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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Imperva Data Security Fabric vs Oracle Audit Vault 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.8
Users report mixed ROI from IBM Guardium, noting benefits in compliance and security, but find measurement challenging.
Sentiment score
6.6
Imperva Data Security Fabric offers high ROI and efficiency, saving hours and boosting productivity for large organizations.
Sentiment score
5.6
Organizations quickly recouped investments in Oracle Audit Vault through compliance, reduced fines, improved security, adaptability, and efficiency.
The investment return was good because IBM Security Guardium Data Protection provided significant security and compliance benefits.
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
My thoughts on the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are that it could be more competitive.
Group Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
Users report mixed experiences with IBM Guardium support, highlighting responsiveness but noting slow response times for complex issues.
Sentiment score
6.1
Imperva offers moderate to excellent customer support; response times vary, though users find their assistance knowledgeable and reliable.
Sentiment score
5.8
Oracle Audit Vault support receives mixed reviews: praised for technical ability, but criticized for delays, inefficiency, and insufficient documentation.
The answers are quick and clear.
Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
I did not receive support from IBM.
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
Local vendors provide on-ground support, and if issues cannot be resolved, a support ticket is raised to the OEM via a portal.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Regarding customer support, I would like to see improvements in response time.
Group Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Considering that service disruptions were raised as a severity two issue, I would rate my experience with technical support around eight to 8.5.
DB Engineer at Datacell
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is highly scalable, integrates well, and supports diverse platforms but needs proper management to avoid issues.
Sentiment score
6.8
Imperva Data Security Fabric is scalable, with flexible deployment, efficient for various sizes, but has infrastructure management and licensing challenges.
Sentiment score
6.6
Oracle Audit Vault scales well but faces challenges with complex configurations and high user volumes, especially with RAC.
The scalability of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security in accommodating the organization's growth and database security needs is excellent.
Group Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The solution works well for large organizations and enterprise levels if appropriately sized during the setup.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is stable, reliable, and well-rated, with minor issues mostly resolved through updates.
Sentiment score
7.0
Imperva Data Security Fabric is largely stable, though initial challenges and maintenance needs can affect performance under specific conditions.
Sentiment score
6.2
Oracle Audit Vault's stability improved in newer versions, addressing initial issues with training and support as key factors.
It is important to manage it correctly by performing health checks with the vendor.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
I rate the stability of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security as nine because there are ongoing integration processes between Imperva and Thales.
BDM at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Oracle Audit Vault is very stable, with the exception of some certificate issues that disrupted the environment for up to a month.
DB Engineer at Datacell
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Security Guardium needs improved file monitoring, UI, reporting, support, encryption, automation, integration, installation, and faster issue resolution.
Imperva Data Security Fabric faces interface challenges, lacks comprehensive reporting, struggles with integration, needs better performance, support, and documentation.
Oracle Audit Vault needs better data handling, cost efficiency, user-friendliness, integration, and performance improvements for broader accessibility.
Improving the tool learning process would be beneficial.
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
There is a lot of documentation, but you cannot search for it on Google.
Analyst/ Manager at Itaipu Binacional
Currently, it doesn't use encryption for IBM i, because it's impossible.
Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
We cannot be competitive by price alone, though in terms of quality, Imperva SecureSphere Database Security is the best compared to Russian import products and building products such as Garda, which attempt to copy Imperva's data activity monitoring and database firewall functionality.
BDM at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
The archiving functionalities should be enhanced to allow easy conversion of archived logs into CSV or Excel formats for data analysis.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
I would like to see more control over the operating system in Oracle Audit Vault.
DB Engineer at Datacell
 

Setup Cost

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is costly but offers robust features, better suited for large enterprises than smaller organizations.
Imperva Data Security Fabric is costly but valued for robust features; consider trials to assess fit for your organization.
Oracle Audit Vault is costly but valued for security and compliance, requiring expertise and is expensive in multitenant setups.
Guardium is an expensive tool because it is targeted towards corporate enterprises.
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
The price is high, but it is not as high as competitors like IBM, Guardian, and Oracle.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection offers comprehensive data security with monitoring, alerts, access controls, compliance support, and user-friendly interface.
Imperva Data Security Fabric offers robust data protection, monitoring, compliance, and integration features, making it ideal for sensitive data security.
Oracle Audit Vault offers centralized auditing, SQL monitoring, compliance reporting, and robust security features, enhancing database protection and adaptability.
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.
Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
The valuable features enable us to track all activities on the database.
Analyst/ Manager at Itaipu Binacional
The most valuable features, in my opinion, included the alerts and protections for specific tables and fields.
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security provides one of the best solutions to analyze data, maintain GDPR compliance, and help investigate any incidents.
BDM at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
The Imperva SecureSphere Database Security has significantly aided my organization in forensic investigations and compliance audits.
Group Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
If something malicious occurs, I can set a policy to block it, review the action, and decide whether to release it if it's found not to be malicious.
Information Security Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Oracle Audit Vault's best feature, if configured well and used effectively, includes the blocking and Database Firewall part that makes an impact because it allows you to filter SQLs on the fly and have more control over database access.
DB Engineer at Datacell
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 28.0%, down from 32.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva Data Security Fabric is 26.7%, down from 32.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Audit Vault is 10.8%, down from 16.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection28.0%
Imperva Data Security Fabric26.7%
Oracle Audit Vault10.8%
Other34.5%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

DP
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.
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.
YB
DB Engineer at Datacell
Has improved database monitoring and enabled proactive threat detection across multiple clients
We have created customized alerts to help prevent unauthorized access, specifically for one of the banks, collaborating with the team to set it up on the core banking database. Organizations considering Oracle Audit Vault should recognize that its integration to Oracle database is seamless, allowing for detailed reporting, alerts, and high security. We have worked with customizable alerts regarding Oracle Audit Vault. We have created one alert based on the categories available in Oracle Audit Vault. Oracle Audit Vault uses an agent that is pushed from the appliance, which I downloaded the JAR file from. We are now considering creating a replication and patching process with planned downtime, but we have not yet experienced scaling out or patching. I would rate this review with an overall rating of nine.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
22%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
Insurance Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise32
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise11
 

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, 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 ...
What do you like most about Oracle Audit Vault?
Oracle Audit Vault has a lot of great features, but what I find most valuable is the database firewall.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Audit Vault?
I don't know anything about the pricing aspect, as that is usually handled by my boss, Eric. Mr. Eric handles all pro...
What needs improvement with Oracle Audit Vault?
I would like to see more control over the operating system in Oracle Audit Vault, along with easier methods to send s...
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, jSonar, Imperva's Data Security Posture Management
Audit Vault
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health, Educational Testing Service, Ryohin Keikaku Co. Ltd., SPC Brasil, REDISA, Qatar Olympic Committee, Seneca College, Hunan Social Insurance Management and Service Bureau,
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security. Updated: March 2026.
885,728 professionals have used our research since 2012.