IBM (IBM) announced new features for two of its Spectrum Storage software offerings, including the expanded backup options and the ability to deploy block storage without the need for additional storage hardware.

Spectrum Protect users will now have the ability to choose between on-premise object storage or the cloud for their data backup without the need for a cloud gateway appliance, according to the announcement.

The solution currently supports IBM Cloud Infrastructure, with plans to expand to additional public clouds in the future. Spectrum Protect is planned for release on IBM and Cisco’s joint VersaStack solutions in Q4 2015.

IBM Spectrum Accelerate users now have access to the program as a service through the Softlayer infrastructure, which is expected to help companies deploy block storage without the need for additional storage hardware. The switch to a subscription-based model is expected to allow users to lower costs and simplify the overall management and administrative requirements for their data. Finally, the software-only version of IBM Spectrum Accelerate will include consolidated storage and compute resources on the same servers in an effort to reduce costs.

Spectrum Accelerate is available now with portable licensing across XIV systems, on-premise servers and cloud environments.

IBM rebranded several of its storage products under the Spectrum name in February as part of the company’s efforts to revitalize its aging storage software business.