IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs Tenable Vulnerability Management comparison

IBM and Tenable are both solutions in the Vulnerability Management category. IBM is ranked #46 with an average rating of 5.0, while Tenable is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 0.5% mindshare in VM, compared to Tenable’s 4.9% mindshare. Additionally, 66% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Tenable users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Tenable Vulnerability Management and IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment are competitors in the vulnerability assessment category. Tenable often maintains an edge due to its accessible pricing and support, whereas IBM Guardium stands out with powerful features that may justify its higher cost.

Features: Tenable Vulnerability Management offers extensive integrations, proactive threat detection capabilities, and flexible security management. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment focuses on database vulnerability scanning, data-centric protection, and a comprehensive security approach.

Room for Improvement: Tenable could improve its reporting customization, scalability for larger enterprises, and advanced analytics. IBM Guardium might enhance its user interface, streamline deployment processes, and broaden its non-database integration capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Tenable provides straightforward deployment with high-quality customer support aimed at simplifying the user experience. In contrast, IBM Guardium involves a more complex deployment process but offers robust professional support services to assist with implementation challenges.

Pricing and ROI: Tenable Vulnerability Management is known for its competitive pricing structure and favorable return on investment, making it cost-effective for many scenarios. IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment requires a higher initial investment but delivers significant ROI in environments prioritizing deep database security.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

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

Zafran Security

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Vulnerability Management category, the mindshare of Zafran Security is 1.0%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment is 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Vulnerability Management is 4.9%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vulnerability Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Tenable Vulnerability Management	4.9%
Zafran Security	1.0%
IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment	0.5%
Other	93.6%

Vulnerability Management

Featured Reviews

Israel Cavazos Landini

Associate Director IT Security Operations at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Weekly insights and risk analysis facilitate informed security decisions

I appreciate the weekly insights Zafran provides, which include critical topics for networks and IT security, allowing us to evaluate which insights apply to our environment. The organization score feature is valuable to keep the leadership team updated on how our infrastructure fares security-wise. The applicable risk level versus base risk level feature is beneficial because prior to Zafran, we only used the base risk level, but now understand that risk depends on the asset itself. Zafran is an excellent tool.

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Dr. Sajid Latif

Guardium Administrator at Interactive Group

Improvements sought in database optimization while benefiting from robust security monitoring

We use the analytical functionality of Guardium, but the analytical functionality is not so powerful or flexible because it does not include the application user ID. It only includes the database user ID. To identify risky users, it does not support end users, so IBM must incorporate this feature into the built-in analytical engine of the Guardium. There is only one problem I experienced while using Guardium: the internal database of the collector is MySQL, which is not so powerful or flexible. When you make a query in a MySQL database, it takes too much time to respond. IBM should replace this MySQL database with a more powerful internal database for the logging mechanism so that Guardium can collect logging data flexibly and ensure optimization. My overall experience with Guardium is good. The only problem is that IBM must replace the internal DB, MySQL, with a more powerful enterprise-level database because enterprises use it at an enterprise level, and MySQL does not support optimally.

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Mani Bommisetty

Infrastructure patching Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Streamlines vulnerability management with excellent reporting and potential AI integration

Tenable is user-friendly and excels in reporting. It allows me to easily fetch and schedule reports. The software's discovery feature aids in strengthening our security posture. The single-sensor installation process on various operating systems is smooth, unlike Rapid7, which requires different versions for separate systems. Furthermore, Tenable enables vulnerability management through potential AI integration that consolidates efforts and resolves multiple vulnerabilities simultaneously.

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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

"Zafran is an excellent tool."

"We saw benefits from Zafran Security almost immediately after deploying it."

"Zafran has become an indispensable tool in our cybersecurity arsenal."

"We are able to see the real risk of a vulnerability on our environment with our security tools."

"Overall, we have seen about eighty-seven percent reduction of the number of vulnerabilities that require urgency to remediate, specifically the number of criticals."

"The reporting features are good and there are many built-in reports that can be quickly configured."

"It helped with some of the regulatory requirements. It also helped with some of the security analytics and analysis. It was worthwhile from that perspective."

"The most valuable feature is that it provides a simple English recommendation on actions that you need to take once a vulnerability is discovered."

"The Vulnerability Assessment feature is quite stable and helps identify numerous vulnerabilities in databases."

"Tenable.io Vulnerability Management is an easy-to-use product. I"

"The integration of Tenable into our security ecosystem was very good."

"It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"The solution's most valuable feature is providing a single pane of visibility on all the infrastructure and its status."

"It is a very, very user-friendly tool...The setup is easy"

"It's a recommended tool for penetration testers because it's effective for that purpose."

"The dashboard is pretty intuitive, and it lets you do a drill-down analysis of each vulnerability. That is something that brings a lot of value to the organization."

"Tenable is user-friendly and excels in reporting."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management pros

Cons

"Initially, we were somewhat concerned about the scalability of Zafran due to our large asset count and the substantial amount of information we needed to process."

"I think the ability to have some enhanced reporting capabilities is something they can improve on, as they have good reports but we have asked for some specific reporting enhancements."

"The dashboarding and reporting functionality of Zafran Security is an area that definitely could use some improvements."

"There is only one problem I experienced while using Guardium: the internal database of the collector is MySQL, which is not so powerful or flexible."

"The interface could be improved by having sub-groups of tests, ultimately making the process of collecting tests faster."

"It was not as easy to use. The user-friendliness of it was somewhat lower than what I was expecting. It was also lacking in terms of the ease of the setup. There should be an automatic agent for deployment."

"Building policies is not that easy. There are some things that are turned off by default, for example, displaying values."

"The solution must provide penetration testing."

"I would like the solution to cover the whole cycle of mitigation since it's an area where the solution currently lacks."

"The one drawback that we have found is the reports."

"The solution is a bit slow."

"The UI has room for improvement."

"An area of improvement for this solution is being able to customize the dashboard. For example, the dashboard does not allow us to view a previous months vulnerability results alongside current results to make comparisons."

"The solution seems to focus too much on enterprises, and they really need a product that works for SMBs."

"There needs to be better dashboard navigation."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"One thing not advantageous for it was that it was a little bit more expensive. I would rate it one out of five in terms of pricing."

"The product costs us around $137,000 annually for 4000 to 5000 assets."

"The total cost we pay for this solution is over 45K. This is for a large education organization."

"The solution is not too expensive."

"Tenable.io Vulnerability Management's pricing solution model isn't great."

"Yearly payments are to be made toward the licensing cost of the product. It is neither a cheap nor an expensive product."

"Tenable.io is not known for being a cheap product."

"A yearly payment has to be made toward the solution's licensing costs."

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. It is in the middle."

More Tenable Vulnerability Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

37%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	20

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zafran Security?

Since we stood Zafran Security up in our private cloud, we handle the maintenance on our side. As we opted not to use...

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What needs improvement with Zafran Security?

In terms of areas for improvement, Zafran Security is doing a really great job as a new and emerging company. Oftenti...

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What is your primary use case for Zafran Security?

My use cases for Zafran Security revolve around two primary areas. One is around vulnerability management and priorit...

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What needs improvement with IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We use the analytical functionality of Guardium, but the analytical functionality is not so powerful or flexible beca...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We are still using IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment. We only use IBM Guardium Data Protection and monitoring, da...

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What advice do you have for others considering IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment?

We do not use IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment for data encryption or any other tool for analytics, or identity ...

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What's the difference between Tenable Nessus and Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

Tenable Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution that is both easy to deploy and easy to manage. The design of ...

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What do you like most about Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

The tool has an easy-to-use interface.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Tenable.io Vulnerability Management?

I don't think I have any additional features to add for improvement, as Tenable Vulnerability Management does a prett...

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Comparisons

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Compared 37% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

ServiceNow Security Operations vs Zafran Security

Compared 6% of the time

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Qualys VMDR vs IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

Compared 28% of the time

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Compared 25% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment

Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

Amazon Inspector vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 8% of the time

Qualys VMDR vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 5% of the time

SentinelOne Singularity Identity vs Tenable Vulnerability Management

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Zafran Security

August 2025

Download Zafran Security product report

Buyer's Guide

Vulnerability Management

August 2025

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment report

Download IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment product report

Buyer's Guide

Tenable Vulnerability Management

August 2025

Download Tenable Vulnerability Management product report

Also Known As

No data available

Tenable.io

Overview

Zafran Security integrates with existing security tools to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities effectively, proving that most critical vulnerabilities are not exploitable, optimizing threat management.

Zafran Security introduces an innovative operating model for managing security threats and vulnerabilities. By leveraging the threat exposure management platform, it pinpoints and prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities, reducing risk through immediate remediation. This platform enhances your hybrid cloud security by normalizing vulnerability signals and integrating specific IT context data, such as CVE runtime presence and internet asset reachability, into its analysis. No longer reliant on patch windows, Zafran Security allows you to manage risks actively.

What are the key features of Zafran Security?

Threat Exposure Management: Utilizes existing tools to prioritize vulnerabilities and manage threats.
Integrative Analysis: Combines security data with IT context for precise vulnerability management.
Real-time Risk Reduction: Enables immediate risk management without waiting for patches.
Hybrid Cloud Compatibility: Functions across diverse cloud environments for comprehensive security.

What benefits can users expect from Zafran Security?

Improved Security: Enhances protection by efficiently identifying and mitigating risks.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces unnecessary patching expenses by confirming non-exploitable vulnerabilities.
Time Savings: Frees developers to focus on root causes by handling immediate threats.
Comprehensive Insight: Offers a holistic view of security threats and vulnerabilities.

In industries where security is paramount, such as finance and healthcare, Zafran Security provides invaluable protection by ensuring that only exploitable vulnerabilities are addressed. It allows entities to maintain robust security measures while allocating resources efficiently, fitting seamlessly into existing security strategies.

Zafran Security

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment scans data infrastructures (databases, data warehouses and big data environments) to detect vulnerabilities, and suggests remedial actions. The solution identifies exposures such as missing patches, weak passwords, unauthorized changes and misconfigured privileges.

IBM

Managed in the cloud and powered by Tenable Nessus, Tenable Vulnerability Management (formerly Tenable.io) provides the industry's most comprehensive vulnerability coverage with real-time continuous assessment of your organization. Built-in prioritization, threat intelligence and real-time insight help you understand your exposures and proactively prioritize remediations.

Tenable

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Global Payments AU/NZ

Buyer's Guide

IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

September 2025

Free Report: IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Guardium Vulnerability Assessment vs. Tenable Vulnerability Management and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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