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

IBM Storage Protect vs NetApp Cloud Backup comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
IBM Storage Protect enhances data recovery, reduces downtime, and aids compliance, making it a valuable investment for organizations.
Sentiment score
8.5
Users report substantial cost savings, efficiency, ease of use, and reliable performance with NetApp Cloud Backup, enhancing operational continuity.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM Storage Protect's support shows mixed experiences, with praise for expertise but concerns over response times and service consistency.
Sentiment score
6.6
NetApp Cloud Backup is praised for its efficient customer service, knowledgeable support staff, and detailed documentation, despite occasional delays.
Support from IBM is very good, and they always have knowledgeable people.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Some support staff are highly skilled, others are not, leading to longer times to resolve issues.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
Support is good from IBM, although it mainly comes from my local partner.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
IBM Storage Protect is praised for scalability and adaptability, though some users cite challenges in features and large-scale integration.
Sentiment score
7.9
NetApp Cloud Backup is highly scalable, performs well in cloud environments, and integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure for disaster recovery.
It is one of the most scalable platforms, and that is its strong point.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
TSM is a generic and robust product, which is why I continue using it for my core banking.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
Scalability is great in IBM Spectrum Protect; there are several options available to scale.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
IBM Storage Protect is highly stable and reliable, with consistent enhancements despite occasional minor issues with new features.
Sentiment score
8.7
Users commend NetApp Cloud Backup for its stability, efficient large workload handling, strong integration, and minimal downtime during data restoration.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Storage Protect needs an improved interface, intuitive features, better cloud integration, and enhanced reporting and virtualization support.
NetApp Cloud Backup users need better integration, KPI handling, ITSM support, and ease of use, with cost-effective comparisons to competitors.
It is not compatible with other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
IBM Storage Protect has not been upgraded into a modern platform.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
There is a need for additional layers of security to fill the gaps, which is why we are using Cobalt Iron.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

IBM Storage Protect offers varied and complex licensing, often seen as expensive but potentially cost-effective with tailored agreements.
Enterprise buyers appreciate NetApp Cloud Backup's cost-effective pricing, though virtual NetApp hosting is pricier than general cloud hosting.
We do not see the cost of the licensing.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
New customers can expect very high prices.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
It's expensive.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
 

Valuable Features

IBM Storage Protect excels in efficient backups, cost-effective storage, scalability, reliability, user-friendliness, adaptability, and robust disaster recovery.
NetApp Cloud Backup is praised for its simplicity, seamless integration, efficiency, data protection, scalability, user-friendliness, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
IBM Spectrum Protect has excellent integration capability.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The product works efficiently with very large tape libraries, unlike most other products in the market that have problems handling large tape libraries or more than one tape library.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
The solution has proven to be robust, especially being an IBM product, making it easier to manage and configure for my core banking system running on AIX.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Storage Protect
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NetApp Cloud Backup
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
32nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (9th), Disk Based Backup Systems (5th), Cloud Backup (30th), Cloud Storage Gateways (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 1.8%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Cloud Backup is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Storage Protect1.8%
NetApp Cloud Backup0.5%
Other97.7%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2787573 - PeerSpot reviewer
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Backup coverage has supported immutable protection and now needs a more modern, intuitive interface
IBM Storage Protect is from a previous generation of backup software. In those days, backup software was complex in setting up and complex to manage. The new software, such as Rubrik, is very easy to use and more relatable to younger engineers because its interface design is more similar to Office 365 and the newer controls and labels that we are accustomed to. The difficulty that we now have with IBM Storage Protect is that for this day and age, compared to other products that are out there, it seems complex. If we look back 15 years ago, all enterprise class backup software was complex, so IBM was not any different. However, many of these older systems, such as Commvault, still have the same complaint that they are very complex because they have tried to keep that same interface and the same way it works. This suits them, but it probably needed a complete overhaul to bring it into the ease of use that we have with modern software. However, that upgrade has not been done. IBM Storage Protect has not been upgraded into a modern platform. It still looks a legacy platform.
MS
Solutions Architect at SC PROSERVICECORP SRL
Offers protection and does scanning of the data in the storage
NetApp has a nasty way of dealing with the license for the product's on-premises virtual NetApp appliance that you need in your whole architecture, and it is not directly linked to NetApp Cloud Backup. It is not a feature that I want to change in NetApp Cloud Backup because the cloud backup service is architectured in a way that makes it available to users, so it looks pretty good to me. When you go to the other side, you can see what you want to have on-premises for the main side in order to have backup in the cloud via NetApp Cloud Backup. With the on-premises part, you need to have either a physical NetApp or a virtual NetApp. You only have two options for primary storage from the network. In the physical cases, it is pretty straightforward as you have pricing and something like a grid with your NetApp. The sales representatives explain how much it will cost you to have some physical NetApp storage based on performance, types, and so on. The support contracts are for three or five years. When it comes to the virtual NetApp, you can run on top of an existing VMware tool or a recent cluster; it gets nasty because they do not let you change the licensed server. Once you deploy a virtual NetApp with a licensed server that you have on-premises, you migrate off from that, but NetApp does not let you change the licensed server, which should be really simple.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Backup and Recovery solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business53
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise95
No data available
 

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 continue to use in the future.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Storage Protect?
I do not know the current licensing cost for IBM Storage Protect and how we get our support because our licensing model is not quite standard. We do not buy IBM Storage Protect direct from IBM. We ...
What needs improvement with IBM Storage Protect?
IBM Storage Protect is from a previous generation of backup software. In those days, backup software was complex in setting up and complex to manage. The new software, such as Rubrik, is very easy ...
What's the 3-2-1 data protection that NetApp Cloud Backup offers?
Hi, the 3-2-1 data protection from this product is related to a backup strategy with the same name. I'm assuming you don't know about it so I'll tell you in a few words. In its essence, this backup...
Is NetApp Cloud Backup secure for backup?
I've just started using NetApp Cloud Backup but my initial reason behind choosing it in the first place is that they advertise their high-security approach. So basically, they give you ransomware p...
Is NetApp Cloud Backup expensive in your opinion?
It depends on how much exactly you count as expensive. For me, NetApp Cloud Backup isn't too expensive. I say that based on the services it provides and on the way it provides them. I think it's im...
 

Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CEMEX
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Storage Protect vs. NetApp Cloud Backup and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.