IBM Spectrum Protect vs Iron Mountain Connect comparison

IBM and Iron Mountain are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.3, while Iron Mountain is ranked #66. IBM holds a 2.2% mindshare in BRS, compared to Iron Mountain’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Iron Mountain users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Read 149 IBM Spectrum Protect reviews

3,421 Views
2,509 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Iron Mountain Connect

Read 2 Iron Mountain Connect reviews

448 Views
281 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Protect

Iron Mountain Connect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

IBM Spectrum Protect and Iron Mountain Connect are two leading solutions in the data protection market. Users are generally happier with IBM Spectrum Protect's pricing and support, though Iron Mountain Connect is appreciated for its extensive feature set.

Features: IBM Spectrum Protect's valuable features include automated data protection, scalability, and comprehensive disaster recovery options. Iron Mountain Connect is praised for its secure data management, ease of use, and compliance support. Users favor Iron Mountain Connect for its specialized features, despite IBM Spectrum Protect's strong foundational capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest IBM Spectrum Protect could improve its reporting tool and speed of updates. For Iron Mountain Connect, users desire more flexible integration options and enhanced customization features. This indicates both products have well-defined areas needing refinement, with IBM Spectrum Protect facing technical challenges and Iron Mountain Connect requiring better adaptability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Protect is reviewed as complex but manageable with strong customer service backing. Iron Mountain Connect is noted for its straightforward deployment process and reliable customer assistance. Comparatively, Iron Mountain Connect offers a smoother initial setup experience, while both provide solid support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Protect is often seen as cost-effective with a stable ROI, whereas Iron Mountain Connect is considered expensive but justifiable due to its feature set. Users feel IBM Spectrum Protect offers better value for its price, though Iron Mountain Connect’s feature-rich environment justifies its higher cost.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect

June 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 860,592 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

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

149

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Iron Mountain Connect

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

66th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Iron Mountain Connect is 0.3%, up from 0.2% 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

Raj Bhaduri

Enterprise architect at Centrica

Good policies related to data

I primarily use it for various policies related to data, such as data retention, data deletion, and archiving policies. All policies can be set using this system The most valuable feature for me is the policy management capabilities. I would like to see more integration with different platforms,…

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

"High availability (HA): It is one of the best features."

"The archiving feature is the most valuable aspect of the solution."

"The most valuable feature for data recovery in IBM Spectrum Protect is its database protection capabilities."

"Incremental backup is highly valuable as it allows for significant time and cost savings."

"Replication processes with container storage pools allow reduction of storage space and network bandwidth, using deduplication and compression."

"Every time we go and try to get a file, we can get it. Restores are quick and the data is always there."

"IBM Spectrum Protect is a scalable solution."

"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."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

"The most valuable feature for me is the policy management capabilities"

Cons

"It does not do too well in our virtual environment."

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

"Ease of use. That has got to be the one thing that I routinely hear from clients and customers, that it's a little bit more difficult than it should be. What I'm finding is that IBM has heard that and they're responding with updated interfaces and things like that."

"I think Spectrum Protect's interface is not so user-friendly, but the interface is not so friendly. Some of the functions are too complicated. I prefer a simpler solution."

"Probably educating the virtual group who are not as used to the product. Most of our expertise is with AIX servers and virtual server backups."

"There is room for improvement in IBM Spectrum Protect, especially regarding its support for virtual environment backups."

"It might be seen as leaning towards the legacy side, missing some features of newer solutions. The main drawbacks would be its complexity and high pricing."

"The initial setup is complex."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

"I would like to see more integration with different platforms."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM Spectrum Protect can be considered an averagely-priced product."

"The license model that they have at IBM, which is due to volume, from a certain volume onward is not the right license model."

"Regarding retro-compatibility of the product between versions, your data is always available and the ROI is unquestionable."

"We pay for a terabyte license to support our backend usage."

"The different license models can give good benefits to the end customer."

"The pricing is a little expensive for our current employer, so they want to move to a cheaper solution."

"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 solution has a capacity based licensing, front and back-end license."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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

860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

14%

Legal Firm

12%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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?

One point for improvement for IBM Spectrum Protect is security, as IBM has not been investing as much as in the past. There is a need for additional layers of security to fill the gaps, which is wh...

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 15% of the time

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 15% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 12% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 10% of the time

Bacula Enterprise vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Iron Mountain Connect

Compared 32% of the time

MSP360 Backup vs Iron Mountain Connect

Compared 29% of the time

More Iron Mountain Connect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

June 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

June 2025

Download Iron Mountain Connect 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

Connected Accounting&ERP is a mid-range accounting program with single user and network editions for Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Connected can be shared concurrently by both Mac OS and Windows users on a single data file. Connected "Core Accounting" consists of the General Ledger, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable modules. Connected "Enterprise" builds on the Core Accounting aspects by adding powerful inventory, job costing, and currency additions. Pricing starts at $399.00.

Iron Mountain

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

University of La Verne

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect 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.