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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] comparison

IBM and McAfee are both solutions in the Database Security category. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of McAfee users who would recommend it.
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Read 80 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews
  • 5,468 Views
  • 4,538 Comparison Views
86% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security.

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Database Security
January 2026
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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

IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
Database Security (1st)
McAfee Vulnerability Manage...
Average Rating
7.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

DP
David Plazer
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
Ensures data security and compliance with reliable alerts and protections
The manuals should be clearer. There needs to be an online course or tutorial for faster management training. The maintenance was slightly complicated. I had to read the manuals carefully and even failed the Guardium certification exam due to insufficient information or time. Improving the tool learning process would be beneficial.
Read full review
Wahidur Rahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Wahidur Rahman
Senior Executive Officer at United Commercial Bank Limited
The solution's activity monitoring is valuable, but it should have more integrations and updates overall
Our primary use case for this solution is activity, authentication, and scans for audit purposes and priority assessments The feature I have found most valuable is activity monitoring. McAfee has not had many legacy features. They are not updating their value adjustment.In the next feature, I'd…
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tech support is very knowledgeable."
"The most valuable feature of the solution for the customers is the monitoring and full log of the database activity of privileged users."
"Easy to set up data activity monitoring solution that provides competent technical support. Scalable, stable, and has good performance."
"Provides a unified key management system to help simplify encryption key management."
"Our internal audit is keeping an eye out, and making sure that we're in compliance. Having the Guardium solution and its reporting helps us get through that process a lot more quickly and efficiently."
"Satisfies audit requests, to give us an idea if anybody is accessing our privileged user IDs without our knowledge."
"The front-end works very well."
"The most valuable features are the reporting and data-level access control."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros
"The feature I have found most valuable is activity monitoring."
"The support is very good. They are very quick to respond when we have issues."
"The technical support is good; they are knowledgeable."
 

Cons

"It would be helpful, and convenient to improve the Chat support."
"The ability for Central Managers to talk to one another could be improved. I have 26 Central Managers and 26 silos which are independent."
"Guardium's storage capabilities could use some improvement. I'd also like to have some better integration using digital technology or a connector."
"The price of this solution is quite high for smaller organizations, so they should release a version that is affordable for small and medium-sized businesses."
"IBM Guardium Data Protection is a mature product. There is a lot of encryption that is not owned by IBM and is done by a third party and is not an integral part of the solution."
"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."
"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."
"Deployment process is very complicated as you need to now all advanced parameters. Almost not possible to figure out for yourself."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons
"Technical support could be more responsive."
"In the next feature, I'd like to see more integrations and updates overall, specifically bottom tech."
"The UI needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's an expensive solution"
"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."
"The product's pricing is reasonable and affordable. It is in the moderate range."
"It is a very costly product."
"The price of the solution could be better."
"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."
"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. ​"
"IBM Guardium Data Protection charges you based on the number of users, e.g. based on the number of licenses, and it's either on a per-license or a per-data basis."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice
"It's not expensive compared to other products that are available."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Insurance Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

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

Questions from the Community

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...
See all answers
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.
See all answers
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 activities.
See all answers
Ask a question
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Comparisons

Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 54% of the time
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 14% of the time
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 5% of the time
Oracle Database Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Database Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors
No data available
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
January 2026
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reportDownload IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report
Buyer's Guide
Database Security
January 2026
McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] reportDownload McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] product report
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
No data available
 

Overview

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection offers automatic discovery and classification of sensitive data, real-time monitoring, and advanced analytics to identify unusual activities around data.

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is designed to safeguard sensitive data across enterprises with real-time activity monitoring and comprehensive security features. Its capabilities include data discovery, classification, and compliance automation with pre-built templates for regulations like PCI, SOX, HIPAA, and CCPA. Supporting a variety of platforms, it facilitates seamless monitoring, making it a valuable asset for diverse environments in maintaining data security and compliance.

What are the key features?
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Provides alerts for unauthorized activities.
  • Data Masking: Protects data through masking techniques.
  • Access Control: Ensures only authorized users gain access.
  • Query Rewriting: Alters queries to maintain data integrity.
  • Platform Support: Monitors across multiple environments.
Why consider this for ROI?
  • Ease of Deployment: Simplifies the setup process for enterprises.
  • Robust Reporting: Enhances transparency through detailed audit trails.
  • Compliance Automation: Streamlines compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Risk Management: Identifies and mitigates potential risks efficiently.

Industries like banking and finance utilize IBM Security Guardium Data Protection to enhance database security and compliance efforts. Enterprises employ it to detect incidents and manage vulnerabilities, focusing on protecting customer data and maintaining privacy standards. The technology aids in incident detection and supports adherence to security regulations.

IBM

McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases automatically discovers databases on your network, determines if the latest patches have been applied, and tests for common weaknesses.

McAfee
Buyer's Guide
Database Security
January 2026
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