IBM Spectrum Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus comparison

IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Spectrum Protect Plus are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM Spectrum Protect is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.2, while IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is ranked #22 with an average rating of 7.8. IBM Spectrum Protect holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to IBM Spectrum Protect Plus’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM Spectrum Protect users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Read 149 IBM Spectrum Protect reviews

4,073 Views
3,133 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Read 30 IBM Spectrum Protect Plus reviews

1,837 Views
1,332 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Spectrum Protect Plus compete in the enterprise backup and recovery solutions category, with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus having the upper hand due to its ease of use and simplified management.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect offers comprehensive coverage, scalability, and robust enterprise-grade backup capabilities with broad platform support, valuable for extensive data protection needs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is known for its modern backup solutions, simplified management, and comprehensive reporting tools, particularly suitable for virtual environments. Both products have their strengths, but IBM Spectrum Protect Plus’s advanced features and user-friendly interface give it an edge.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest IBM Spectrum Protect needs a more intuitive configuration process, faster performance during large-scale backups, and improved user interface design. For IBM Spectrum Protect Plus, users recommend expanded integration options, enhanced deduplication efficiency, and better error reporting mechanisms. Even with these areas noted, IBM Spectrum Protect Plus remains favored for its streamlined interface and quicker deployment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect is noted for its complexity during initial setup, often requiring specialized knowledge, with responsive but occasionally slow customer service. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is commended for its straightforward deployment, reducing time and effort, with generally perceived efficient and supportive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Users perceive IBM Spectrum Protect’s pricing as higher compared to IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. However, the extensive feature set often justifies the cost. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is seen as more cost-effective, with a quicker return on investment due to lower setup costs and simplified management, making it an attractive choice for those balancing budget with comprehensive backup needs.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 845,589 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

IBM Spectrum Protect

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

149

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

22nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is 0.9%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

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

Atif Najam

Chief Information Officer and Program Lead at Gatron Industries Ltd

Has very good integration features and can quickly backup data and optimize storage

I would like to see continuous data protection (CDP). If there is machine failure, you don't have to go to the backup copy that you took 12 hours ago. You can actually go back to the backup copy made half an hour ago. That is, it would be good to have certain-point-in-time recovery. I would like them to add global deduplication. With deduplicate backups, deduplication will work only with the data of a certain machine or a certain backup set. Usually, the data is repeated across the data of the backup sets. However, if IBM Spectrum Protect Plus provides a global deduplication option it will ultimately result in better storage savings.

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

"I love the TDP for VMware because of the web interface and the possibilities provided by this tool. It's amazing."

"It is a very stable product. The cost is similar to that of other enterprise solutions."

"Data archiving is easier and less time-consuming."

"You can scale the product."

"It is a really scalable solution. We can scale it up. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten."

"We are able to run it in an enterprise quite easily with one or two resources."

"IBM Spectrum Protect is a scalable solution."

"It scales well for the amount of clients that we use with it."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"With this product, we now have a reliable backup solution."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."

"Reliability, recovery features, and stability are valuable to me."

"The most valuable feature is how we can easily power speed up the VM even though the VM resides in remote storage."

"This solution is very stable and has good support available online."

"The tool has enough documentation; you don't need to contact the support team."

"What I like about IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is its integration, plus it has very good technical support."

"The support from IBM is very good."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pros

Cons

"Ease of use."

"Stability is very good now. It used to be rocky years ago."

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

"This solution is not mature in terms of disaster recovery and could be improved."

"This product comes up against other products available that are marketed better but the other products that it's in competition with are a single product and this is one of IBM products. If it could be marketed as more for competitors I think that's where it comes short."

"The solution should improve the ability to monitor backup failure."

"Restoring massive files is a very time-consuming process."

"We did not see any drawbacks to IBM Spectrum Protect before assisting a customer using Windows that wanted to migrate to using UNIX. IBM Spectrum Protect does not offer an option to migrate from other operating systems."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"The tool needs to increase the number of threats."

"I would like integration into where the VMware guys can do their own restores."

"There's significant room for improvement. They are not yet where I want them to be."

"Instead of using the command prompt for troubleshooting and administering the backup, there should be an easy-to-use graphical user interface."

"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."

"Their first level of support can be improved. Often they are too junior to understand the issues we are having, and it takes too much time to get from them to the next level of support, which is what we actually need."

"The Gui interface and usability are not so friendly and easy."

"With ransomware protection and cyber protection, more improvement is possible."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For my company, the tool is affordable and reasonable...I don't think most people know that when a company has large systems in place, the TCO is a lot lower."

"Customers need to pay for licensing in order to use IBM Spectrum Protect. The customers that have been using it for a long time are okay and happy with it. From a cost point of view, it's better for them to renew their licenses than to go through the difficult process of changing a backup product in their environment, and migrate from one product to another."

"The price of IBM Spectrum Protect is expensive. However, there are a few packages and it is unclear because, for the entry suite they have both options, which are the back-end storage capacity and the front-end storage capacity."

"I rate the pricing a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is not cost-effective, and ten is cost-effective."

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

"Its licensing is complicated. It goes by CPUs, and it is pretty expensive as well."

"It is fairly reasonable as compared to other solutions in the market."

"The price of IBM Spectrum Protect is expensive and there is only a standard licensing fee."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

"There are a few options available for purchasing the solutions. Overall, the price of the is high."

"The price is lower than that of some competing products."

"In addition to the standard licensing fees, we paid for implementation and training."

"The licensing model of Spectrum Protect Plus is more efficient and cheaper compared to the original."

"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."

"If you need to extend it, it can be extended acting like a normal Spectrum Protect with a long archive."

"The solution is too expensive."

"There is an annual license required to use IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. The cost of the license could improve, it is expensive."

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Backup and Recovery solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Spectrum Protect?

IBM Spectrum Protect is stable.

See all answers

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

It's expensive. I acknowledge the cost associated with it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect?

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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

It is probably based on the number of CPUs. They are fairly expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus?

With ransomware protection and cyber protection, more improvement is possible. IBM provides these through a third party, so enhancement is needed. There's significant room for improvement. They are...

See all answers

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 19% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Rubrik vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Storage Protect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 8% of the time

Rubrik vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 7% of the time

Nutanix Mine Integrated Backup vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 6% of the time

Cohesity DataProtect vs IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Plus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

March 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

March 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect Plus product report

Also Known As

IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

No data available

Overview

IBM Spectrum Protect (Tivoli Storage Manager) is a data protection platform that gives enterprises a single point of control and administration for backup and recovery. It is the flagship product in the IBM Spectrum Protect (Tivoli Storage Manager) family. It enables reliable, cost effective backups and fast recovery for virtual, physical and cloud environments of all sizes.

IBM

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is a data protection and availability solution for virtual environments that can be deployed in minutes and protect your environment within an hour. It simplifies data protection, whether data is hosted in physical, virtual, software-defined or cloud environments. It can be implemented as a stand-alone solution or integrate with your IBM Spectrum Protect environment to off-load copies for long term storage and data governance with scale and efficiency.

IBM

Sample Customers

CERN, Einstein Healthcare, Nyherji, Allianz Australia, TZM, ABT Online, NCT, Kindred Healthcare Inc., Cobalt Iron, TransGrid, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Cash America, Piedmont Healthcare, RWGV, Arkansas Tech University, British Columbia Institute of Technology

PT Wings Surya, Tectrade, State of Ohio

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Spectrum Protect vs. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus report.

See our list of best Backup and Recovery vendors.

We monitor all Backup and Recovery reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.