IBM Spectrum Protect vs Iron Mountain Connect comparison

IBM and Iron Mountain are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. IBM is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.2, while Iron Mountain is ranked #69. 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

4,073 Views
3,133 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Iron Mountain Connect

Read 2 Iron Mountain Connect reviews

408 Views
305 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: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect vs. Iron Mountain Connect

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 848,576 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

17th

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

69th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of IBM Spectrum Protect is 2.2%, down from 2.4% 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

"We have been using it for several years, and it is quite reliable and predictable. We are quite comfortable with this solution. They're coming up with new features as well. It has good scalability, and it provides good integrations with business-critical applications or databases, such as SAP HANA. It works as expected, and we don't see any issues."

"Traditional storage works perfectly with it."

"It is good in terms of functionality. My clients are very satisfied with this solution."

"We have a very good team of administrators who know the product perfectly and are able to manage it on a day-to-day basis."

"The software-defined ability to do data reduction through deduplication and compression, as well as being able to replicate data to a cloud container."

"We do not lose data. That is why we are using this product and have a backup in place."

"This solution has improved our organization through better file and database recovery."

"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."

More IBM Spectrum Protect pros

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

Cons

"I should be able to backup Linux. I would like SUSE for Linux on POWER. Right now, we have to use Storex, which is a pain to use."

"Stability is very good now. It used to be rocky years ago."

"The solution should improve the ability to monitor backup failure."

"It needs better connectivity with other non-IBM application hardware and non-IBM platforms."

"The user interface (UI) for the admin is still not good. It is way too complicated to manage the product, as we still need to use command line. IBM launched the Operations Center (OC), but there are still functions lacking, especially since we cannot manage all our scheduled tasks by using the GUI."

"We need better protection from ransomware or the ability to identify ways we can protect ourselves from ransomware. Having backups is one thing, but specifically, we need methods to recover if we have a ransomware attack."

"We should be talking about the capacity of the tape drives. That's the only problem."

"My customers are not always happy with the Level 1 support. Sometimes, it just takes too long for the response to come, which is probably something that needs to be addressed."

More IBM Spectrum Protect cons

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

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's pricing is fair. Price-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten."

"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."

"The pricing of the solution is high in comparison to other products on the market. For example, IBM and Symantec have less costly options."

"It is expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"IBM Spectrum Protect has a fixed price and includes no additional costs."

"That's no longer my department, but I have some past experience with licensing. It is not cheap. I would rate it a three out of five in terms of licensing. In terms of additional costs, there is management overhead. It is a complex solution and a lot of work goes into managing clients. It has gotten better over the years, but compared to its competitor, it is still heavy on management overhead."

"Technical support is pretty good. It is doing fine, but you pay for it."

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

848,576 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

University

No data available

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?

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

Veeam Data Platform vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 18% of the time

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 17% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs IBM Spectrum Protect

Compared 11% of the time

More IBM Spectrum Protect Competitors

Rubrik vs Iron Mountain Connect

Compared 31% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs Iron Mountain Connect

Compared 31% of the time

More Iron Mountain Connect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Spectrum Protect

April 2025

Download IBM Spectrum Protect product report

Buyer's Guide

Backup and Recovery

April 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

April 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: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

848,576 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.