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DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

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

DataSunrise Database Security
Ranking in Database Security
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Ranking in Database Security
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
81
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of DataSunrise Database Security is 5.2%, down from 5.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 27.4%, down from 32.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection27.4%
DataSunrise Database Security5.2%
Other67.4%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Sajith Krishnan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cloud Engineer at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Rule-based monitoring has strengthened real-time protection against SQL injection attacks
I believe the product features are good so far, but I experienced some issues. When I upgraded to a newer version, there were some bugs found that were not resolved. Therefore, I would assume that DataSunrise can improve their quality checks before releasing a new version. I would like to see improvements mainly in support and documentation, as whenever I contact DataSunrise support, the support team is not fully aware of the new features or version revision histories. The documentation has been vague and not well done. I think DataSunrise as a product is still in the initial stage where there are many improvements that can be made regarding documentation and support.
HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized monitoring has improved audit readiness and streamlines investigations of data access
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is a strong platform, but there are a few areas where I think it could be improved. One area is alert tuning and prioritization. Large environments can generate a significant number of alerts, and while the platform provides good visibility, reducing noise and automatically highlighting the highest-risk events would help security teams work more efficiently. Another area is ease of administration. As environments become more complex with cloud, hybrid, and on-premises databases, managing policies and configurations can require significant effort. Simplifying some of those workflows could reduce the operational overhead for administration. I would also like to see deeper automation and more advanced analytic capabilities. The security industry as a whole is moving toward faster threat detection and automated response, and having more built-in intelligence to identify unusual behavior with less manual tuning would be valuable. A couple of additional areas come to mind regarding needed improvements for IBM Security Guardium Data Protection. Integration is one of them. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection integrates with a variety of security tools, but as organizations adopt more cloud-native platforms and multicloud environments, smoother integration and simpler deployment processes would be beneficial. Many security teams are managing dozens of tools today, so reducing integration complexity can save a lot of operational effort. From a usability perspective, some administration and reporting tasks could be more intuitive, especially for new users. The platform is feature-rich, which is a strength, but it can also create a learning curve. Regarding support, my experience has generally been positive, but complex issues can sometimes require coordination across multiple teams before they are fully resolved. One feature I appreciate about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is the detailed audit trail that IBM Security Guardium Data Protection maintains. When investigating an issue, having a historical record of database activity can save a lot of time and provide the context needed to understand what happened. That is especially useful for compliance and forensic investigations. As for a wish-list item, I would like to see even more intelligent alert correlation and risk prioritization. A challenge across the security industry is that teams often deal with a large number of alerts from different tools, and determining which ones require immediate attention can still be time-consuming. Although IBM Security Guardium Data Protection already provides strong monitoring capabilities, more automated context and prioritization could help security teams focus on the highest-risk events faster.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of DataSunrise Database Security is Dynamic Masking. You don't need to build copies of the database and is highly customizable. It is a very good unique feature. It also has built-in algorithms, or machine learning, which is quite helpful, because it understands the user's behaviors and patterns to apply certain policies."
"DataSunrise Database Security has positively impacted my organization, as it acts as a proxy."
"My advice to others considering DataSunrise Database Security is that it is a good and unified tool."
"We have a law in Turkey similar to the GDPR in the European Union. It's almost like a replica. Complying with this law is crucial, and the service plays a significant role. Many customer inquiries revolve around not retaining their data. The service addresses this by providing functionality for masking data within the databases. So, if a user requests data deletion, we can remove any information we have on them within the database, ensuring compliance with the law."
"It can provide the logs for the activities performed by the privileged users across all databases (MSSQL, DB2, Teradata, Oracle, Sybase and many more) which can avoid internal frauds and keep data secured."
"Audit Process Builder – Workflow generator to enhance audit tasks and compliance workflows."
"In the past we were doing a lot of manual checking, running our own reports, going through SMF data, but now Guardium does that reporting for us, which saves us time and money and satisfies critical audit and security requirements."
"The Data Activity Monitor is the most valuable feature of this product."
"IBM Guardium Data Protection is very good at keeping your database secure."
"IBM Guardium Data Protection has one of the best supports out there."
"The features I like are the robust policies, which allow us to create customized monitoring based on specific activities."
"In terms of the ease of access and ease of deployment, IBM Guardium was much easier to deploy."
 

Cons

"I believe there's room for improvement in their distributor network, especially in Turkey. This is why I was exploring alternatives to DataSunrise Database Security. However, the product itself is quite good. One suggestion for enhancement could be adding an encryption module on top of the masking features, perhaps a more permanent form of preservative encryption."
"I would like to see improvements mainly in support and documentation, as whenever I contact DataSunrise support, the support team is not fully aware of the new features or version revision histories."
"DataSunrise Database Security comes out with new builds every time we have a small issue. This has made the solution not always stable."
"The solution has many features but I would like to see vulnerability assessments in the next release."
"Guardium could be improved in the area of data encryption."
"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."
"The ability for Central Managers to talk to one another could be improved. I have 26 Central Managers and 26 silos which are independent."
"Setup can be complex. The documentation is in so many different locations, and a lot of times we have to leverage support and higher level resources to figure out the right steps to take."
"Personally, I would like to see IBM Guardium have other encryption algorithms employed, such as DES/3DES or TripleDES, Twofish, Blowfish, or IDEA."
"Guardium Data Protection is far better in terms of external integration. But in terms of firewall features, like when you're blocking activities, it's as if Oracle AVDF simply has superior features. This is just from third-party observations, but the users of Oracle AVDF are saying that when it comes to the firewall and protection functionality, they're much more inclined to AVDF."
"The solution should allow the data to shift to a centralized repository with elastic servers and big data infrastructure"
"While Guardium is great at structured monitoring (DAM), the product is lacking features on the file activity side (FAM)."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is expensive."
"The biggest challenge is the cost associated with the product, and the cost of maintaining. Everything is not translated directly to the benefits we see. There are benefits, yes, but if I were writing the check, would I buy Guardium? No."
"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"The cost depends on the number of databases. You can purchase advanced licenses, but the standard license is calculated based on the number of databases you have to onboard."
"The price of Guardium is higher than the main competitor, Imperva. In addition, it's complex as the calculation of the licensing is done by Processor Value Unit (PVU). However, before purchasing a DAP solution, it is important to analyze specific points to evaluate the cost-benefit of each tool. For example: Does the environment to be monitored have mainframes? If so, it's a point for Guardium. If not, a point for Imperva. Note: IBM is looking into a new licensing policy and reducing the price of Guardium."
"The product's pricing is reasonable and affordable. It is in the moderate range."
"It's an expensive solution"
"The price of the solution could be better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Construction Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with DataSunrise Database Security?
I believe the product features are good so far, but I experienced some issues. When I upgraded to a newer version, there were some bugs found that were not resolved. Therefore, I would assume that ...
What is your primary use case for DataSunrise Database Security?
I use DataSunrise Database Security mainly for rule-based blocking of SQL injection, which provides a profound level of data security when it comes to securing the database. For example, I was usin...
What advice do you have for others considering DataSunrise Database Security?
I would advise others looking into using DataSunrise Database Security to consider it a good product. I rated this review an eight out of ten.
How does IBM Guardium Data Protection compare with Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is a solution for database security from IBM that gives complete visibility, control, and analysis to secure sensitive data and comply with regulations. IBM S...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Guardium Data Protection?
I don't remember the exact prices, but Guardium is an expensive tool because it is targeted towards corporate enterprises.
What needs improvement with IBM Security Guardium Data Protection?
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is a strong platform, but there are a few areas where I think it could be improved. One area is alert tuning and prioritization. Large environments can generat...
 

Also Known As

No data available
InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amplify, Ivanti, Kreditech, CloudAlly
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about DataSunrise Database Security vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
910,437 professionals have used our research since 2012.