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IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs Synology DSM comparison

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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

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
40th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Synology DSM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
49th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.3%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus1.1%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other97.6%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Christophe LAMAMY - PeerSpot reviewer
Architecte Solutions at Novahe
Complex deployment has limited adoption but has provided structured backup management
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is very simple to deploy for us, but for more clients or competitors, the solution is hard to deploy and to integrate. For our team, deployment of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus may take a couple of days and longer if you have a complex customer solution. The deployment itself is not very lengthy, but the integration in production is more complicated. I assess the efficiency of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus's Advanced Snapshot Technology as not good because they change a lot of things. During multiple versions, we have experienced many changes in the product, and from the customer's view, it is not a good product because with each evolution, we encounter problems. We do not sell this product or advise this product. For SLA management features with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, I utilize file level. SLA management is a good solution and a good idea, but the product does not work well, and customers do not adopt this product. I cannot assess the integration capability of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus using RESTful API. I cannot determine what benefit IBM Spectrum Protect Plus brings to the organization because we deployed this solution with one customer, and that customer changed the product after one or two years because the product is not stable and it changes with every version. The customer wanted to move away from this solution. The price of the product is good, but the solution does not adapt to the market. The market in France does not adopt IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.
Manuel Schulte - PeerSpot reviewer
Python Developer at BNP Paribas Asset Management
A reliable and user-friendly solution for effective backup, storage, and multimedia needs
In terms of scalability, I would currently rate it an eight out of ten due to its aging nature. While I don't have access to all the latest features available on more recent devices, at the time of purchase, considering its capabilities then, I would have given it a solid ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"With this product, we now have a reliable backup solution."
"Some of the features we find very valuable and use a lot, are retention sets."
"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is stable; we have a big environment that we are working in and are backing up close to two thousand machines without any problems from an IBM Spectrum Protect Plus perspective."
"The most valuable feature of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is the deduplication functionality. The clients moved to this solution originally because of this feature."
"When we need support, IBM is there."
"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a good investment."
"The support from IBM is very good."
"We used to use the solution with tapes a few years ago. We've switched to discs, and it has gotten much faster."
"Because of its simplicity and the wide array of features it offers, I would recommend DSM for both tech-savvy individuals and those who prefer a straightforward file-serving solution."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."
"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
 

Cons

"You end up needing to do a lot of troubleshooting to get things to work effectively."
"It requires much more automation features."
"IBM has made a decision to withdraw the product and replace it with IBM Data Protect."
"The solution only supports HyperV and VMware but doesn't support Nutanix."
"The replication feature is not available."
"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."
"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus could improve the IBM Spectrum Protect environment. It can be difficult to administer. The initial configuration can be difficult for entry-level teams or deployment teams, and it might be difficult to integrate. There's just too much content involved in the solution. The documentation is way too large."
"There could be better integration with Spectrum Protect and Spectrum Protect Plus, it should be one solution."
"Synology DSM is a good enough solution for small and medium companies, but I have not seen a big configuration of the solution for a big organization."
"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing model of Spectrum Protect Plus is more efficient and cheaper compared to the original."
"IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a little expensive."
"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."
"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."
"We have a perpetual license for the tool since it is deployed on-premise."
"The solution is too expensive."
"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."
"The initial cost of the product is perpetual but the support fees are billed annually."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

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?
IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is very simple to deploy for us, but for more clients or competitors, the solution is hard to deploy and to integrate. For our team, deployment of IBM Spectrum Protect Plu...
What is your primary use case for IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?
We are an IT integrator and we need to have a good vision of all recovery and backup recovery solutions. Most frequently, we use Veeam Backup. We use Cohesity. For some old workloads, we use IBM TS...
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Also Known As

No data available
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

PT Wings Surya, Tectrade, State of Ohio
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.