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IBM Storage Protect

IBM Storage Protect
Formerly IBM Spectrum Protect / Tivoli Storage Manager

Overview

What is IBM Storage Protect?

IBM Storage Protect (formerly IBM Spectrum Protect, or Tivoli Storage Manager) provides data resilience for physical file servers, virtual environments, and applications. Organizations can scale up to manage billions of objects per backup server.

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Recent Reviews

TSM for Windows Review

8 out of 10
March 30, 2018
Incentivized
Tivoli Storage Manager is being used across the whole organization to provide backup at the file level backup. This protects the business …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

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Pricing

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IBM Storage Protect

IBM Storage Protect

N/A
Unavailable

What is IBM Storage Protect?

IBM Storage Protect (formerly IBM Spectrum Protect, or Tivoli Storage Manager) provides data resilience for physical file servers, virtual environments, and applications. Organizations can scale up to manage billions of objects per backup server.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.ibm.com/products/storage…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Alternatives Pricing

Veeam Data Platform

Veeam Data Platform

$428
per year per 5 instances
What is Veeam Data Platform?

Veeam’s® premier product, Veeam Backup & Replication™, delivers availability for all cloud, virtual, Kubernetes and physical workloads. Through a management console, the software provides backup, archival, recovery and replication capabilities.

BDRSuite

BDRSuite

$12
per year per user
What is BDRSuite?

Vembu BDR Suite is a universal backup solution catering to the backup, recovery, and disaster recovery needs of diverse IT environments. It is also optimized for service providers who deliver BaaS and DRaaS to their customers.

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Product Details

What is IBM Storage Protect?

IBM Storage Protectâ„¢ can simplify data protection, whether data is hosted in physical, virtual, software-defined or cloud environments. It is also presented as a solution to simplify backup administration, improve efficiency, deliver scalable capacity and enable other advanced capabilities.

Key features of IBM Storage Protect
  • Data replication
  • Built-in cloud integration
  • Comprehensive data protection
  • Integration with IBM Storage Protect Plus
  • Data lifecycle automation
  • Secure to the core
  • Simplified solution bundles
  • A worldwide network of business partners

IBM Storage Protect Competitors

IBM Storage Protect Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

IBM Storage Protect (formerly IBM Spectrum Protect, or Tivoli Storage Manager) provides data resilience for physical file servers, virtual environments, and applications. Organizations can scale up to manage billions of objects per backup server.

Veritas NetBackup, Veeam Data Platform, and Commvault Cloud powered by Metallic AI are common alternatives for IBM Storage Protect.

Reviewers rate Instant recovery highest, with a score of 3.

The most common users of IBM Storage Protect are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(41)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-5 of 5)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
March 04, 2022

Tivoli (TSM) Backup Solution for Mid- or Large-Size Organizations

NS
Naveen Sharma
Consultant
DCM Infotech Ltd (Information Technology & Services, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We are using Tivoli (TSM) backup software as backup and recovery solution in our environment. We use this product to take all types of backups at OS and database level, like filesystem level backup, OS backup (AIX mksysb), etc. We use this software for daily purpose of backup and recovery for virtual and physical environment.
Pros and Cons
  • Tivoli (TSM) takes backup by using progressive incremental backup, which means that once it takes the full backup, it only takes the backup of changed data. By using this technique, it provides lots of benefits, like using less network bandwidth and taking less storage space.
  • Tivoli basically provides an archive and retrieval service for data at a cheaper cost that needs to be stored for long period due to compliance.
  • Tivoli (TSM) backup software provides the feature of migration and recall service for space management on client systems or servers.
  • Tivoli is not manageable from the GUI console and I believe it needs a dedicated resource to manage the software.
  • Tivoli (TSM) configuration is complex, granular, and scalable with customizable configuration features, but it requires a good administrator that has a strong knowledge of the product.
  • It needs additional agents or plugins for administration; for example, I have to use an MMC plug-in on the servers.
Likelihood to Recommend
Tivoli (TSM) software is best for the policy-based management of file-level backups with automatic data migration between storage tiers. It's the best way to save on the cost of storage and other resources. I really like the deduplication functionality of source and destination data, which helps to save the network bandwidth and storage resources. The administration of Tivoli is still complex, which means you need good skills to manage this product. Although, a new version is coming with a better GUI, but it will still require good command-line skills to make Tivoli do everything.
Most Important Features
  • The best feature of Tivoli is deduplication functionality of source and destination data, which helps us to save costs.
  • Tivoli does well in running file-level backups in our organization, so I can say this is the best solution for file-level backups.
  • This product allows us to customize the configuration up to an extreme level.
Return on Investment
  • Tivoli backup solution is good for file-level backups in mid or large-type organizations.
  • Tivoli provides deduplication functionality of source and destination data, which helps to save resources.
  • The administration of Tivoli is complex, which means you need good skills to manage this product.
Alternatives Considered
Tivoli is the best software backup solution for medium and large-sized companies that need a backup and disaster recovery system that is customizable with a very high level of reliability. I really like the way we can customize the software according to the environment. It provides a lot of features like deduplication to save storage resources and costs.
Other Software Used
September 24, 2019

TSM for your Enterprise Backup

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Logistics and Supply Chain Company, 201-500 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
IT department uses TSM for daily backups and restores. It also handles DR replication from a Fastback appliance located elsewhere.
Pros and Cons
  • The concept of "forever incremental" is very appealing to my understanding of how backups should happen.
  • The backups are tuned for fast restores and they sure are fast.
  • The media management is very good.
  • It may have a significant learning curve for people unfamiliar CLI.
  • The database can become corrupt and will require repairs. I have not had a case when I lost any data or inventory though.
Likelihood to Recommend
Large scale installations with traditional client agent backups. This does not suit pure virtual environments. Having said that, TSM does have another product specifically for the virtual environment. We have not used it.
Another positive point is that the clients can be configured to have separate individual storage which is important when considering GDPR compliance.
IBM Storage Protect Feature Ratings
Data Center Backup (14)
57.142857142857146%
5.7
Universal recovery
100%
10.0
Instant recovery
100%
10.0
Recovery verification
N/A
N/A
Business application protection
N/A
N/A
Multiple backup destinations
100%
10.0
Incremental backup identification
100%
10.0
Backup to the cloud
N/A
N/A
Deduplication and file compression
100%
10.0
Snapshots
N/A
N/A
Flexible deployment
N/A
N/A
Management dashboard
N/A
N/A
Platform support
100%
10.0
Retention options
100%
10.0
Encryption
100%
10.0
Return on Investment
  • Simple, care free backups, especially if you do not use tapes and do not have to manage those.
  • Very fast restores as the libraries have everything available online.
  • Ease of locating the necessary data to restore
Alternatives Considered
Other Software Used
Support Rating
9
We had a 3rd party support which was very good.
July 11, 2019

Alternatives for the assurance of information

LM
Leonardo Molinares
Senior System Architect
Redsis (Information Technology and Services, 201-500 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
The product is being used to back up the information used by the company's information systems that support different business processes. Currently, it addresses the retention of data that are vital for the administration of the company.
Pros and Cons
  • Organized management of backup copies.
  • Stability in the operation of the tool.
  • Diversity in backup policy configuration.
  • The tool administration platform must be improved.
  • You should look for simplicity for the configuration complexity of suite products.
  • The online viewing tool should be more stable.
Likelihood to Recommend
Suitable scenarios:
  • Backup copies of database systems with high capacity.
  • Replication between Spectrum Protect systems works very well.
  • Scenarios where a lot of information is handled.
Scenarios that should be improved:
  • The backup of virtual environments must be improved.
  • Dependencies must be reviewed with products for which Snapshots are configured.
Return on Investment
  • Because it is a support tool to improve the assurance of information, an ROI is not easily divisible.
Alternatives Considered
IBM Spectrum Protect is related to the other IBM Spectrum products listed because it is part of the suite and is also the main backup product for backup and restoration of information. With Veeam it is related as they present competence in different lines of technology, often the integration of both tools can be the best solution for clients looking for a successful backup strategy.
Other Software Used
April 11, 2019

Tivoli Storage Manager works VERY well for Db2 and zLiniux

Verified User
Employee in Information Technology
Financial Services Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) primarily to store our database backups and logs. I believe it is used in other capacities for OS and file system backups, but I am not a user in that area and my review will focus on database and log backup storage. We use other solutions for mass storage as well - but due to the tight integration with DB2 and TSM, we will probably always use Tivoli in some aspect.
Pros and Cons
  • Tight integration with DB2. As an IBM product, it works seamlessly with DB2. You can query what is stored in TSM via DB2 itself. You can also use DB scripts to maintain the items being stored there.
  • Like most of its competitors, Tivoli handles deduplication well.
  • Provides a GUI for browsing and maintaining items stored there. I rarely use this feature, due to the next item I will post:
  • Command-line interface directly from my DB2 database servers.
  • Both client and server-side deduplication, compression and encryption are available.
  • If the requirements are zLinux and DB2 support then it's the most solid solution.
  • Can be complex to implement, but once up and running, it is rock-solid and immensely scalable.
  • Scalability is huge. Can be added onto easily.
  • For Oracle and SQL Server, there are other solutions that provide more "bells and whistles" such as storage-side restores, alerting, etc.
  • We sometimes struggle with passwords expiring, etc. It is not a complete "hands-off" solution, as it requires SOME maintenance (not much, really).
  • VMware backup capabilities lag behind competitors.
  • Very Client Driven (which is a mixed bag). I like this feature. New, younger users may not.
Likelihood to Recommend
For either DB2 or zLinux, Tivoli is hands-down the best solution. For Oracle and other operating systems, there are more advanced solutions available. Some of these features are considered "game-changing" by our Sys Admins. Of the three solutions I've dealt with, Tivoli ranks right in the middle with cost, features, and complexity. A nice solution (and the best for the options I listed above), but not cutting-edge.
Return on Investment
  • Data recoverability is tough to quantify. Having a reliable solution can mean EVERYTHING to your business. Tivoli provides us with that.
  • It does take about one FTE to maintain all our mass storage, which includes Tivoli.
Alternatives Considered
Tivoli sits right in the middle of these two products, all things considered. Each has its own strengths (Cohesity has bells and whistles, CommVault works well with Microsoft). Tivoli is a nice blend and rock-solid once implemented.
Other Software Used
March 30, 2018

TSM for Windows Review

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Wholesale Company, 201-500 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Tivoli Storage Manager is being used across the whole organization to provide backup at the file level backup. This protects the business by including all the users My Document level files, which are mapped to a central file sharing server. In the unlikely event a user deletes a folder or file(s), we can rely on TSM to quickly and effectively restore the deleted file(s) or folders. Very reliable system. Tivoli support is also good and has assisted when needed.
Pros and Cons
  • Good Support
  • GUI interface is straightforward and easy to navigate.
  • CLI is also an option to check on health or status of Tape Library.
  • I do not see anything at the moment that requires change or adjusting. TSM works great for what we need it to do.
  • Note worth mentioning: We never had the opportunity to explore the VM backup functionality, as we are currently using VMware snapshots. This data protection solution came highly recommended to any business environment running VWware / virtualization.
Likelihood to Recommend
Well suited for file level backup, data recovery needs 30, 60, or 90 days, or perhaps the last 3 iterations of a file change. Version we are running not suited for VMware backups, but IBM does have a VMware TSM version that will accommodate. Assess and be aware of what exactly the business data recovery requires.
IBM Storage Protect Feature Ratings
Data Center Backup (11)
49.09090909090909%
4.9
Instant recovery
90%
9.0
Recovery verification
90%
9.0
Business application protection
N/A
N/A
Multiple backup destinations
N/A
N/A
Incremental backup identification
90%
9.0
Deduplication and file compression
N/A
N/A
Flexible deployment
N/A
N/A
Management dashboard
90%
9.0
Platform support
90%
9.0
Retention options
90%
9.0
Encryption
N/A
N/A
Return on Investment
  • ROI has been good.
Alternatives Considered
We are an IBM shop. TSM was bundled into the mix when we purchased new IBM equipment for new ERP project.
Other Software Used
Users and Roles
2
The business functions they represent are IT Administrator, Database Administrator, Network Administrator, and Systems Administrator.
Support Headcount Required
1
System Admin, Database Admin, and Network Admin skills. Knowledge of the Microsoft servers, systems, and files. Must have detailed knowledge of software and applications used on servers, wherever TSM is installed, in order to correctly identify files, folders, etc, that require backup. Understanding of business need for backup system utilizing TSM.
Business Processes Supported
  • Part of Disaster Recovery solution.
  • Supports backup of file level backups.
  • Also supports VM level backup.
Innovative Uses
  • We used the software as intended with the expectation it works when needed.
Future Planned Uses
  • TSM is a great product, but unfortunately will no longer be required for the organization I worked for. They have closed, data is no longer relevant, unless required by Chapter 7 trustees, then recovery of data may be required, in which TSM will be needed to restore.
Likelihood to Renew
1
Not required, company closed.
TSM is not used in my current role at my current job.
Products Replaced
Yes
When I started in the organization, the file level backup for Windows and Linux servers was non existent. The SQL and Oracle Databases were protected and backed up by HP Data Protector, file level protection was required and the need to protect the new ERP servers. The organization had purchased IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, installed the application, but never configured or setup to use as intended: backup to Windows servers hosting ERP applications. Once configured and setup, TSM role was firmly established as the primary Windows Server go to for backing up file level only on not only Windows ERP application servers, but elsewhere on the organization's Windows servers.
Key Differentiators
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Vendor Reputation
  • Existing Relationship with the Vendor
I was not present or involved the decision making process for reviewing, evaluating, purchasing, acquiring, and installing TSM. The purchase was done through a trusted IBM partner, along with the IBM hardware required for the ERP production project. I was part of the implementation and trained on using and supporting the TSM.
Evaluation Lessons Learned
Keyword is Sizing. Understanding how much data is required to protect, how far back the organization requires the data protected. Must plan according to the organizations needs, and also consider future growth. TSM is powerful product once sized, configured, and implemented. Strategize and plan according to the strengths of TSM to get the most out of it.
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