IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform comparison

IBM and Protegrity are both solutions in the Database Security category. IBM is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Protegrity is ranked #5 with an average rating of 10.0. IBM holds a 29.3% mindshare in DS, compared to Protegrity’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Protegrity users who would recommend it.

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Read 79 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews

4,782 Views
3,969 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Protegrity’s Data Protectio...

Read 3 Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform reviews

1,109 Views
122 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Protegrity’s Data Protectio...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

Protegrity's Data Protection Platform and IBM Security Guardium Data Protection compete in data security. IBM seems to have the upper hand with a more extensive feature set, though Protegrity is preferred for pricing and customer support.

Features: Protegrity provides advanced data-centric encryption, tokenization, and anonymization, emphasizing ease of integration and regulatory compliance. IBM Security Guardium offers comprehensive activity monitoring, real-time data protection, and sophisticated analytics enhancing its security posture.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Protegrity is noted for straightforward deployment and competent support, ensuring smooth integration. IBM, while more customizable, requires more involved setup, relying on documentation and support.

Pricing and ROI: Protegrity is competitively priced with faster initial setup, leading to rapid ROI. IBM Security Guardium, despite a higher initial cost, offers substantial ROI over time, especially for organizations needing scalable security solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

September 2025

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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 ...

Ranking in Database Security

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Protegrity’s Data Protectio...

Ranking in Database Security

5th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Governance (18th), Data Masking (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 29.3%, down from 33.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform is 1.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection	29.3%
Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform	1.5%
Other	69.2%

Database Security

Featured Reviews

Marylennis Franco

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.

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Vinoth Raj Prabhakaran

Senior Data Architect at Tata Consultancy Services

Beneficial data security, good support, and straightforward initial setup

The initial setup of Protegrity Data Security was straightforward. However, we had a few problems, it's not multi-tenanted. It does not have a hierarchy of roles and differential priorities. To have the initial sandbox version of Protegrity Data Security up and running, took approximately one week. However, it needed to be set up in a resilient way because if it fails, then it is going to be a challenge bringing back the lost information. We have to be particular in terms of architecting it correctly which is taking us a bit of time. We are anticipating anywhere between four to six weeks to be finished.

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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 features of this product are activity monitoring on the database servers, discovery capabilities, and vulnerability scanning."

"The product has proven to be flexible"

"IBM Guardium Data Protection is very good at keeping your database secure."

"One of the most valuable features is the accelerator. It has a predefined report for PCI SOX compliance and other compliances."

"It can help with PCI compliance. It includes features like data masking, especially during queries, which supports compliance efforts."

"The vulnerability assessment is a valuable feature."

"We appreciate its ease of implementation and the local support available for the product."

"It allows us to put in controls to make sure that only the right persons access the proper records in the database."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros

"Its technical support team is helpful."

"The most valuable feature of Protegrity Data Security is the reduction of information being exposed."

"The solution’s pricing is moderate."

"The product is stable."

Cons

"Guardium could be improved in the area of data encryption."

"I would like to see a lot of additional reporting and analytics features. They have basic outlier detection, but I would love to see that go further, and model it after analytics tools like Splunk."

"We deal with updates manually on Sundays and sometimes face bugs with the newer versions."

"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."

"The manuals should be clearer. There needs to be an online course or tutorial for faster management training."

"We have had some issues with patches breaking things unexpectedly in our environments."

"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."

"The integration part of the present solution is very complex and tedious. Plus it gives a lot of false positives which need to be eradicated over time."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons

"Protegrity is using a different OS which has some bugs. Sometimes it's causing an initialization error."

"The solution's UI could be better."

"Protegrity Data Security could improve by having more integration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its cost is good. With the new metric of licensing, such as PDO not being available now, customers are expecting a good price for the solution."

"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."

"The product's pricing is reasonable and affordable. It is in the moderate range."

"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."

"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."

"Reasonable cost but could be lower."

"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. "

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice

"We pay for a few additional services apart from its licenses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

37%

Computer Software Company

11%

Insurance Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	45

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...

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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.

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What do you like most about Protegrity Data Security?

The product is stable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Protegrity Data Security?

Protegrity is using a different OS, which has some bugs. Sometimes, it's causing an initialization error.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Protegrity Data Security?

We use the solution to encrypt sensitive data like PII data. Any unauthorized person cannot find the exact sensitive value in case of data issues. We are using that tool to protect sensitive data.

See all answers

Comparisons

Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 52% of the time

Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 19% of the time

DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 5% of the time

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 3% of the time

OpenText Data Privacy and Protection Foundation (Voltage) vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors

Immuta vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Purview Data Governance vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

Compared 13% of the time

SAS Data Management vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

Compared 12% of the time

Solix Enterprise Data Management vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

Compared 11% of the time

Privacera vs Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

Compared 9% of the time

More Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

October 2025

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection report

Download IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Security

October 2025

Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform report

Download Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform product report

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium

Protegrity Data Security

Overview

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection automatically discovers and classifies sensitive data from across the enterprise, providing real-time data activity monitoring and advanced user behavior analytics to help discover unusual activity around sensitive data.

Deploy the solution to help discover regulated data in your data stores and use pre-built templates for regulations such as PCI, SOX, HIPAA, CCPA and many more, to streamline and automate compliance workflows.

IBM

Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform offers robust data security solutions tailored for enterprises seeking advanced data protection measures.

Designed for businesses needing comprehensive data protection, Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform provides encryption, anonymization, and monitoring to secure sensitive data across multiple environments. Its adaptability allows organizations to handle complex data privacy regulations.

What are the key features of Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform?

Encryption: Safeguards data both at rest and in transit with sophisticated encryption technologies.
Anonymization: Ensures compliance and privacy by anonymizing personal data.
Monitoring: Continuous data activity monitoring helps in detecting suspicious activities and preventing breaches.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Regulatory Compliance: Meets standards like GDPR and CCPA, reducing legal risks.
Cost Efficiency: Minimizes data breach costs through effective data protection.
Scalability: Supports growing data needs without compromising security.

Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform is particularly beneficial in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and retail, providing tailored security measures that protect sensitive customer data and foster trust. Its industry-specific solutions enhance data integrity and privacy, supporting organizations in maintaining competitive advantages.

Protegrity

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

A $4 billion retail conglomerate and holding company

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

September 2025

Free Report: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Protegrity’s Data Protection Platform

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