IBM Spectrum Computing vs VMware Aria Operations comparison

IBM and Broadcom are both solutions in the Cloud Management category. IBM is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7. IBM holds a 1.2% mindshare in CM, compared to Broadcom’s 4.9% mindshare. Additionally, 57% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Computing

Read 9 IBM Spectrum Computing reviews

750 Views
525 Comparison Views

57% willing to recommend

VMware Aria Operations

Read 376 VMware Aria Operations reviews

7,096 Views
4,116 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Computing

VMware Aria Operations

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

IBM Spectrum Computing and VMware Aria Operations compete in enterprise computing and operations management. IBM Spectrum Computing holds an advantage in terms of pricing and support services, while VMware Aria Operations is superior in offering comprehensive features justifying its higher cost.

Features: IBM Spectrum Computing stands out with its workload management, efficient resource utilization, and cost-effectiveness for high-performance computing environments. VMware Aria Operations excels with operational insights, automation capabilities, and advanced analytics for performance management.

Room for Improvement: IBM Spectrum Computing could enhance its advanced analytics and automation features. Integrating more complex operational insights would also be beneficial. VMware Aria Operations would benefit from simplifying its deployment process and reducing its cost complexity. Improving support for non-technical users could also be advantageous.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Computing provides straightforward deployment with supportive customer service, easing setup and operations. VMware Aria Operations, while more complex to deploy, offers sophisticated analytics and automation that deliver long-term benefits, albeit with a steeper learning curve initially.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Computing has a lower initial cost, attracting budget-conscious buyers with a strong ROI through resource optimization. VMware Aria Operations demands higher upfront investment but offers significant ROI with enhanced operations management, ideal for businesses needing extensive operational oversight.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Computing vs. VMware Aria Operations Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Computing vs. VMware Aria Operations

December 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 Spectrum Computing

Ranking in Cloud Management

28th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Hadoop (6th)

VMware Aria Operations

Ranking in Cloud Management

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

376

Ranking in other categories

Virtualization Management Tools (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Cloud Management category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Computing is 1.2%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Aria Operations is 4.9%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
VMware Aria Operations	4.9%
IBM Spectrum Computing	1.2%
Other	93.9%

Cloud Management

Featured Reviews

OmarIsmail1

Infrastructure Technical Specialist II at Clicks Group

Senior Technical Specialist appreciates intelligent workload management, strong support, and scalability

The best features of IBM Spectrum Computing are common across many of their storage products. The software is solid, meaning that the code is stable. They take business seriously, which is what IBM stands for - International Business Machines. They always maintain a business-oriented approach in their software development. It's not simply clicking through interfaces; in IBM software, they consider their actions, process flows, and workflows around business processes. It requires understanding IBM and their methodology, as the software operates accordingly. I have utilized IBM Spectrum Computing's intelligent workload management feature. We use Insights, which is connected to the cloud. This provides AI capabilities for analyzing the configuration, offering smart recommendations on new code, warning about bugs in current code, and suggesting configuration improvements through its advisor tool. The predictive analytics feature in IBM Spectrum Computing enables optimal software performance through Insights. However, being a storage administrator requires foundational knowledge and understanding beyond these tools. For troubleshooting, it's efficient in spotting bottlenecks, but understanding the terms and metrics is essential as it provides answers that need interpretation.

Read full review

AldoDomini

Senior System Network Analyst at Net spa

Have faced limitations due to high costs but have maintained reliability over time

The primary issue is the pricing, which is very expensive for my company's budget. We cannot afford to pay such a large fee. We are not Microsoft or BMW; we are a small company. As a small company, I have no power to negotiate directly with VMware. Perhaps larger companies have more opportunity to contract directly with VMware, but I do not have that leverage. The only path I can follow is to change solutions. Net.spA is a company working in the field of waste management. We are not a technological company, so we do not have a large margin to justify purchasing and maintaining the VMware infrastructure at current costs.

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

"We are satisfied with the technical support, we have no issues."

"The most valuable feature is the backup capability."

"This solution is working for both VTL and tape."

"Easy to operate and use."

"The best features of IBM Spectrum Computing are common across many of their storage products."

"The most valuable aspect of the product is the policy driving resource management, to optimize the computing across data centers."

"IBM's ability to cluster compute resources is impressive, with built-in support for scenarios like VR and active-active configurations,"

"I have utilized IBM Spectrum Computing's intelligent workload management feature through Insights, which is connected to the cloud."

More IBM Spectrum Computing pros

"We use the product to minimize downtime, as well as be in a position to plan for future growth."

"It allows for a bit more transparency regarding consumption and it also helps us plan ahead."

"The newer version is a lot easier to use than the older version. It's one of the easiest ways to obtain some insight into vCenter."

"VMware solutions are easy to install."

"It helped troubleshooting issues with storms of software data that cost a lot of IO."

"It can compare hardware to software, and I have all the information in one place."

"The system dashboards allow us to drill down into systems and find how they are talking to each other. They allow us to fix issues quickly and easily for the end user."

"In the process of doing benchmark performance analysis, instead of going into PowerShell or the VMware or CLI, we're able to have vRealize provide that GUI that gives us that information up front, without the delay of scripting it."

More VMware Aria Operations pros

Cons

"We have not been able to use deduplication."

"The deduplication software isn't quite up to speed with the market. While IBM has excellent compression technology, specifically on their FlashCore modules, they lag behind competitors such as NetApp in deduplication capabilities."

"The deduplication software isn't quite up to speed with the market."

"This solution is no longer managing tapes correctly."

"In Pakistan, IBM's disadvantage is the lack of OEM support and presence."

"We'd like to see some AI model training for machine learning."

"Lack of sufficient documentation, particularly in Spanish."

"IBM's sales and support structure can be challenging."

More IBM Spectrum Computing cons

"One of the features I would like them to bring in is more application monitoring and more visibly into applications. Instead of the actual hardware and the environment, they need to go one step further and bring in application availability and application performance. I don't really care if the hardware's overloaded, as long as the application is performing correctly. That's all the users care about and that's all I really care about."

"It is sometimes quite hard to use. If I need details, there is a huge amount of information that I need to review. It isn't a three-click solution."

"The only problem we have is monitoring of the disk space used by the program."

"On a specific version, it has been stable. But the whole point of the tool is historical data and, twice now, we have lost all of our historical data, as we've tried to move to the next version of the tool. That really removes a lot of the functionality that we've purchased the tool for."

"Stability is a significant area that needs improvement as I experience frequent disconnections and interruptions in data collection."

"There is room for improvement when it comes to the integration with Active Directory. Sometimes I need to log in to the application using my Active Directory account, instead of using the regular admin for vRealize Operations. If I want to deploy this tool to more users, I need that."

"I would like more application dashboards to be available."

"Pricing is the only concern I have."

More VMware Aria Operations cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is expensive."

"Spectrum Computing is one of the most expensive products on the market."

"As we continue to implement it across multiple environments, it reduces costs as well."

"Get the right licensing and increase your licensing as you upgrade and grow. If you get the wrong licensing, it will be expensive, especially if you plan improperly."

"We have seen ROI in performance. It used to be our company was giving out eight CPUs to all servers. That was bad performance-wise. People were seeing slow compute times for their applications."

"The billing is complicated because every country has a different option. Here in Chile, we don't pay for this kind of service with the Chilean pesos. We use another currency. In the future, I think vROps needs to work with governments for a native solution."

"We have definitely seen ROI by removing unnecessary servers and VMs. By having vROps as an assistant when it comes to monitoring and managing resources, it has helped us a lot with cost savings and managing expenses."

"vROps is a bit expensive and that's a reason that small clients say, 'No, I don't think we need this.' From a pricing perspective, it is quite steep. But 'expensive' is relative, depending on what you need. Others might say, 'It is expensive, but I think we can use it to better our environment.'"

"The pricing: It's expensive."

"Most small users don't adopt VMware Aria Operations until it's necessary. Small businesses are looking for it, too. We need more monitoring and insights, so we're analyzing solutions to help us out here. I rate the solution’s pricing a five out of ten."

More VMware Aria Operations pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

16%

Transportation Company

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	64
Midsize Enterprise	62
Large Enterprise	278

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Spectrum Computing?

IBM Spectrum Computing consistently offers competitive pricing. When solutioning new implementations, IBM always presents the best solution and price. In a recent comparison with Pure Storage and N...

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What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Computing?

IBM Spectrum Computing had limitations with remote copy services between head office and disaster recovery sites. In the last year, IBM has improved the code by re-engineering it to policy-based re...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Spectrum Computing?

The typical use case for IBM Spectrum Computing is that it's an all-rounder. It can be used in various scenarios, such as the retailer I work for that has batch processing. It's on-demand when perf...

See all answers

What's the difference between VMware vRA (automation) and vROps (operations)?

vROP is a virtualization management solution from VMWare. It is efficient and easy to manage. You can find anything you need from the software interface. It provides complete visibility over applic...

See all answers

Is VMware Aria Operations a user friendly solution?

In terms of user-friendliness, VMware Aria Operations is one of the best solutions out there. It is not overly complex to set up and you can rely on the technical support to provide you with assis...

See all answers

What is the most useful new feature of VMware Aria Operations?

For me, the alerts features are the most unique part of this product, no matter the current name it uses. When they introduced the new version of VMware Aria Operations, they also introduced more a...

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Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

HPE Data Fabric vs IBM Spectrum Computing

Compared 12% of the time

Cloudera Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Computing

Compared 12% of the time

Morpheus vs IBM Spectrum Computing

Compared 12% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs IBM Spectrum Computing

Compared 8% of the time

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VMware Aria Automation vs VMware Aria Operations

Compared 13% of the time

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager vs VMware Aria Operations

Compared 9% of the time

IBM Turbonomic vs VMware Aria Operations

Compared 7% of the time

VMware vSphere vs VMware Aria Operations

Compared 7% of the time

Nutanix Prism vs VMware Aria Operations

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Hadoop

January 2026

Download IBM Spectrum Computing product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Aria Operations

January 2026

Download VMware Aria Operations product report

Also Known As

IBM Platform Computing

VMware vRealize Operations (vROps), vCenter Operations Manager (VCOPS)

Overview

IBM Spectrum Computing uses intelligent workload and policy-driven resource management to optimize resources across the data center, on premises and in the cloud. Now up to 150X faster and scalable to over 160,000 cores, IBM provides you with the latest advances in software-defined infrastructure to help you unleash the power of your distributed mission-critical high performance computing (HPC), analytics and big data applications as well as a new generation open source frameworks such as Hadoop and Spark.

IBM

VMware Aria Operations is a high-ranking virtualization management and cloud management tool that automates and simplifies IT management to the applications it supports. It achieves this through full-stack visibility from physical, virtual, and cloud infrastructure. The product allows users to enable self-driving IT operations management across private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. This is conducted with the unified operations platform that delivers continuous performance, capacity and cost optimization, and integrated compliance through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and predictive analytics.

VMware Aria Operations Use Cases

VMware Aria Operations has several use cases, some of which include:

Continuous performance optimization: VMware Aria Operations allows users to assure application performance at a minimal cost, facilitated by real-time predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. The product can be used to automatically balance workloads, improve consolidation rations, optimize and rightsize workloads, and avoid contention.
Capacity and cost management: VMware Aria Operations can be utilized to reduce cost and improve efficiency with real-time ML-based capacity and cost analytics. The solution uses these tools to visualize cost savings opportunities and accelerate decision-making.
Intelligent remediation: This product can also be used to predict, prevent, and troubleshoot issues with actionable insights. Through other VMware integrations, users can streamline and centralize IT operations.
Integrated compliance: The solution can be utilized to reduce risk and enforce IT regulatory standards for VMware Cloud through integrated compliance and automated drift remediation.

VMware Aria Operations Features

The product has various features which users can utilize. Several of the features that the 2022 version of VMware Aria Operations introduced include:

Management pack builder: This feature is a no-code solution that allows users to expand their operations visibility to anywhere they wish. The builder allows users to connect to a data source using an HTTP or Amazon AWS data source, as well as to make API calls, create objects, and build out relationships with other objects in the product.
Public cloud basic actions: This is a set of features that allows VMware Aria Operations users to initiate actions automatically via the product's UI for AWS, Microsoft Azure, or GCP CE instances.
Rule-based application discovery: Through this new feature of the product, users can easily discover multiple applications running in all or specific areas of infrastructure and view associated resources. This can be achieved through simple user-defined rules, including discovering applications based on tags, object names, and properties.
Aria Operations capacity management: This feature allows organizations to view the results of what-if analysis based on their allocation model and specify business hours for capacity calculations.
Alerts: This is a set of features that include components called Conditions and Symptoms, which are used to alert different types of issues on the platform.
User access management: Through this feature, users can benefit from improved ways to configure in VMware Aria Operations with the introduction of scopes.
Support for raw device mapping storage: This feature allows users to get configuration details about their raw device mapping (RDM), such as disk sharing, compatibility mode, and SCSI Bus Sharing.

VMware Aria Operations Benefits

VMware Aria Operations brings various benefits to the organizations using it. Among them are the following:

The product helps organizations reduce unplanned downtime and maximize return on investment (ROI) in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
VMware Aria Operations simplifies management for hybrid clouds from migration assessments.
Users can benefit from an accelerated journey to VMware Cloud on AWS through this solution.
The product can be delivered on premises or as a service, providing flexibility for its users.
VMware Aria Operations can increase operational efficiency through monitoring and management features.
The solution accelerates decision-making through detailed cost analytics, which is visualized for users' convenience.
VMware Aria Operations allows users to both utilize standard compliance templates and create their own custom ones.

Reviews from Real Users

Mohamed N., a tech lead VMware support engineer at a tech services company, appreciates VMware Aria Operations because it is easy to use, stable, and support is always available.

Mojtaba K., a senior system administrator at a comms service provider, values VMware Aria Operations due to the fact that its dashboards give you a glimpse of what is really going on in your virtualized environment.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

London South Bank University, Transvalor, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Genomic

Science Applications International Corporation, Tribune Media, Heartland Payment Systems, Telkom Indonesia, Columbia Sportswear, iGATE, CSS Corp, Angel Broking, Adira Finance, Hipskind, Beiersdorf Shared Services, Innovate Mas Indonesia, Adobe, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi , Join Experience S.A, Borusan Holdings, Department of Transport - Abu Dhabi

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Computing vs. VMware Aria Operations

December 2025

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