IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize comparison

IBM Spectrum Accelerate and IBM Spectrum Virtualize are both solutions in the Software Defined Storage (SDS) category. IBM Spectrum Accelerate is ranked #22, while IBM Spectrum Virtualize is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM Spectrum Accelerate holds a 1.5% mindshare in SDS, compared to IBM Spectrum Virtualize’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM Spectrum Accelerate users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM Spectrum Virtualize users who would recommend it.

IBM Spectrum Accelerate

Read 2 IBM Spectrum Accelerate reviews

266 Views
170 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Read 37 IBM Spectrum Virtualize reviews

398 Views
259 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM Spectrum Accelerate

IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

IBM Spectrum Accelerate and IBM Spectrum Virtualize compete in the enterprise storage solutions category. IBM Spectrum Virtualize has the upper hand in advanced storage virtualization and comprehensive data mobility, making it suitable for complex environments.

Features: IBM Spectrum Accelerate offers flexibility and storage scalability with robust data protection, automated management, and cloud integration. IBM Spectrum Virtualize provides advanced virtualization with streamlined management, improved storage utilization, and superior data mobility features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Spectrum Accelerate allows for straightforward deployment and efficient scalability, ideal for rapid implementation. Its customer service is agile but less involved post-deployment. IBM Spectrum Virtualize's deployment is more complex due to integration requirements, but it offers comprehensive customer support for optimal long-term management.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Spectrum Accelerate is cost-effective for rapid scaling, offering good ROI for cost-conscious expansion. IBM Spectrum Virtualize involves higher initial costs but provides better long-term ROI with enhanced management and resource utilization, suitable for larger-scale operations.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs. IBM Spectrum Virtualize Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs. IBM Spectrum Virtualize

February 2025

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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 Spectrum Accelerate

Ranking in Software Defined Storage (SDS)

22nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Software Defined Storage (4th)

IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Ranking in Software Defined Storage (SDS)

12th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Software Defined Storage (SDS) category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Accelerate is 1.5%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Spectrum Virtualize is 1.6%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

Featured Reviews

reviewer1154616

IS Auditor at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

A robust solution with good performance and support

This is a solution that scales well, although I think that we have stabilized in terms of use. With respect to scalability, we have an open question as to whether we will be able to grow into a cloud-based deployment. We don't know in what ways this solution will assist us with the migration, or whether we can still use it for DR. We don't know about the type of backup, be it full, incremental, or otherwise. We are also looking for a cost-savings if we migrate. These are things that we will find out over time. We have about two petabytes of data.

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EdwinVan Halm

Virtualization Architect at Halm-IT

Enterprise product that delivers high performance features

The primary use case is high availability and disaster recovery. They use it as an active-active cluster located in two physical locations for quick recovery using immutable snapshots The quick restore, the low latency, and the ease of use are some of the most valuable features. The product is…

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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 is the robustness, which is typical of IBM because their software generally just works."

"The ease of use is the solution's most valuable aspect. It's very user-friendly."

"We acquire companies (and things), so we end up with odd hardware. We bring it behind the SVC and it allows us to migrate stuff off of it seamlessly. SVC can also cover up a host of defects of the underlying storage."

"It is a single pane of glass management interface, so once the storage is allocated to SVC, they only have one place to go to manage it for everything."

"It provides transparency, because of its advanced copy features."

"It lowers cost. It does so by getting more efficient use out of the technology behind it."

"Using SBC, a valuable feature is the mirroring, which is the virtualization of the disk between disparate places."

"In my opinion, the quick restore, the low latency, and the ease of use are some of the most valuable features."

"We are happy with the support that IBM provides us."

"The most valuable features are the simplicity of use, the flexibility, and the options included. I mean, it's just a big time saver."

More IBM Spectrum Virtualize pros

Cons

"The reporting mechanisms need improvement."

"he interface is not user-friendly so the ease of use could be improved."

"The only errors I find sometimes is the solution tells me I cannot operate it because a service has turned off, you can just go back to the VM, go to services, and turn back the services. However, this should improve."

"The Storwize port is not so stable."

"The disk reliability is not that good."

"Level 1 technical support needs improvement."

"There are big arrays now, and if a customer wants add more disks to it, you have to have another array. Adding disks to existing arrays is one of the most demanded things from our customers."

"Adding features for data deduplication is one area of improvement."

"There are things that occur when you get to this size and capacity. We're very large, i.e., petabytes. When you get to that sheer volume of the numbers of things, it is too big for people to keep track of."

"I already discussed possible improvements with some of the guys from Hearnsley. One of our frustrations is when you go to expand volumes in a global mirror environment, you have to stop everything in order to expand. So that's one of the things."

More IBM Spectrum Virtualize cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For a database, on a yearly basis, we pay approximately $3,500 for licensing fees. The solution is sold as a subscription on a yearly basis so there are no other ancillary costs."

"If you are cost-sensitive then this solution is not for you."

"I am very happy with the pricing. There is no comparison when it comes to pricing. I have looked at all solutions from EMC, Veritas, Hitachi, Dell, etc. None of them compares to IBM when it comes to pricing. I get great pricing from them."

"It has a lot of advanced functions for a reasonable price."

"We have struggled with Pure Storage, but people are understanding that much of Pure has been consumer grade SSDs. Therefore, when the customer is really understands what they are getting, they realize that IBM presents the same sort of value as existing vendors."

"Generally the bundled licensing is more cost effective and gives flexibility to the solution. Linking into the Spectrum Suite can also be advantageous, but depends on the scale of the enterprise."

"The entry point of pricing for this product is the most amazing price ever in the industry."

"We would like the CPU cycle to save more on the licensing costs for us."

"This solution came as an additional cost for the TSM package we chose."

"Do a proof of concept, if you are not comfortable jumping in, but do it."

More IBM Spectrum Virtualize pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

20%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

12%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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

As a customer of IBM, I can often secure discounts of seventy to ninety percent, depending on the purchase volume, while still receiving improved capabilities over other vendors.

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What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Virtualize?

I would like to see them provide a unified platform that offers block, file, and object-based protocol access. Presentations and blogs could be improved.

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What is your primary use case for IBM Spectrum Virtualize?

I use IBM Spectrum Virtualize as a storage device that provides storage to servers needing storage. I utilize it in my role for the US government.

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Comparisons

IBM Spectrum Scale vs IBM Spectrum Accelerate

Compared 51% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs IBM Spectrum Accelerate

Compared 49% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Accelerate Competitors

VxRail vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Compared 31% of the time

Dell VPLEX vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Compared 20% of the time

VMware vSAN vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Compared 17% of the time

IBM Spectrum Scale vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Compared 17% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Compared 15% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Virtualize Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

February 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Accelerate product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Virtualize

March 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Virtualize product report

Also Known As

IBM XIV

No data available

Overview

IBM Spectrum Accelerate is a software-defined block storage solution designed for rapid deployment across heterogeneous infrastructure for hybrid cloud and delivering consistent service levels to a dynamic workload mix. It is based on proven grid-architecture, enterprise-scale IBM XIV technology. IBM Spectrum Accelerate can be deployed, including as hyper-converged infrastructure, on any x86 server, on pre-installed third-party appliances or on public cloud infrastructure, and is available as a service on IBM Cloud infrastructure.

IBM

IBM Spectrum Virtualize is a dependable solution that improves data value, security, and simplicity for new and existing storage infrastructure. Proven over 12 years in thousands of deployments, its innovative virtualization capabilities help organizations achieve better data economics by supporting new workloads that are critical to their success. IBM Spectrum Virtualize software helps make new and existing storage more effective and standardizes functions traditionally deployed separately in disk systems for greater flexibility and potentially lower costs.

IBM

Sample Customers

Silverpop

Pelephone, Sprint IT Enterprise Services

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs. IBM Spectrum Virtualize

February 2025

Free Report: IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs. IBM Spectrum Virtualize

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Spectrum Accelerate vs. IBM Spectrum Virtualize and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.

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