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IBM Storage Protect vs Synology DSM comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

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 Storage Protect
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
18th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
4
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 Storage Protect is 1.8%, down from 2.0% 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 Storage Protect1.8%
Synology DSM1.3%
Other96.9%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

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.
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

"Forever incremental - allows TSM to optimize storage needs."
"It's a good product, simple to use, simple to configure, and we get very good technical support."
"If you have mission critical functions, IBM is one of the companies that you trust."
"I have found that the most valuable feature is useful documentation and troubleshooting."
"The tool's backup engine is very powerful. Previously, our client finished backup with HPE product in 48 hours. IBM Storage Protect completes backup in 8 hours."
"Traditional storage works perfectly with it."
"The product may look difficult to manage, but if you need enterprise backup software which supports cross platform and you have good design and skills transfer, this product will help reduce costs."
"The solution is mostly stable."
"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."
"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 aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."
"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."
"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 feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."
"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."
"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."
 

Cons

"Technical support will always be a challenge."
"IBM Spectrum Protect is not a very user-friendly tool."
"There have been scalability issues. The core product does not support scale out. We needed to create a new system and manage resources separate from the existing one."
"RTO is a huge gap for us. If we had a disaster scenario and had to recover a bunch of stuff from tape, the RTO would be too long for us."
"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."
"Customer Service: Poor. Technical Support: From my perspective, IBM gives almost no support."
"An area for improvement would be the ease of use - the GUI is not up to the mark compared to other products in the market."
"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."
"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."
"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."
"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."
"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."
"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."
"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."
"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."
"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"We have spec'd out our build, and the cost of it can work quite easily today for our future needs."
"We are paying for support and maintenance on a monthly basis."
"The pricing of the solution is high in comparison to other products on the market. For example, IBM and Symantec have less costly options."
"The licensing fees are on a yearly basis, which for us it is about R400,000 (approximately $27,000 USD)."
"License-wise regarding IBM, it's licensed per terabyte. And that is after compression and deduplication."
"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."
"The licensing is varied. If we have small environments (not many TB being managed) it is best to license by PVUs (depending on the number of cores of the machine). If we manage many TBs we look at licensing by capacity which allows us to use all the agents of the product."
"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."
"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."
"It is quite an affordable solution."
"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."
"The price of the solution is very good."
"Synology DSM is a free tool."
"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
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 Business54
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise95
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CEMEX
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Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Storage Protect vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.