant returns due to its advanced features. Synology DSM has a more economical setup, providing excellent ROI, particularly for smaller environments.

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

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Synology DSM

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

150

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

18th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 Synology DSM is 1.9%, up from 0.8% 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

Michael Adejoh

Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures

Reliable and cost-effective

One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

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 most valuable feature is the backup speed."

"The deduplication and compression features are the most valuable features."

"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 platform’s most valuable feature is its ability to verify the recoverability of backups."

"The backup is very good. In other backup systems, you need a lot of storage to gain the same backup policy."

"It is pretty easy to use and maintain."

"I have found that the most valuable feature is useful documentation and troubleshooting."

"With Spectrum Protect, you can use any type of disk to back-end the repositories. It gave us flexibility to use whatever storage we wanted at our secondary site."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

"Because of its simplicity and the wide array of features it offers, I would recommend DSM for both tech-savvy individuals and those who prefer a straightforward file-serving solution."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"Customers have migrated off of it because of its lack of virtual environment functions."

"Its price can be better. It is very expensive. Its interface is very old and not user friendly. They can improve its interface. Their support can also be better. My clients are not very satisfied with the support because they are not really quick."

"There were scalability issues only in the brand new features which were recently released."

"Perhaps some better documentation, which I believe was better in the past."

"There is room for improvement in the service aspect."

"This product comes up against other products available that are marketed better but the other products that it's in competition with are a single product and this is one of IBM products. If it could be marketed as more for competitors I think that's where it comes short."

"We need better protection from ransomware or the ability to identify ways we can protect ourselves from ransomware. Having backups is one thing, but specifically, we need methods to recover if we have a ransomware attack."

"A lot of my customers always ask for legal holds, especially on email."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"Synology DSM is a good enough solution for small and medium companies, but I have not seen a big configuration of the solution for a big organization."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"That's no longer my department, but I have some past experience with licensing. It is not cheap. I would rate it a three out of five in terms of licensing. In terms of additional costs, there is management overhead. It is a complex solution and a lot of work goes into managing clients. It has gotten better over the years, but compared to its competitor, it is still heavy on management overhead."

"The solution is expensive."

"The product is low cost. It is very cool when we design it to using licensing based on post capacity."

"We are paying for support and maintenance on a monthly basis."

"We chose IBM Spectrum Protect, because they actually have something called MSP pricing, which means managed services provider pricing. The pricing was attractive, and it seems to be a platform that IBM is totally investing on in terms of new functions and new capabilities."

"It is expensive."

"The price of IBM Spectrum Protect is expensive and there is only a standard licensing fee."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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?

See all answers

What do you like most about Synology DSM?

The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?

The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Synology DSM?

Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 16% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 16% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 9% of the time

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 15% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 9% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 8% of the time

GoodSync vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

June 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

May 2025

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

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

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Synology DSM

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Synology DSM

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