No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Actifio vs IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management (TDM) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 1, 2024

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

Actifio
Ranking in Test Data Management
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (49th)
IBM InfoSphere Optim Test D...
Ranking in Test Data Management
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Test Data Management category, the mindshare of Actifio is 3.8%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management (TDM) is 5.9%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Test Data Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management (TDM)5.9%
Actifio3.8%
Other90.3%
Test Data Management
 

Featured Reviews

Jeff Poulton - PeerSpot reviewer
Tech Lead / Informix DBA at a wholesaler/distributor with 5,001-10,000 employees
Has reduced storage requirements for development environments but presents challenges during upgrades and support interactions
The most concerning issue is IBM support. The issue I have with IBM support is that sometimes they don't seem to know their product very well at times. I don't know where the support is coming from, whether it's from IBM or from Google through IBM. I'm not sure who physically does the support. Their knowledge isn't great. Plus, the way we use it is not the focus of Google nowadays. Google, as I understand it, bought the product as an add-on to Google Cloud or whatever as a backup and that's not how we use it. I do see some problems with Actifio, specifically keeping current with operating systems. It can be tricky to upgrade Actifio. It can be a challenge. When we've had to do it, we've had to work with their support people, and some of them are just people reading a sheet of instructions. When those instructions are obviously wrong at times because you can tell if you have half a knowledge of what you're doing, it takes ages for them to go off and find someone to explain what's going wrong. So it can be very laborious.
Ajai Lal - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at Mphasis
Supports both legacy and non-legacy systems
The solution's initial setup is neither complex nor too easy. Around six or seven people, including database administrators, were involved in the solution's deployment. On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup a four to five out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Some of the most valuable features are that you can use the backup for a test environment, with the rapid recovery done using just a few clicks."
"Actifio has actually kind of reshaped the backup methodologies, adding a new dimension to the way that data centers were being backed up in the past and forcing other vendors to change."
"What really stands out in Actifio is that it can provide us full copies of the database without having full copies of the database."
"This product has unique capabilities that lead the product category in test data management, cloning and recovery."
"Actifio was very stable. Whenever they identified bugs, they would promptly provide us with patches."
"This product is the best that there is today, as it has replication and it has built–in BCP/DR."
"Actifio has the right vision of data management, ease of use, and embrace of the cloud."
"They will assist me in achieving whatever budget issue the client may be having."
"Customer service is good."
"IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management can be found in the following platforms: Windows, Linux, *nix and z/OS; this presents a great opportunity to scale code and develop multiplatform libraries, updating the code once and deploying to all platforms."
"Data masking with consistency across databases and applications is the most valuable feature."
"IBM Optim solutions are highly scalable."
"The Data Archive or Data Growth feature is one of the very useful solutions that help organizations to manage and support their database archiving strategies."
"I like the features compared to other tools, as this tool is more flexible to use than other tools like an Oracle product or SAP product, and I think IBM tools are more flexible, and this tool is also a good product."
"Data archiving saved much storage and improved production performance."
"The product has helped to streamline the Test Data Management (TDM) process."
 

Cons

"There are quite a few ways the product can be improved, actually."
"The solution doesn't support AIX software or in the cloud, and we have a lot of servers running on AIX and Oracle."
"When we've had to upgrade Actifio, we've had to work with their support people, and some of them are just people reading a sheet of instructions."
"The initial setup is complex."
"Areas that need improvement would be the support for recovery in the physical environment."
"While the product does support various databases, the company needs to make more of an effort to support N-minus-one compatibility."
"Lacks the option to price backup costs within the solution itself."
"Google has stopped supporting the on-premise version of the tool."
"In the IBM Optim tool, the Synthetic Test Data Generation feature is lagging behind."
"Improvisation in the area of the self-service user interface for test data management is required to cater to test data needs."
"I would like to be able to combine different masking functions on the same column map, making more complex masking without the need of writing an Lua procedure."
"The tool needs to have more test data management features like synthetic data generation and data reservation."
"Pricing and licensing is higher compared to other products."
"Installation is too cumbersome."
"Licensing could be improved. The PVU licensing mechanism is a limiting factor to expanding the use of the tool."
"I think it could be more secure. I don't have experience with the security aspects concerning PII data, but I think it can still be streamlined a little more. It could also have some more features, and the initial setup could be more straightforward."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Support is very good. They send out a VM link and help you fix any issues."
"Actifio is cheaper than other tools."
"Pricing is on a case by case basis."
"You have to pay yearly for the license, which comes at a reduced cost. The monthly payment option for a shorter project duration is also good."
"We purchase TDM's yearly license."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Test Data Management solutions are best for your needs.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
21%
Construction Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
9%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
14%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Actifio?
The most concerning issue is IBM support. The issue I have with IBM support is that sometimes they don't seem to know their product very well at times. I don't know where the support is coming from...
What is your primary use case for Actifio?
The main use case for me with Actifio is to provide databases to our development teams. We utilize snapshots or images to manage multiple copies of our production database efficiently without using...
What advice do you have for others considering Actifio?
I do not work with the point-in-time recovery feature in Actifio. Our database has that capability. We don't use Actifio as a backup per se. In terms of Actifio's impact on reducing downtime for pr...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management (TDM)?
The solution does not need much maintenance. The solution is maintained by the infrastructure team. There is a separate team for the software installation. I would recommend the solution to other u...
 

Also Known As

No data available
IBM Optim Test Data Management, Optim Test Data Management, IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

IBM, Waste Industries, Nasdaq, Verizon, Sharp, Rosetta Stone, Dakine, JBS Australia, Texas Wesleyan University, Cintra, People's Choice Credit Union, Lotto NZ, Electric Insurance, Tyler Technologies, Intility, Corporate One Federal Credit Union, Bryant University, pc/nametag, Isagenix, Sungard Availability Services, Databank, Electrocraft, Lifescript, Westfleisch, Interstate National Corporation, RestorePoint, Net3, Access Community Health Network, Newmarket International, Rezolve Group Inc., Piri Reis University, MC Assembly, Grass-Merkur, dbMotion, Christian Broadcasting Network, Bezeq, Abilene Christian University, CNW Group, Softcat, Migliori, City of South Portland, NaviSite, News-Press & Gazette, Comtec, Equity Insurance, Admirals Bank, Assistra, Dassault, Henry Davis York Lawyers, SAI Global, Audax Group, DSM, Triad Retail Media, Euronet Worldwide, Palm Beach County School District, iGate, Emerald Queen Casino
Dignity Health
Find out what your peers are saying about Actifio vs. IBM InfoSphere Optim Test Data Management (TDM) and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.