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Barracuda Backup vs IBM Spectrum Protect comparison

 

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

Barracuda Backup
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
52nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Backup (40th)
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
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Barracuda Backup is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

Ferrianto Suryanto - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers cost-effective data backup with room for user interface improvements
I work with various Barracuda products based on customer requests, including Barracuda Backup and Barracuda WAF. In the past, I also worked with Barracuda Web Security Gateway, but it has been phased out One valuable feature of Barracuda Backup is that it can be used as thin VMware storage. If…
Syed Habib - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Barracuda Backup is that it's on the cloud, so there is no need for hardware."
"The solution’s scalability is good because its space is unlimited. We can start in Office365 with one terabyte bit of information and leverage through an enterprise solution of 1000 users."
"One valuable feature of Barracuda Backup is that it can be used as thin VMware storage."
"Barracuda Backup is cost-effective because there is no licensing cost per server or VM."
"The components of IBM Spectrum Protect explain how the data is protected. The administration is very easy, and the vertical migration is intuitive."
"Traditional storage works perfectly with it."
"It seems very scalable and robust. It can do what we require it to do."
"The feature we have found most valuable is when you want to integrate it with a Tape Library and then do the DRM life cycle. That is when it works the best."
"One of the main things that I like about IBM is the versioning of the data - meaning that we can have multiple versions of a file or directory of a server."
"We are able to run it in an enterprise quite easily with one or two resources."
"We can use it with any storage for the back-end to save data."
"Once setup, you do not need to touch it again. You just need to do a formal check on possibly batch updates."
 

Cons

"Barracuda Backup's support could be improved because sometimes the support team is situated outside the country, leading to time zone issues."
"Barracuda Backup's user interface needs to be renewed as it appears outdated."
"An improvement is required in reports and backups for sharing on Linux and Unix."
"In using Barracuda Backup, sometimes the VM has issues and becomes non-functional, requiring support tickets to resolve."
"The solution should have better integration with VMware and with IBM Spectrum Protect Plus."
"Its price can be better. It is very expensive. Its interface is very old and not user friendly. They can improve its interface. Their support can also be better. My clients are not very satisfied with the support because they are not really quick."
"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."
"It could use single store. The ability to mark an archive from my backup for long-term retention."
"Scalability is poor. As you get to bigger environments, this is where our gaps have been introduced. As we have grown over the past couple of years, the gaps have become more apparent."
"It needs agents that take into account more databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.)."
"The usability of IBM Spectrum Protect could be improved, specifically additional features to the product in the operations center. Additional reporting facilities and stronger reporting tools such as build dashboards would be beneficial."
"Their support is lacking. I've talked to their developers and stuff in the last couple of weeks and they reassure me that some people have retired, and they're working on getting that bumped back up. But the support lacks a lot to be desired at this point."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Spectrum Protect is not a cheap option."
"The pricing is a little expensive for our current employer, so they want to move to a cheaper solution."
"The solution is not cheap."
"It is very scalable, but the downside is that it costs money."
"We have been at our size for a few years. We are not really looking to battle the licensing costs, as this is our primary system."
"It is really expensive. Its price is not good for Latin America. Its price is good for the United States or Europe."
"We are paying for support and maintenance on a monthly basis."
"The platform is neither highly priced nor inexpensive. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
University
11%
Legal Firm
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
9%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda Backup?
The pricing is very competitive. Licensing is on a yearly basis, and Barracuda even provides replacements after three years if a device reaches end of life, without any extra charges.
What needs improvement with Barracuda Backup?
Barracuda Backup's support could be improved because sometimes the support team is situated outside the country, leading to time zone issues. Adding AI features for security would also be beneficia...
What is your primary use case for Barracuda Backup?
I am not using Barracuda Backup ( /vendors/barracuda-networks ); I am selling it. The primary use case for my clients is to take the backup. It is used by a range of clients from small to enterpris...
What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Protect?
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 dash...
 

Also Known As

LiveVault
IBM TSM, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Ochsner Health System
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda Backup vs. IBM Spectrum Protect and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
848,476 professionals have used our research since 2012.