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ACF2 vs CA VM:Secure comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

ACF2
Ranking in Mainframe Security
6th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Database Security (16th)
CA VM:Secure
Ranking in Mainframe Security
10th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Mainframe Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 10.3%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CA VM:Secure is 2.5%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mainframe Security
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1077621 - PeerSpot reviewer
A reliable, scalable product for security and auditing of our mainframe environment
It is a good product. It has been used for years. As long as it is configured correctly, it is a very stable product. It depends on how an institution or a company configures it. It depends on an institution's risk appetite. You need to make sure it is configured as per the concept of least privilege, and the logging features, detection and control mechanism, and other things like that are enabled. If you configure it to give access to the public, then there could be compromises. You should also have someone who independently checks it to make sure that it is configured keeping security in mind. If it has been configured for a while, when there are enhancements to the product or when you enhance it, you need to make sure that security is also looked at, and it is configured according to an institution's security policies. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
it_user507375 - PeerSpot reviewer
It gives us a consolidated management tool to keep track of the user directories on our z/VM platform.
We had an issue a few weeks ago in a test environment after putting an upgrade on, but we think it turned out to be that it wasn't really CA's fault. We think it's a problem with IBM and the GDPS product, and a test was being done with it the night before. It caused some weirdness with other products that we found out later, because it allowed two machines to get read/write access to a single minidisk, which never should have happened. That caused problems for CA but it wasn't really their product. We ended up on the phone with them for quite a while until we realised it was something else.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
9%
Insurance Company
9%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is a good length for a password in ACF2 so it's safe?
A set length of 12 characters can ensure the safety of a system. Longer passwords provide an added layer of security, especially when combined with other password complexity requirements. With a le...
Is ACF2 suitable for beginners?
ACF2 can be suitable for beginners with the right guidance and support. While it may have a steep learning curve for many due to its complexity, it offers extensive documentation and resources that...
What types of auditing and reporting capabilities does ACF2 offer?
ACF2's reporting capabilities are highly valuable. It offers various predefined reports that provide insights into our system's security posture. These reports include information on user access pr...
Are there any specific prerequisites or compatibility requirements for implementing CA VM:Secure?
Implementing CA VM:Secure requires careful consideration of certain prerequisites and compatibility requirements. The solution has specific compatibility with certain z/OS versions, and it's crucia...
What encryption mechanisms does CA VM:Secure provide for data protection?
When it comes to data protection, CA VM:Secure offers multiple encryption mechanisms to safeguard sensitive information. One of the key encryption features it provides is data-at-rest encryption. ...
What authentication methods are supported by CA VM:Secure?
CA VM:Secure offers a diverse range of authentication methods to cater to different security needs. One of the commonly used authentication methods is password-based authentication. Users can secur...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

CA ACF2
CA VM:Secure for z/VM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications
Neovera, Vodafone Turkey, Comcast
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, CyberArk, Broadcom and others in Mainframe Security. Updated: May 2025.
853,118 professionals have used our research since 2012.