Dell NetWorker vs IBM Storage Protect comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Dell Technologies is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.8, while IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.5. Dell Technologies holds a 2.8% mindshare in BRS, compared to IBM’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Dell NetWorker

Read 85 Dell NetWorker reviews

4,629 Views
4,166 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM Storage Protect

Read 3 IBM Storage Protect reviews

4,197 Views
3,525 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Dell NetWorker

IBM Storage Protect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2025

Dell NetWorker and IBM Storage Protect are competing in the data protection and backup solutions category. IBM Storage Protect seems to edge out Dell NetWorker with its more extensive feature set and higher perceived value.

Features: Dell NetWorker offers comprehensive backup solutions with strong data deduplication and integration capabilities. It is efficient and integrates well with various systems. IBM Storage Protect is strong in scalability and data management, providing robust cross-platform support and a richer feature set.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Dell NetWorker is known for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service that addresses issues efficiently. IBM Storage Protect, slightly more complex due to its rich features, provides exceptional technical support to assist during deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Dell NetWorker is cost-effective with a lower initial setup cost and good ROI due to effective performance at a reasonable price. IBM Storage Protect requires a higher initial investment but delivers higher ROI over time with superior features and strong data management, offering solid value despite the higher cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell NetWorker vs. IBM Storage Protect Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker vs. IBM Storage Protect

July 2025

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Helped 865,295 peers since 2012

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

Dell NetWorker

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Storage Protect

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 2.8%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 2.3%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

ErmiasGirma

System and Cloud Deployment Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc

Offers seamless integration and cost-saving benefits with enhanced recovery capabilities

Currently, in my organization, I am using Dell NetWorker for open-source solutions like PostgreSQL and MySQL databases, and some large VM environments. It also supports the Dell library and is used for the library archiving system Dell NetWorker allows for extensive customization, supporting…

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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

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 of Dell NetWorker is its quick configuration and handling of large databases."

"The interface is user-friendly and can be used by the end-users."

"I started off as a storage engineer and ended up owning Dell EMC Data Domain and Dell EMC NetWorker. I've not used any other backup solutions at this scale. Dell EMC NetWorker does what I need it to do, it's efficient."

"The solution is scalable."

"Once the scheduler is configured, backups proceed without any interruption."

"The solution offers compatibility with many types of database systems. It is one of the largest backup solutions. Additionally, it gives important information about data domain systems with deduplication."

"I like that it's stable and scalable."

"The software’s best feature is data backup for any system."

More Dell NetWorker pros

"It has to ability to backup DV2, Oracle, and Informix."

"It's a very stable product, and we've never had any downtime with it."

"Because of the flexible parameters, everything can be fine-tuned to the customers’ needs in their environment."

"The software-defined ability to do data reduction through deduplication and compression, as well as being able to replicate data to a cloud container."

"We can use it with any storage for the back-end to save data."

"It scales from very small to very large. It is easily the most scalable product out there."

"Traditional storage works perfectly with it."

"What I found most valuable in IBM Spectrum Protect is that it allows you to back up physical machines, and its proxy feature lets you back up virtual machines."

More IBM Storage Protect pros

Cons

"They need more support for image backups."

"The deduplication needs improvement and it could use better integration."

"We encountered challenges during the solution's deployment, particularly integrating our database system and Microsoft Exchange. This area needs improvement."

"Reporting templates could be easier to understand and more comprehensive."

"NetWorker's major problem is its legacy software."

"The tool should be more streamlined and simplified to create a backup to receive objects."

"The security features need backup and encryption. It would be nice if they added this feature. I would also like to be able to decrypt when restoring the security features. Hackers can sense these vulnerabilities today, and we need to have our enterprise prepared."

"The management of Dell Networker is quite cumbersome."

More Dell NetWorker cons

"The interface could be more user-friendly."

"I would like a little more ease with the virtual platforms, because it is a huge thing that is coming up."

"They do not have a unified GUI, they only work on CLI and operations center, which is really complicated for the installation and configuration."

"They took some of the funding off of it for a while. Therefore, instead of being a market leader, they took their position for granted. Then some competitors developed new bells and whistles that they advertise, and due to that lag a few years ago, there are not the resources to explain the differences."

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

"We are still using TSM Manager for many of our projects to administer our platform because the gap was not resolved with the new Operations Center."

"They are behind on many things, especially security. They are catching up a little bit now, but the competitors are doing better security-wise. There should be malware detection and prevention and higher security."

"I want a better user interface, support, and integrations."

More IBM Storage Protect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We use a license without a time term. We just need to buy additional support when needed."

"There is a licensing fee."

"Dell EMC NetWorker is very expensive."

"It's approximate, but I believe we pay around $20-30,000 a month in licensing."

"The pricing is okay."

"It is excellent from the pricing point of view. It is free with Data Protection Suite. Similarly, when you purchase Avamar, Dell EMC NetWorker is free with one terabyte license capacity. Its price is very competitive."

"They are not cheap."

"Low cost is key."

More Dell NetWorker pricing and cost advice

"You need to put it in a PoC and test it out if you can."

"The pricing is a little expensive for our current employer, so they want to move to a cheaper solution."

"IBM Spectrum Protect, cost-wise, has way higher pricing than Veeam. By switching over to Veeam, my company saved over $600,000 in USD. The IBM Spectrum Protect pricing is a two on a scale of one to ten. My company paid additional fees for maintenance, apart from the standard licensing fees."

"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."

"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."

"The pricing of the solution is high in comparison to other products on the market. For example, IBM and Symantec have less costly options."

"The licensing fees are between $8,000 and $10,000 per year."

"It's very complicated. Licensing is a pain."

More IBM Storage Protect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?

From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...

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What do you like most about Dell NetWorker?

The feature that offers the greatest benefits in ensuring data integrity is its backup capability.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell NetWorker?

The licensing cost is somewhat expensive. While we use a traditional license, there is a capacity-based license available, but our customer is not comfortable switching to it. A five to seven perce...

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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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 30% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 15% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 9% of the time

Dell Avamar vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 9% of the time

Cohesity DataProtect vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 2% of the time

More Dell NetWorker Competitors

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

Azure Backup vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Storage Protect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker

August 2025

Download Dell NetWorker product report

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

July 2025

Download IBM Storage Protect product report

Also Known As

NetWorker

IBM Spectrum Discover

Overview

Built on a reputation of efficiency and reliability, thousands of customers trust Dell NetWorker to protect their data and applications across multiple environments, from core to edge to cloud.

Inherently flexible, NetWorker helps you deploy and leverage the data protection that fits your needs. NetWorker protects both physical and virtual environments, including VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, as well as cloud workloads on AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

NetWorker is available as part of Dell Data Protection Suite, which offers comprehensive data protection software applications and tools. NetWorker is delivered as software and as a virtual edition.

Dell Technologies

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

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport

CEMEX

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker vs. IBM Storage Protect

July 2025

Free Report: Dell NetWorker vs. IBM Storage Protect

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