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DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Imperva Data Security Fabric 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of DataSunrise Database Security is 4.8%, down from 5.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 27.3%, down from 32.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva Data Security Fabric is 25.6%, down from 32.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection27.3%
Imperva Data Security Fabric25.6%
DataSunrise Database Security4.8%
Other42.3%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

KS
Data Security Delivery Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Unified masking and discovery have protected sensitive data across hybrid production copies
I appreciate many features, including real-time database activity monitoring and auditing. In my environment, I manage numerous production systems for different applications. When teams need to copy production databases containing sensitive information such as PII, PHI, or PCI to non-production environments, I apply masking to those sensitive fields and protect the data from unauthorized users. DataSunrise Database Security's data discovery capability is another valuable tool I use to identify sensitive data.
Marylennis Franco - PeerSpot reviewer
Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Has improved data visibility and streamlined compliance reporting across multiple database platforms
The best feature is how many databases we can protect with one solution because it has compatibility with different databases, including Oracle, SQL, and DB2. The data activity monitoring feature is very good because we can check the PDS and have the information for that. We can schedule the reporting and receive it by email, which provides very important information for different areas of the company. We don't need to have a seat and a case or access to the portal, we just receive the report. The user-friendly interface is very good.
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

"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."
"My advice to others considering DataSunrise Database Security is that it is a good and unified tool."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of DataSunrise Database Security is Dynamic Masking, as you don't need to build copies of the database, it is highly customizable, and 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."
"Guardium does a great job of capturing data and having the ability of trying to pull it out and make sense of it. Using it for business applications is its biggest capability."
"Efficiency is key and IBM Guardium provides information in a heartbeat, but protects the data with military grade encryption."
"We are using it to do a lot of data discovery from a data classification for structured data."
"Our main focus for IBM Guardium is to support security initiatives and compliance policies within our organization. We use the DPD product for monitoring, especially for GDPR, SOX regulations and, of course, the vulnerability assessment that we use to make sure we're keeping up with our patches, making sure things are configured, making sure we're following the best practices."
"Good data encryption and data masking features."
"Its ability to find data; once I find data, I can leverage it to perform specific select statements against PII data and do smarter controls rather than monitoring the entire database."
"IBM Guardium Data Protection has better integration options than most of the leading competitors on the market, and the price is always better."
"IBM Guardium Data Protection improved our organization by providing visibility into our database functions."
"SecureSphere fulfills so many requirements for our clients."
"The most valuable features of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are vulnerability assessment, enrichment security policy, and security."
"The tool happens to be very intelligent when it comes to processing policies and sounding alerts, allowing us to implement policies and measure actions against them, raising alerts accordingly."
"The level of detail provided is excellent, allowing the resources that manage the actual devices to determine whether or not the activity is a legitimate concern and to rectify the activity in a timely manner."
"Imperva SecureSphere Database Security is used to store data so that if there is an emergency we can restore it."
"The best features of Imperva Data Security are that it's a complete solution and it safeguards company reputation."
"The integration with CounterBreach is great."
"I like Imperva SecureSphere platform forms. Imperva SecureSphere is the foundation for SecureSphere data, file and web application solutions."
 

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."
"The solution has many features but I would like to see vulnerability assessments in the next release."
"DataSunrise Database Security comes out with new builds every time we have a small issue. This has made the solution not always stable."
"The deployment is complex and requires expertise to deploy."
"Guardium has limitations so most companies using advanced technologies have stopped using this tool because it doesn't have the capability to identify the PII data in flat files."
"Right now we're having some issues where it's using a high CPU, we don't know why. So, better testing before the product is ready would help."
"There are features like end-to-end and S-TAP mapping, and the ability to install policies for your configuration builder. They're not there, but we'd like to see them in the next version."
"Using the data in native Guardium is difficult, at best."
"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."
"We've had some issues recently that we're working through, on the agent software that runs on the databases."
"More predictive, using Watson AI would be good."
"It is quite expensive. We wanted it in my former organization, but the price was very high."
"SecureSphere activity log can be used with Imperva CounterBreach in an effort to protect enterprise data from theft and loss caused."
"The agent does not monitor databases in the containers."
"Sometimes the reports are cumbersome, and you have to drill down to get more information."
"All areas of this product have room for improvement."
"Overall, it's a very good product but they could do with some modifications log-wise."
"The stability and the ease of use of this product can be improved."
"I think the biggest challenge with their product is the management of it; it requires a lot of upkeep and deployment of a lot of servers that require regular updating, and if you want to make any changes it's a lot of work to get things moving."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is expensive."
"The price of the solution could be better."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Reasonable cost but could be lower."
"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."
"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."
"IBM solutions have fair price strategy, and operates on a yearly basis. If it's a SaaS solution, then you can opt for 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 setup and license are quite expensive."
"The price of the solution is reasonable and it requires a license."
"Imperva SecureSphere Database Security was quite expensive several years ago, but now they provide a subscription plan for licensing. It is available now for smaller and medium-sized companies, not only large enterprises."
"They have introduced new price models, which makes the product more affordable now."
"The cost of support for this solution is very expensive."
"Its pricing could be cheaper for the African countries or developing economies. The British pound is valued way more than the currency of most African countries. A better or cheaper pricing model for Nigerian and African customers would be better. It has a per-year subscription model. You pay exactly for what you need. That's all. You don't have to buy what you don't need."
"It is very expensive."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
10%
Retailer
6%
Financial Services Firm
22%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
Insurance Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

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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, co...
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 enterpr...
What do you like most about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection?
The features I like are the robust policies, which allow us to create customized monitoring based on specific activit...
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 ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, jSonar, Imperva's Data Security Posture Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Amplify, Ivanti, Kreditech, CloudAlly
Information Not Available
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security. Updated: March 2026.
889,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.