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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security comparison

IBM and Imperva are both solutions in the Database Security category. IBM is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8, while Imperva is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.7. IBM holds a 32.0% mindshare in DS, compared to Imperva’s 31.2% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Imperva users who would recommend it.
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Read 78 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews
  • 4,901 Views
  • 2,342 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
Imperva SecureSphere Databa...
Read 55 Imperva SecureSphere Database Security reviews
  • 3,730 Views
  • 2,382 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Imperva SecureSphere and IBM Security Guardium Data Protection compete in the database security market. Imperva holds an edge due to its comprehensive security alerts and real-time monitoring capabilities.

Features: Imperva SecureSphere provides advanced threat alerts, a robust Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) module, and seamless data classification. It also includes a web application firewall and offers integration with third-party systems. IBM Guardium excels in vulnerability assessments, supports a wide range of databases, and integrates well with IBM's own security suite. It is renowned for its accurate vulnerability assessments and comprehensive database protection.

Room for Improvement: Imperva SecureSphere could improve integration with mainframe environments, reporting capabilities, and support for cloud-hosted databases. Users report challenges with its user interface and scalability. IBM Guardium should enhance its file activity monitoring, refine its user interface, and improve deployment flexibility for complex environments. Both solutions need more intuitive licensing models and better support experiences.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Imperva SecureSphere is mainly deployed on-premises, though it offers some cloud integrations, necessitating advanced administrative knowledge for setup. Customer support experiences vary, from prompt assistance to inconsistent service. IBM Guardium supports on-premises, private, and hybrid cloud deployments, generally receiving positive feedback for its customer service, though technical assistance could improve in responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: Imperva SecureSphere is seen as expensive but offers flexible licensing that can suit different enterprise needs, ensuring a high ROI through reduced losses and compliance risk. IBM Guardium traditionally has complex pricing due to PVU-based licensing, although new server-based models aim to simplify this. Organizations appreciate its ROI for robust security insights and compliance, though need to evaluate budget constraints for cost-effectiveness.

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To learn more, read our detailed IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
April 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
7.6
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Imperva SecureSphere Databa...
Ranking in Database Security
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 32.0%, up from 31.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security is 31.2%, down from 32.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmer Faisel Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers mature agents, compliance reporting and reliable database security
The solution should allow the data to shift to a centralized repository with elastic servers and big data infrastructure. If a customer searches for old logs for retention purposes, there are limitations on appliances once they are set with specific hardware, so they can only be changed by uninstalling or reinstalling the hardware. The solution's aggregator feature allows data aggregation, but for instance, if a customer wants a project ready in two years, having an Elasticsearch in DB or the capacity to store huge amounts of data would be beneficial in data investigation or evaluation at an affordable cost. Some AI features should be added to IBM Security Guardium Data Protection. For example, the AI features implemented in the solution can be anomaly detection or suspicious activity identification.
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Andrew_Kampolo - PeerSpot reviewer
The fine-grained auditing available on the platform makes life easier and helps explain anything happening in your database
Imperva's most valuable features are ease of use and log correlation. I also like the ability to trace activity from the host machine to the server access, the user details, and the exact query that they executed. If a database administrator or application process executes a query on the database, people know exactly what was executed, including all the variables. For example, it will tell you how many rows they were trying to select on which table, and you get the OS information, network details, IPs, and the user. That fine-grained auditing available on the platform makes life easier and helps explain anything happening in your database.
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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

"he solution offers trouble-free access."
"Gathering ​the data works very well. ​"
"We also use IBM Guardium to support security initiatives and compliance policies. For example, our audit area can verify if someone has access to information that they shouldn't have, for their regular job functions."
"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."
"The most valuable features are the reporting and data-level access control."
"Provides a unified key management system to help simplify encryption key management."
"Satisfies audit requests, to give us an idea if anybody is accessing our privileged user IDs without our knowledge."
"Compliance Quick Start – Quick, GUI, step-by-step guide to automate compliance and give the customer a quick ROI."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros
"The most valuable features of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are vulnerability assessment, enrichment security policy, and security"
"As we are very sensitive to financial impacts, this product provides great protection for our organization."
"Imperva's most valuable features are ease of use and log correlation. I also like the ability to trace activity from the host machine to the server access, the user details, and the exact query that they executed. If a database administrator or application process executes a query on the database, people know exactly what was executed, including all the variables."
"A solution which does what other name brand products do for a lower cost."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"This solution has helped secure our Internet-based services, protecting us against DoS and other types of web-based attacks."
"We use it for database security, vulnerability analysis, discovery, and handling requests from applications and users."
"The solution provides significant benefits such as compliance and security. Its data risk analytics tool helps reduce numerous events to more manageable incidents."
More Imperva SecureSphere Database Security pros
 

Cons

"Guardium Data Protection is far better in terms of external integration. But in terms of firewall features, like when you're blocking activities, it's as if Oracle AVDF simply has superior features. This is just from third-party observations, but the users of Oracle AVDF are saying that when it comes to the firewall and protection functionality, they're much more inclined to AVDF."
"Using the data in native Guardium is difficult, at best."
"Flexibility could be improved."
"The solution should allow the data to shift to a centralized repository with elastic servers and big data infrastructure"
"More predictive, using Watson AI would be good."
"Right now, we're in the development phase for IBM Guardium Data Protection, so I don't have any recommendations about additional features and room for improvement in the solution. We're very excited to work on IBM Guardium Data Protection because we are new to the solution, and we're still exploring product features. We're very excited about integrations and use case creation, and it's only after six to eight months that I'll be able to share my recommendations in terms of additional features the solution should have. We did find some difficulty in deploying IBM Guardium Data Protection here in Pakistan because of the lack of resources."
"Initial setup is very complex. Once you start interacting with people's databases, they get very hesitant. Then, the amount of social tasks to socialize the solution ensuring people are comfortable with it became a much heavier lift."
"I would like to be able to upgrade appliances within major versions without needing to rebuild the appliance."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons
"The solution could improve by having more integration."
"The interface is not user-friendly."
"Imperva needs to improve their cloud capabilities."
"I would like to see integration such that there is support for different kinds of environments, such as on-premises versus cloud."
"The firewall features are not very strong and should be improved."
"I would like to see improvement in the integration part of the tool. This should be an easy process."
"They can maybe look at its pricing model. Its pricing could be cheaper for the African countries or developing economies."
"SecureSphere activity log can be used with Imperva CounterBreach in an effort to protect enterprise data from theft and loss caused."
More Imperva SecureSphere Database Security cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"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."
"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."
"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."
"My company purchased IBM Guardium Data Protection in a package, so I'm unable to give its exact licensing cost, but for the package of three IBM solutions, it wasn't very expensive. I'd rate the pricing for all three solutions three out of five. When my team deployed IBM Guardium Data Protection, all features were included."
"It's an expensive solution"
"The price of Guardium is higher than the main competitor, Imperva. In addition, it's complex as the calculation of the licensing is done by Processor Value Unit (PVU). However, before purchasing a DAP solution, it is important to analyze specific points to evaluate the cost-benefit of each tool. For example: Does the environment to be monitored have mainframes? If so, it's a point for Guardium. If not, a point for Imperva. Note: IBM is looking into a new licensing policy and reducing the price of Guardium."
"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."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice
"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."
"The setup and license are quite expensive."
"It is very expensive."
"Imperva is too expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises. They're missing out on technology that helps them manage their data security better. Data security is essential because even the strongest network may be attacked from the inside without it."
"The product’s price is reasonable compared to other products."
"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."
"There is an annual licensing fee for upgrading the device."
"The price of the solution is reasonable. The cost of the solution depends on the customer, they have the flex protect licensing which can vary in price."
More Imperva SecureSphere Database Security pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
28%
Computer Software Company
15%
Insurance Company
7%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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.
See all answers
Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
My recommendation is Imperva.
See all answers
What do you like most about Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?
The tool's pricing is flexible and affordable for small and medium enterprises.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?
It is not cheaper, but based on the feature, it is okay.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 3% of the time
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Oracle Audit Vault vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
Compared 20% of the time
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Compared 9% of the time
Trustwave DbProtect vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security Logo
Trustwave DbProtect vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
Compared 5% of the time
jSonar vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security Logo
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Compared 2% of the time
Imperva DDoS vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security Logo
Imperva DDoS vs Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
Compared 1% of the time
More Imperva SecureSphere Database Security Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
April 2025
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reportDownload IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report
Buyer's Guide
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
April 2025
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security reportDownload Imperva SecureSphere Database Security product report
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
No data available
 

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

Imperva SecureSphere Database Security:

  • Audits all access to sensitive data.
  • Alerts or blocks database attacks and unauthorized activities, in real time.
  • Detects and virtually patches database vulnerabilities.
  • Identifies excessive user rights and dormant users, and enables a complete rights review cycle.
  • Accelerates incident response and forensics investigations with advanced analytics.
Imperva
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
April 2025
Free Report: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
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