IBM Storage Protect vs SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor comparison

The compared IBM and SolarWinds solutions aren't in the same category. IBM is ranked #14 in BRS , with an average rating of 7.5, and holds a 2.3% mindshare in the category. SolarWinds is ranked #14 in SM , and holds a 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SolarWinds users who would recommend it.

IBM Storage Protect

Read 3 IBM Storage Protect reviews

4,197 Views
3,525 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Storage Resource...

Read 2 SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor reviews

269 Views
124 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Storage Protect

SolarWinds Storage Resource...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2025

SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor and IBM Storage Protect are competing in the storage management solutions category. IBM Storage Protect appears to have the upper hand for its advanced data protection capabilities, while SolarWinds is competitive due to its pricing and ease of use.

Features: SolarWinds provides detailed storage monitoring, performance analytics, and supports various environments with consistent updates. IBM Storage Protect offers strong data protection features, backup reliability, and data recovery options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SolarWinds is known for a straightforward installation process and responsive customer support, advantageous for smaller IT teams. IBM Storage Protect has a more complex deployment, reflecting its advanced functionality, but is supported by thorough customer service.

Pricing and ROI: SolarWinds is budget-friendly with a beneficial cost-return ratio, ideal for monitoring solutions. IBM Storage Protect requires a higher upfront investment, justified by a substantial ROI for enterprises with critical data protection needs.

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July 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 Storage Protect

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Backup and Recovery (14th)

SolarWinds Storage Resource...

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Storage Management (14th)

Mindshare comparison

IBM Storage Protect and SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. IBM Storage Protect is designed for Backup and Recovery and holds a mindshare of 2.3%, up 2.2% compared to last year.
SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor, on the other hand, focuses on Storage Management, holds 4.0% mindshare, up 2.9% since last year.

Backup and Recovery

Storage Management

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.

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SumitKumar1

SolarWinds SME at a sports company with 501-1,000 employees

Reliable with good storage capabilities but sometimes shows a misleading status

The solution is straightforward to set up. It is easy; it's not complicated at all. I'd rate the ease of setup five out of ten. It's in the middle in terms of the level of difficulty. However, I find it quite simple. It takes the usual amount of time to set up due to all the modules. When we install a product on SolarWinds or the RMM platform, they take a similar amount of time. There is no specific time for a single module. If you deploy a single module will take almost the same time. If you deploy ten models together, they will have similar timing since they all are on the same RMM platform.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We apply the new dedupe and compression technology, using maintenance and time to give more time for the backup window and less time for the overhead related to the daily housekeeping."

"It is a really scalable solution. We can scale it up. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten."

"Disk-based implementation of a data protection solution for multiple sites is a better fit for my complex data protection needs."

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

"The licensing isn't very clear. They should work to simply or clarify the cost structure."

"Every time customers make a change or we have made a change, then they use the product to do a cloning and refreshing. They are happy that they get good performance something changes."

"The platform has valuable stability."

"The interface is easy to use."

More IBM Storage Protect pros

"The initial setup is very straightforward."

Cons

"It does not do too well in our virtual environment."

"The software is complex; setup is complex."

"The licensing isn't very clear. They should work to simply or clarify the cost structure."

"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."

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

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

"It seems like they are a little behind on the integration to Azure Cloud as well as Amazon."

"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."

More IBM Storage Protect cons

"The solution could always be more easily scalable."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM provides an open license policy, which is more like a gentlemen's agreement."

"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."

"We pay for a terabyte license to support our backend usage."

"Use capacity licensing. It's easier and cheaper."

"Its licensing is complicated. It goes by CPUs, and it is pretty expensive as well."

"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."

"The product is not cheap."

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

More IBM Storage Protect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

See all answers

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 might not be so high. New customers can expect very high prices.

See all answers

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. There is a need for additional layers of security to fill the gaps, which is wh...

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Comparisons

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 14% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 14% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 10% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 9% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Storage Protect Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

July 2025

Download IBM Storage Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Storage Management

August 2025

SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor report

Download SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor product report

Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover

SolarWinds SRM

Overview

IBM Storage Protect offers data protection and management to secure critical business information efficiently. It's designed to be a scalable and flexible solution for data backup, recovery, and archive needs in complex IT environments.

IBM Storage Protect delivers comprehensive data protection by integrating backup, recovery, and archiving functionalities. It supports a range of workloads and infrastructures, from on-premises to cloud environments, facilitating efficient data management. Its platform provides seamless scalability to meet evolving business needs, underpinned by reliable security measures. Organizations leverage its capabilities to ensure business continuity and minimize data loss risks, making it vital in a data-driven world.

What are the key features of IBM Storage Protect?

Advanced Data Protection: Offers robust encryption and data integrity for secure backup processes.
Scalability: Grows with your data demands, supporting large data volumes without compromising performance.
Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrates with cloud platforms, enhancing backup strategies with hybrid options.
Automated Operations: Simplifies management tasks with automation, reducing manual intervention and errors.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating IBM Storage Protect?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces storage costs by optimizing backup processes and data retention strategies.
Data Safety: Ensures data accessibility and integrity during recovery efforts, building trust in data protection strategies.
Operational Efficiency: Boosts productivity through streamlined and automated backup management workflows.
Compliance Readiness: Helps maintain compliance with data protection regulations by providing thorough reporting and audit trails.

Industries like finance and healthcare implement IBM Storage Protect to safeguard sensitive information against threats. In financial services, it's crucial for maintaining client data confidentiality, while healthcare institutions use it to protect patient records, ensuring both accessibility and compliance with regulations.

IBM

The storage monitoring and capacity management software from SolarWinds gives you deep visibility into the performance of your multi-vendor storage arrays, and helps you closely watch the application stack for storage issues that affect application performance.

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

CEMEX

NetSuite, Youngs Seafood, APS Bank, Sven Meinks

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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