IBM Spectrum Storage Suite: Features & Pricing

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Bottom Line

IBM Spectrum Storage Suite will likely be most attractive to companies that use other IBM infrastructure and software products, but this software-defined storage (SDS) solution works with hardware provided by other vendors as well. This hardware-software interoperability is a key selling point, and it’s a plus in IBM’s favor that its SDS solution offers this.

The modular design of the suite makes it easy for organizations to purchase exactly the functionality they need, and it is especially well suited for enterprises with hybrid cloud environments.

In a larger sense, IBM’s deep legacy in enterprise IT matters quite a bit to SDS buyers, given the complexity of SDS technology. If you have a major data center operation and have a significant budget, the IBM solution is one to consider.

Product Description

IBM boasts that IDC has named it the leading vendor of software-defined storage solutions. Its primary SDS product is the Spectrum Storage Suite, which includes eight separate pieces:

1. Spectrum Control (analytics-driven hybrid cloud data management)
2. Spectrum Protect (hybrid cloud data protection)
3. Spectrum Protect Plus (additional protection for VMs)
4. Spectrum Archive (fast data retention)
5. Spectrum Virtualize (storage virtualization)
6. Spectrum Accelerate (speeds deployment of block storage)
7. Spectrum Scale (hybrid cloud storage for unstructured data)
8. Cloud Object Storage (a cloud service)

Customers can pick and choose which pieces of the suite they need.

Type of product:

Software-only or software with cloud services. (IBM also sells storage hardware.)

Editions available:

Customers can mix and match the eight component pieces of the suite as desired.

License:

Proprietary

Key features:

• flexible deployment
• wide array of capabilities
• support for industry-standard hardware and cloud services
• ease of management
• flexible consumption
• fast access to data
• seamless data flow

Target Industries

Any large enterprise

Customers

U.S. government, Pixit Media, Blanc und Fischer IT Services, North Mississippi Medical Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Red Bull Racing, IBM Marketing Cloud.

Pricing and How to Buy

Pricing per terabyte; available on request. Costs for cloud storage and SDS software can be bundled together.

IBM Spectrum Storage Suite Features Chart

For more information on virtualization your storage infrastructure, read the Guide to Software Defined Storage.