IBM Storage Protect vs Synology DSM comparison

IBM and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.6, while Synology is ranked #53. IBM holds a 1.8% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

IBM Storage Protect

Read 4 IBM Storage Protect reviews

5,686 Views
4,776 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,887 Views
2,858 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Storage Protect

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

Synology DSM and IBM Storage Protect compete in data management and protection. Synology DSM is often favored for affordability and support, while IBM Storage Protect is recognized for its comprehensive feature set, which offers notable investment returns.

Features: Synology DSM stands out for its versatile NAS solutions, ease of cloud integration, and cross-platform functionality, making it well-suited for small to medium-sized enterprises. IBM Storage Protect excels with advanced data protection features such as encryption, disaster recovery options, and scalability, which fulfill the complex needs of larger organizations.

Room for Improvement: Synology DSM could benefit from enhanced scalability for larger enterprise needs, improved automation tools, and greater integration capabilities with third-party applications. IBM Storage Protect may improve by simplifying its user interface, streamlining deployment processes, and providing more extensive training resources to lower the learning curve for new users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Synology DSM is celebrated for its straightforward deployment and strong customer support that enables fast implementation, appealing to those who value simplicity. In contrast, IBM Storage Protect, while having a steep learning curve due to its numerous features, provides robust support for successful enterprise-grade deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Synology DSM is cost-effective, offering competitive initial costs and long-term return on investment, ideal for cost-conscious users. IBM Storage Protect, although it involves higher upfront expenses, delivers significant ROI with its superior feature set and long-term data management efficiencies.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Storage Protect vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Storage Protect vs. Synology DSM

February 2026

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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 Storage Protect

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

53rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Storage Protect is 1.8%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.4%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Storage Protect	1.8%
Synology DSM	1.4%
Other	96.8%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

reviewer2787573

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.

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Michael Adejoh

Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures

Reliable and cost-effective

One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

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."

"A robust tool which allows us to backup pretty much any environment, virtual or physical."

"Its flexibility is valuable. It is a very flexible solution. There are always more ways than one to do something. It is a software solution, which means you can buy your own hardware and expand it whenever you want. You are not boxed in or locked into something you've bought and outgrown. You can always expand it."

"The file-restoring feature is the most valuable."

"Since the technology is reliable, it simplifies the backup process significantly. Now, our focus can primarily be on managing full backups and creating some offline copies."

"It's very robust and has been on the market for a long time."

"We work very closely together with IBM using their Support Center, but we have a strong contact in their development teams, and we have dedicated people from IBM working with us."

"It has increased our security, scalability, and high availability."

More IBM Storage Protect pros

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"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."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"It needs BMR (bare machine recovery) solutions for both Windows and Linux systems."

"We have had some problems about using storage agents on the X6 environment. It is not quite stable, but it is also not supported in a virtualized environment."

"We have run into some periods where we have found some tape issues which were causing us problems, but we resolved them. For some reason, we had a bunch of drives go offline on our disk storage (our virtual library)."

"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."

"It is not compatible with other operating systems like Windows or Linux, and lacks a consolidated dashboard from Browser Spectrum."

"I would like a little more ease with the virtual platforms, because it is a huge thing that is coming up."

"The product should improve its GUI. It should also support Windows clustering."

"I would like to see a way to have "always on" implemented."

More IBM Storage Protect cons

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

"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."

"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 only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Going to IBM Tech University Conference saved me from making a major purchase of the wrong thing, which was very helpful."

"Spectrum Protect is not expensive, and it is simple to use."

"We are paying for support and maintenance on a monthly basis."

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

"We worked our licensing into a capacity model, which is nice. Now, everything is much simpler to manage from a licensing perspective."

"License-wise regarding IBM, it's licensed per terabyte. And that is after compression and deduplication."

"Its licensing is complex, and its price is not really reasonable. It is on the expensive side. IBM, in general, is slightly expensive, but with IBM Spectrum for the virtual environment, they are looking into the aspect of helping customers with the cost and providing a cost-effective solution."

"It can be perceived as expensive since it is designed for enterprise use."

More IBM Storage Protect pricing and cost advice

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"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."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	53
Midsize Enterprise	25
Large Enterprise	95

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Storage Protect?

The best point about IBM Storage Protect is that it can use IBM tape environments, which we still use and will continue to use in the future.

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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 ...

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What needs improvement with IBM Storage Protect?

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Comparisons

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 8% of the time

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 8% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 7% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 6% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Storage Protect

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Storage Protect Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 6% of the time

GoodSync For Business vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

NAKIVO Backup & Replication vs Synology DSM

Compared 3% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Storage Protect

January 2026

Download IBM Storage Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

January 2026

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

IBM Spectrum Discover

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Overview

IBM Storage Protect offers data protection and management to secure critical business information efficiently. It's designed to be a scalable and flexible solution for data backup, recovery, and archive needs in complex IT environments.

IBM Storage Protect delivers comprehensive data protection by integrating backup, recovery, and archiving functionalities. It supports a range of workloads and infrastructures, from on-premises to cloud environments, facilitating efficient data management. Its platform provides seamless scalability to meet evolving business needs, underpinned by reliable security measures. Organizations leverage its capabilities to ensure business continuity and minimize data loss risks, making it vital in a data-driven world.

What are the key features of IBM Storage Protect?

Advanced Data Protection: Offers robust encryption and data integrity for secure backup processes.
Scalability: Grows with your data demands, supporting large data volumes without compromising performance.
Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrates with cloud platforms, enhancing backup strategies with hybrid options.
Automated Operations: Simplifies management tasks with automation, reducing manual intervention and errors.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating IBM Storage Protect?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces storage costs by optimizing backup processes and data retention strategies.
Data Safety: Ensures data accessibility and integrity during recovery efforts, building trust in data protection strategies.
Operational Efficiency: Boosts productivity through streamlined and automated backup management workflows.
Compliance Readiness: Helps maintain compliance with data protection regulations by providing thorough reporting and audit trails.

Industries like finance and healthcare implement IBM Storage Protect to safeguard sensitive information against threats. In financial services, it's crucial for maintaining client data confidentiality, while healthcare institutions use it to protect patient records, ensuring both accessibility and compliance with regulations.

IBM

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

Sample Customers

CEMEX

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

IBM Storage Protect vs. Synology DSM

February 2026

Free Report: IBM Storage Protect vs. Synology DSM

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