IBM Spectrum Protect vs Veeam Data Platform comparison

IBM and Veeam Software are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.3, while Veeam Software is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to Veeam Software’s 14.8% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Veeam Software 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

Veeam Data Platform

Read 425 Veeam Data Platform reviews

26,184 Views
17,551 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

Veeam Data Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

IBM Spectrum Protect and Veeam Data Platform are leading products in the data protection and backup software category. Based on the analysis, Veeam Data Platform holds a competitive edge due to its user-friendly design and robust data recovery features, making it preferred for ease of use and deployment.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect is known for comprehensive support across various platforms with features like disaster recovery, scalable archiving, and strong deduplication and compression. It supports incremental forever backups ensuring robust data protection. Veeam Data Platform is renowned for ease of use and affordability, with features like application-aware backups and quick recovery, integration with applications like Exchange, SQL, and SureBackup, offering a comprehensive solution that is flexible and scalable.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Protect could enhance GUI functionality and cloud integration, and could also improve virtualization platform features. Veeam Data Platform needs better GUI intuitiveness and cross-hypervisor replication. Speed of backup, reporting, and support for more storage systems and databases also need attention.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect caters primarily to on-premises deployments with sophisticated features, yet its complexity can hinder deployment. Customer service has mixed reviews. Veeam Data Platform excels with a flexible deployment across clouds and on-premises environments and is praised for easy setup and responsive customer support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect’s complex licensing is costly, favoring larger enterprises. Its ROI is strong with excellent data protection. Veeam Data Platform offers straightforward licensing for various environments and is considered cost-effective due to robust features, efficient backup solutions, and superior ROI acknowledgment.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Veeam Data Platform Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Veeam Data Platform

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

Veeam Data Platform

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

425

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Backup (1st), Virtualization Management Tools (3rd), Disaster Recovery (DR) Software (1st), Cloud Monitoring Software (9th)

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 Veeam Data Platform is 14.8%, down from 19.8% 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

Edward Hore

L3 Infrastructure Engineer at Specsavers

Reliable with good support but needs a better navigation menu

We use Veeam Data to back up our VMware infrastructure Veeam Data Platform is valuable for its stability and the ability to easily contact support for assistance. The support team provides answers whenever we need them. It is also one of the most scalable backup solutions I've worked with. The…

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 product is always stable and reliable."

"The backup on real-time, especially for the virtual machine, archiving, and retrieving the reader from the backup repository and getting it online, getting it validated, then performing the data consistency check over the backup."

"Our customers have come to trust IBM."

"We optimize our costs of media and storage use, thanks to the Incremental Forever backup. The TDP software provides us many ways to protect our data, so we don't need to use monstrous scripts for doing backups now."

"It is a very stable product. The cost is similar to that of other enterprise solutions."

"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."

"When I have to do disaster recoveries, I can do it with this tool."

"One way they have improved our organization is through the stability of the solution and the availability of the product."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"The backup features are valuable."

"Instant Backup is an useful feature."

"The most valuable feature of Veeam Backup Replication is application awareness. Additionally, the solution is user-friendly and it has been working very well."

"It has helped us transfer the solution in two days instead of working for a minimum of one week to ten days."

"My customers find the backup and recovery ease of use is the most beneficial feature."

"The solution is simple to use."

"With Replication, Veeam allows us to have a duplicated VM on standby."

"WAN Accelerator helps tremendously with replicating our data because we have a large chunk of data that gets replicated between our two facilities."

More Veeam Data Platform pros

Cons

"It would be helpful if the solution included some sort of ransomware protection."

"High availability (HA) is a scalability challenge."

"The solution could be more user-friendly and provide better monitoring. The monitoring should be improved first since it is a higher priority."

"I think Spectrum Protect's interface is not so user-friendly, but the interface is not so friendly. Some of the functions are too complicated. I prefer a simpler solution."

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

"It needs some software upgrades to fix some of its current bugs."

"The only thing that I would like to have a little more of is insight in reporting. I find that Spectrum Protect needs a lot of monitoring, and I have to actually log into the servers."

"The reporting could be better."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"It needs to offer an automatic check for backups."

"There is a bug that prevents enabling the restore button, which is hectic."

"The initial setup of Veeam Backup Replication is straightforward. The process took approximately two days. The setup could be streamlined to take less time."

"The SME that helped us with the implementation would probably have more insight because he used it way more than we have. We just use it for making sure that our backups are done daily, and the replications are being performed between sites. We haven't had any issues at all with it other than the fact that there is a slight process to acquire additional licenses if we want to expand our number of hosts. That's because it is based on the number of cores and threads that are used."

"The only issue on which we would like to see for improvement would be, potentially, the ability to do some different things with recovery, like faster recovery onsite."

"I would like a solution for SAP systems to be included."

"I cannot recall coming across any features that were lacking."

"CDP also requires a lot of development, because there are a lot of restrictions now for CDP. There is a chance to improve CDP and make it much easier for the customers."

More Veeam Data Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The most important feature which I wish to be added involves the GUI, the user interface."

"Customers need to pay for licensing in order to use IBM Spectrum Protect. The customers that have been using it for a long time are okay and happy with it. From a cost point of view, it's better for them to renew their licenses than to go through the difficult process of changing a backup product in their environment, and migrate from one product to another."

"When compared to the cost of other enterprise products, it seems to be in the same range. However, compared to the cost of non-enterprise products, it is really high."

"Licensing can be either complicated or simple depending on what type of licensing you wish to use and what works best for your environment."

"License-wise regarding IBM, it's licensed per terabyte. And that is after compression and deduplication."

"Spectrum Protect is not expensive, and it is simple to use."

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

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

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

"The solution's pricing is cheap."

"Veeam Data Platform's pricing is affordable."

"It is reasonably very cheap. I would rate the licensing model a one out of ten, where one is very affordable and ten is extremely expensive."

"The price of Veeam Backup Replication could be reduced. The customers are looking at other products because the price is higher than some of the competition."

"It's the market price. It isn't expensive, nor is it cheap."

"The price of the solution could improve when comparing it to competitors. The market is very competitive and they should have some discounts or special offers."

"I would rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten. The licensing costs are yearly."

"The price of Veeam Backup Replication is reasonable."

More Veeam Data Platform pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user159711

Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Nov 9, 2014

VMware SRM vs. Veeam vs. Zerto

Disaster recovery planning is something that seems challenging for all businesses. Virtualization in addition to its operational flexibility, and cost reduction benefits, has helped companies improve their DR posture. Virtualization has made it easier to move machines from production to…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

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?

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

Major Differences Between These 4 Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions?

Comparing the features of the four is not the right approach. You need to develop a list of requirements for backup and DR that are specific to your organization and then compare each of the four ...

See all answers

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 system backups inside VMs., support for tape library & FC too. But Veritas Netbac...

See all answers

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...

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Comparisons

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

HPE StoreOnce vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Commvault Cloud vs Veeam Data Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Rubrik vs Veeam Data Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Acronis Cyber Protect vs Veeam Data Platform

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs Veeam Data Platform

Compared 3% of the time

Azure Backup vs Veeam Data Platform

Compared 3% of the time

More Veeam Data Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

June 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Veeam Data Platform

June 2025

Download Veeam Data Platform product report

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

Veeam Backup & Replication, Veeam ONE

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

Veeam Data Platform ensures comprehensive data resilience by offering secure backups and intelligent data insights, catering to the complexities of modern data management.

Veeam Data Platform empowers businesses with reliable data protection, orchestrated recovery, and streamlined management. Providing peace of mind, it guarantees data is secure, available, and effortlessly recoverable. Organizations benefit from features such as instant recovery, simplified management, and compatibility with virtual environments. While it shines in backup and restore capabilities, it calls for improvements in integration with physical servers and enhanced cyber security features.

What are the key features of Veeam Data Platform?

Instant Recovery: Allows immediate data restoration with minimal downtime.
Simplified Management: Intuitive interfaces for managing data with ease.
Efficient Replication: Supports reliable duplication for high availability.
Seamless VM Backups: Integrates well with virtual environments like VMware and Hyper-V.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers robust alerting for proactive data management.

What are the notable benefits of using Veeam Data Platform?

Reliability: Trustworthy backup and restore functionalities.
Scalability: Supports cloud integration for expanding data needs.
Time Efficiency: Fast recovery processes minimizing business impact.
Flexibility: Adapts to diverse data management requirements.
Peace of Mind: Assures persistent data availability and protection.

Organizations in industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing utilize Veeam Data Platform for critical data management, ensuring business continuity and disaster recovery. Employed in securing both virtual and physical workloads, Veeam integrates cloud storage for enhanced scalability and efficiency.

Veeam Software

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

Business & Legal Resources Inc., Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, Alliance Healthcare, Poulin Grain Inc., Linear Technology, Northwestern University, ARKEMA, Sogegross, City of Lynchburg

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Veeam Data Platform

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Veeam Data Platform

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

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