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ACF2 vs Imperva Data Security Fabric comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 2026

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 Database Security
12th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Mainframe Security (4th)
Imperva Data Security Fabric
Ranking in Database Security
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (14th), Data Security Platforms (DSP) (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 2.1%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva Data Security Fabric is 24.4%, down from 27.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Imperva Data Security Fabric24.4%
ACF22.1%
Other73.5%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1077621 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
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.
GO
Group Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Automated monitoring and real-time alerts improve security incident response and compliance tasks while customizable controls need enhancements
The Imperva SecureSphere Database Security offers excellent functionalities, with numerous best features from my perspective.The simplicity of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security comes out of the box. I have utilized the detailed audit logs feature in the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, and it has proven to be highly effective. The Imperva SecureSphere Database Security has significantly aided my organization in forensic investigations and compliance audits. The real-time alerts and remediation actions available in Imperva SecureSphere Database Security have helped me promptly address security incidents. Their customizable security controls in Imperva SecureSphere Database Security have tailored the protection level for my organization's specific needs. The automated monitoring and reporting features of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security have contributed to simplifying compliance with regulatory standards for my organization.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Without the product, extracting this information may take us as much as several days; instead, we can get it in real time."
"I love their support. The support is great. They are number one."
"Excellent real-time reporting that saves time and resources."
"By providing a high level of access control to the z/OS systems, ACF2 allows us to maintain tight controls on dataset and system access and helps us keep unauthorized users from accessing PHI or PII data."
"Logging and monitoring are most valuable. It is for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."
"The NOACCESS by default is another very good feature. Also, access rules are straightforward, and easy to understand."
"We use this tool to quickly assign privileges to different users as soon as they come in."
"Know that this tool is a great tool, a good tool to use, because you can quickly automate, quickly provision, and deprovision new users, which is essential when you are bringing new people onboard."
"It allows us to run models against it and do reports against it without understanding the different database technologies."
"It is very effective, and we are using four main features. The first feature is cluster management, which allows me to redirect an agent to another gateway if one goes down."
"We use it for database security, vulnerability analysis, discovery, and handling requests from applications and users."
"Database reporting features are valuable to us."
"This is a fine product, and one of the best."
"It is a fantastic solution."
"The integration is great."
"Imperva SecureSphere Database Security is used to store data so that if there is an emergency we can restore it."
 

Cons

"It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."
"Reporting can sometimes include false positives."
"I would like my team and me to be able to use simple browsers, like Chrome, to be able to access mainframe data and provision users using the browser.​"
"The user access review could also be improved. It produces a lot of false positives."
"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment."
"Initial setup could be complex if you rely on contractors to help with implementation."
"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment. It's a mainframe product. As many companies move to the cloud, depending on what cloud models they choose, such as a public, hybrid, or private cloud, it should be deployable. I am not sure if it can be deployed on those platforms. It has been there since the '50s or '60s, and it's still scalable. It has survived all these years, and it's scalable to many platforms, but I don't know about the cloud."
"Due to restrictions because of sanctions in Iran, we do not have support for this solution."
"I would like to see improvement in the integration part of the tool. This should be an easy process."
"Imperva Data Security needs to improve first-level support."
"I would like to see integration such that there is support for different kinds of environments, such as on-premises versus cloud."
"They have to put more focus on the administrative part of the application, especially on upgrades."
"I would like to see more parameters configurable for the kernel reverse proxy."
"The product needs to perform better in extremely busy databases; it does not do really well where the DB is extremely, extremely busy."
"Database security from the access management perspective could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The price is very high but compared to the price of the overall solution, then I think it's a good deal because the solution itself is great."
"The cost of support for this solution is very expensive."
"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis, and it is a good value for the money."
"They have introduced new price models, which makes the product more affordable now."
"The pricing is reasonable and competitive."
"The price of the solution is reasonable. The cost of the solution depends on the customer, they have the flex protect licensing which can vary in price."
"We have all the licenses, which we pay for annually. The price is a little high, but the product is good."
"The price of the solution is reasonable and it requires a license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

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What needs improvement with Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?
There are several aspects of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security that could be improved or enhanced.There are specific missing features in the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security that I w...
 

Also Known As

CA ACF2
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, jSonar, Imperva's Data Security Posture Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Find out what your peers are saying about ACF2 vs. Imperva Data Security Fabric and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,287 professionals have used our research since 2012.