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Dell Technologies DataIQ [EOL] vs IBM Storage Protect 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell Technologies DataIQ [EOL]
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Storage Protect
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (19th)
 

Featured Reviews

Jan Zentgraf - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at IXPACK GmbH
A stable and scalable tool that can be used to monitor and analyze data
The product is used to analyze data. It was purchased as part of a package including Isilon installation The product can be used to analyze data usage. I have a big confusion between InsightIQ and DataIQ. I do not know which product is going to be retired. There are many rumors, but we have no…
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product can be used to analyze data usage."
"It saves you a lot of storage."
"The solution can back up every kind of workload in the environment."
"It has a lot more capabilities and functions than a lot of other products. Even though it is more complex, the reason is because it gives you a lot more features. This is what I prefer, especially for a long retention."
"It is an IBM product. With SAP, you are using IBM software to protect it. DB2 and AIX servers are both IBM. Therefore, it is a total IBM solution, which helps."
"It is good in terms of functionality. My clients are very satisfied with this solution."
"A robust tool which allows us to backup pretty much any environment, virtual or physical."
"We do not lose data. That is why we are using this product and have a backup in place."
"It is a very powerful product that offers great performance and integrates very well in Unix/Linux environments and with powerful databases (Oracle, DB2, SAP, etc.)."
 

Cons

"The solution’s GUI is a little bit confusing."
"I should be able to backup Linux. I would like SUSE for Linux on POWER. Right now, we have to use Storex, which is a pain to use."
"I am not really impressed with the Level 1 support, but once I get past that and go to Level 2, then we will usually get some type of resolution."
"For Spectrum Protect Plus, I would like to see more enhanced reporting features and integration with Spectrum Protect."
"They should introduce more features for virtualization platforms and backing up IBMs. Backup speeds should also be improved."
"This product should be more user-friendly for newcomers."
"At one point, we tried to implement the VMware module with it, and it was awful and terrible."
"We need everything cloud. Strong support for cloud services. S3 connectivity, which is mandatory for us in the future along with this integration of Spectrum Copy Data Management or Spectrum Protect services together with these Spectrum Protect Plus functionalities, e.g., hardware, snapshots, and Copy Data Management. They should come together in one solution."
"Their support is lacking. I've talked to their developers and stuff in the last couple of weeks and they reassure me that some people have retired, and they're working on getting that bumped back up. But the support lacks a lot to be desired at this point."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We pay for a terabyte license to support our backend usage."
"I rate the pricing a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is not cost-effective, and ten is cost-effective."
"License-wise regarding IBM, it's licensed per terabyte. And that is after compression and deduplication."
"One can go with either a PVU licensing model or a capacity based licensing model. Either solution does not block the usage, if over used."
"Licensing IBM Spectrum Protect can be somewhat confusing for new users due to the options available, such as licensing on a capacity or per server basis."
"It can be perceived as expensive since it is designed for enterprise use."
"It's very complicated. Licensing is a pain."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
University
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

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

Questions from the Community

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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 is your primary use case for IBM Storage Protect?
IBM Storage Protect is my primary tool for backup and recovery. We also use it for immutable backups to protect against ransomware. We use IBM Storage Protect for everything on-premises. The benefi...
 

Also Known As

Dell EMC DataIQ
IBM Spectrum Discover
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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