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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Imperva Data Security Fabric comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 17, 2025

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
6.2
IBM Security Guardium's value is acknowledged for security enhancements, despite challenges in quantifying ROI, aiding compliance and auditing.
Sentiment score
6.6
Imperva Data Security Fabric offers high ROI and efficiency, saving hours and boosting productivity for large organizations.
The investment return was good because IBM Security Guardium Data Protection provided significant security and compliance benefits.
My thoughts on the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are that it could be more competitive.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM Security Guardium support is generally good, with some variability in response times and effectiveness, scoring 7-9/10.
Sentiment score
6.1
Imperva offers moderate to excellent customer support; response times vary, though users find their assistance knowledgeable and reliable.
The answers are quick and clear.
I did not receive support from IBM.
Local vendors provide on-ground support, and if issues cannot be resolved, a support ticket is raised to the OEM via a portal.
Regarding customer support, I would like to see improvements in response time.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM Security Guardium is scalable and effective, though some users faced challenges with policy maintenance and large setups.
Sentiment score
6.8
Imperva Data Security Fabric is scalable, with flexible deployment, efficient for various sizes, but has infrastructure management and licensing challenges.
The scalability of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security in accommodating the organization's growth and database security needs is excellent.
The solution works well for large organizations and enterprise levels if appropriately sized during the setup.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is stable, with occasional resolved issues, requiring resources for deployment and update challenges.
Sentiment score
7.0
Imperva Data Security Fabric is largely stable, though initial challenges and maintenance needs can affect performance under specific conditions.
It is important to manage it correctly by performing health checks with the vendor.
I rate the stability of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security as nine because there are ongoing integration processes between Imperva and Thales.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Security Guardium needs better GUI, reporting, integration, support, data protection, deployment, database support, and performance enhancements.
Imperva Data Security Fabric faces interface challenges, lacks comprehensive reporting, struggles with integration, needs better performance, support, and documentation.
Improving the tool learning process would be beneficial.
Currently, it doesn't use encryption for IBM i, because it's impossible.
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.
The archiving functionalities should be enhanced to allow easy conversion of archived logs into CSV or Excel formats for data analysis.
 

Setup Cost

IBM Security Guardium is valued for robust data protection but has mixed reviews on pricing compared to competitors like Imperva.
Imperva Data Security Fabric is costly but valued for robust features; consider trials to assess fit for your organization.
Guardium is an expensive tool because it is targeted towards corporate enterprises.
The price is high, but it is not as high as competitors like IBM, Guardian, and Oracle.
 

Valuable Features

IBM Security Guardium offers real-time monitoring, encryption, and compliance support, excelling in database protection across multiple platforms.
Imperva Data Security Fabric offers robust data protection, monitoring, compliance, and integration features, making it ideal for sensitive data security.
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 most valuable features, in my opinion, included the alerts and protections for specific tables and fields.
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security provides one of the best solutions to analyze data, maintain GDPR compliance, and help investigate any incidents.
The real-time alerts and remediation actions available in Imperva SecureSphere Database Security have helped me promptly address security incidents.
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.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Ranking in Database Security
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Imperva Data Security Fabric
Ranking in Database Security
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (11th)
 

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 Imperva Data Security Fabric is 27.1%, down from 32.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection29.3%
Imperva Data Security Fabric27.1%
Other43.599999999999994%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Marylennis Franco - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Samuel Adeyemi - PeerSpot reviewer
Real-time data monitoring and policy-based activity blocking enhance security and awareness
The development mode on the platform needs improvement. For example, the archiving functionalities should be enhanced to allow easy conversion of archived logs into CSV or Excel formats for data analysis. When I need to investigate with archived data, the inability to export to these formats can be limiting. Making this process easier would be beneficial for reviews.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
22%
Computer Software Company
12%
Insurance Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise32
 

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...
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.
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.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Imperva Data Security Fabric and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,408 professionals have used our research since 2012.