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

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

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 PowerProtect Data Manager
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (7th)
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
49th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is 3.7%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is 1.0%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager3.7%
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus1.0%
Other95.3%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

MinaMagdy1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Comprehensive integration and user-friendly dashboard enhance data protection workflows
PowerProtect Data Manager lacks the tape-out functionality, which is important for organizations relying on it for offsite backup. While PowerProtect Data Manager offers a workaround, it's not always accepted, notably by sectors like banking. Additionally, I would like PowerProtect Data Manager to provide microservices and container backup for modern applications.
Atif Najam - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables organizations to make large-scale recoveries easily, but the security must be improved
The security must be improved. We face a lot of cyber threats like ransomware. It impacts data availability and protection. The tool must provide a mechanism to make resilient backups. The tool must ensure that the recent backups have no ransomware. The backup must be immutable. They must be cyber-resilient backups. Finding a good resource person for IBM Spectrum in Pakistan is difficult. We have to rely on the support team. Resource availability is a challenge.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's the perfect solution for virtual and container directives. The data reduction feature works well, and we haven't had any issues."
"The deduplication is the most valuable feature because it helps to control the overhead."
"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager helps to reduce the amount of data being transferred and stored."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"I love that it has an interactive GUI, and it is not complicated to use."
"Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager is user-friendly and easy to use. it does what it needs to do."
"The management part of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager has improved significantly."
"It satisfies my customers' scalability needs and provides interactive features, allowing efficient integration."
"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that the product works and helps with restoration areas whenever there is a need to restore something."
"A full-featured data protection solution that is reliable and stable."
"The solution's stability is high because it is derived from Spectrum Protect."
"This solution is very stable and has good support available online."
"The feature I find most valuable is the offload to Spectrum Protect for long-term retention. I think the deduplication and replication are quite nice on Plus."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
"This is a multi-platform backup solution where you can take a backup from AIX, Windows, or Linux servers and restore from CD, disk, or tape."
"The support from IBM is very good."
 

Cons

"You need to use additional software to back up entire environments. It will be good if they could support entire tape libraries."
"Management is difficult and it is hard to determine when things aren't working properly."
"The solution should enhance its user interface and make it more flexible."
"The tool's scalability has certain shortcomings, making it an area where improvements are required."
"They should include a feature similar to S3 bucket."
"A lot of improvement is required in Dell's first level of support."
"When I raise a ticket, it sometimes takes a while to get a response."
"As a new product, there are some things that still need to improve a bit as it matures."
"It requires much more automation features."
"An area that needs improvement is data validation. We currently use another product that gives us immediate validation, information about when the last backup was, and no risk of corruption happening. TSM in IBM Spectrum is not mature so that you can validate on the spot."
"Not particularly user friendly."
"You end up needing to do a lot of troubleshooting to get things to work effectively."
"The replication feature is not available."
"The software's technical support could improve its response time for different time zones."
"The solution should allow for backup of iOS snapshots."
"With ransomware protection and cyber protection, more improvement is possible."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We offer monthly or yearly subscriptions. The price could be cheaper."
"The licensing costs and pricing model are based on capacity and the license is easy to upgrade."
"The solution is not less expensive than competitors but pricing deals are available."
"Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is not an expensive solution."
"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager is reasonable."
"The product is offered at a very competitive price in the market."
"The solution is more affordable than other vendors."
"We have a perpetual license for the tool since it is deployed on-premise."
"The price offering from IBM is coming down because it is based on number of VM machines. So, IBM is coming to the market to show the added value of the product."
"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a little expensive."
"Unlike some other solutions, such as Veritas NetBackup where you have to pay for different licenses to use different features, there is a single license that allows you to use all of the features."
"The initial cost of the product is perpetual but the support fees are billed annually."
"The solution is too expensive."
"There are a few options available for purchasing the solutions. Overall, the price of the is high."
"The price is perpetual, but the maintenance cost is annual. That is, we pay once for the product and pay annually for the maintenance and support. The price was much cheaper than what we would have had to pay for EMC or Veritas. The pricing is competitive, and I would rate it at four out of five."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Backup and Recovery solutions are best for your needs.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise17
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?
One notable feature is its robust backup support for Kubernetes and container environments. Additionally, PPDM stands out for its ease of deployment and management compared to other backup solution...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?
Overall, pricing does not significantly impact our decision. The main concern is the solution itself, presales activities, and positioning it in the right place. Commercial aspects are secondary to...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?
The marketing strategy is lagging behind competitors such as CommVault. Dell needs to improve its market presence and communication with customers and solution providers.
What do you like most about IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?
The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that the product works and helps with restoration areas whenever there is a need to restore something.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?
Pricing is good; it is reasonable and more reasonable than any other vendors.
What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?
Technical support could be improved significantly. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus could be made more lightweight and user-friendly in terms of GUI features to make it closer to a perfect score.
 

Also Known As

PowerProtect, Dell EMC PowerProtect
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

National Bank of Greece, USC Australia, PCS Publishing, Dell Digital IT, Rushmore Electric, Melanson Health, Arrow Electronics
PT Wings Surya, Tectrade, State of Ohio
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.