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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] comparison

IBM and McAfee are both solutions in the Database Security category. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of McAfee users who would recommend it.
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Read 80 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews
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  • 4,538 Comparison Views
86% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Database Security
January 2026
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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 ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
Database Security (1st)
McAfee Vulnerability Manage...
Average Rating
7.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

DP
David Plazer
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.
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Wahidur Rahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Wahidur Rahman
Senior Executive Officer at United Commercial Bank Limited
The solution's activity monitoring is valuable, but it should have more integrations and updates overall
Our primary use case for this solution is activity, authentication, and scans for audit purposes and priority assessments The feature I have found most valuable is activity monitoring. McAfee has not had many legacy features. They are not updating their value adjustment.In the next feature, I'd…
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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

"Setting up Guardium was easy and straightforward."
"The ability to collect the data without database administers being able to modify it."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is the GUI, the interface. It also interfaces well with REST API, if you want to automate some of the commands."
"I like the reporting mechanism. It's very good."
"We use IBM Guardium to support security initiatives and combine policies within the organization."
"What I like about IBM Guardium Data Protection is that some of its features were deployed by collectors during the installation phase. The solution has collector and aggregator features, license installation, and even server patches that you won't find in other security providers. I like the collector-aggregator capabilities of IBM Guardium Data Protection where you install each component on separate servers, then on the aggregator, you collect all the logs on a central server or central console."
"The solution has definitely saved us time, because if you want to monitor this kind of vast environment of different products, it's going to take a lot of time. Let's say one database server has 100 database instances running on it; I don't need to install 100 data instances, I just need to install on the one database server and that will cover all of my instances on that particular database."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros
"The feature I have found most valuable is activity monitoring."
"The technical support is good; they are knowledgeable."
"The support is very good. They are very quick to respond when we have issues."
 

Cons

"The biggest complaint that I hear from customers and users is that using this solution requires database skills, yet it is a security and monitoring tool."
"If IBM Guardium Data Protection could find a way to not have a lot of coding and development required to get the solution up and running it would be an advantage. The information of the agent could improve, which is necessary for us to monitor the databases would be a great benefit."
"I am struggling getting through to social."
"Guardium could be improved in the area of data encryption."
"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."
"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."
"​Overall testing and quality need improvement. It is fairly buggy at times, so it feels like it could use additional staff on the product, testing and trying it out."
"Sometimes the connectors to the databases need to be manually updated and we have to configure them again, which is something that should be improved."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons
"Technical support could be more responsive."
"In the next feature, I'd like to see more integrations and updates overall, specifically bottom tech."
"The UI needs to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM solutions have fair price strategy, and operates on a yearly basis. If it's a SaaS solution, then you can opt for yearly basis."
"Reasonable cost but could be lower."
"Guardium is most suitable for large scale enterprises because the pricing model is better if you are implementing a large number of databases."
"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."
"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 won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. ​"
"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."
"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice
"It's not expensive compared to other products that are available."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Insurance Company
5%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
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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Comparisons

Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 55% of the time
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 13% of the time
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 5% of the time
Oracle Database Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Database Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
Cyera vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Cyera vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors
No data available
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
January 2026
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reportDownload IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report
Buyer's Guide
Database Security
January 2026
McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] reportDownload McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases [EOL] product report
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
No data available
 

Overview

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection offers automatic discovery and classification of sensitive data, real-time monitoring, and advanced analytics to identify unusual activities around data.

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is designed to safeguard sensitive data across enterprises with real-time activity monitoring and comprehensive security features. Its capabilities include data discovery, classification, and compliance automation with pre-built templates for regulations like PCI, SOX, HIPAA, and CCPA. Supporting a variety of platforms, it facilitates seamless monitoring, making it a valuable asset for diverse environments in maintaining data security and compliance.

What are the key features?
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Provides alerts for unauthorized activities.
  • Data Masking: Protects data through masking techniques.
  • Access Control: Ensures only authorized users gain access.
  • Query Rewriting: Alters queries to maintain data integrity.
  • Platform Support: Monitors across multiple environments.
Why consider this for ROI?
  • Ease of Deployment: Simplifies the setup process for enterprises.
  • Robust Reporting: Enhances transparency through detailed audit trails.
  • Compliance Automation: Streamlines compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Risk Management: Identifies and mitigates potential risks efficiently.

Industries like banking and finance utilize IBM Security Guardium Data Protection to enhance database security and compliance efforts. Enterprises employ it to detect incidents and manage vulnerabilities, focusing on protecting customer data and maintaining privacy standards. The technology aids in incident detection and supports adherence to security regulations.

IBM

McAfee Vulnerability Manager for Databases automatically discovers databases on your network, determines if the latest patches have been applied, and tests for common weaknesses.

McAfee
Buyer's Guide
Database Security
January 2026
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