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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, 85% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of McAfee users who would recommend it.
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Read 79 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews
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  • 4,128 Comparison Views
85% 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.

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security.

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Database Security
December 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 ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
79
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

"The most valuable feature is using the capture operation mode “S-TAP/K-TAP agent”, because all activities in the database are captured, including direct access to the database server by privileged users. This is useful because, even if the database server logs were deleted, the Guardium Collector has already stored such data to enable traceability of access."
"It protects sensitive data and blocks unauthorized access to the data."
"It's one of the first to encrypt DB2 databases."
"We use IBM Guardium to support security initiatives and combine policies within the organization."
"Being an IBM product it really offers security integration capabilities and robust features. Over the years, it has satisfactory met the requirements of our customers which makes it a very reliable and versatile solution."
"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."
"We are using it to do a lot of data discovery from a data classification for structured data."
"The tech support is very knowledgeable."
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

"​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."
"An area for improvement would be the user interface - currently, it takes around two to three months to become comfortable using it."
"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."
"I would like them to support cloud services."
"The technical support is very poor."
"The solution could be improved for NoSQL databases."
"Deployment process is very complicated as you need to now all advanced parameters. Almost not possible to figure out for yourself."
"Right now we're having some issues where it's using a high CPU, we don't know why. So, better testing before the product is ready would help."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons
"In the next feature, I'd like to see more integrations and updates overall, specifically bottom tech."
"The UI needs to be improved."
"Technical support could be more responsive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"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."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"It's an expensive solution"
"Guardium is most suitable for large scale enterprises because the pricing model is better if you are implementing a large number of databases."
"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."
"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."
"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."
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
26%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise45
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.
See all answers
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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 52% of the time
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 16% of the time
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 4% of the time
OpenText Data Privacy and Protection Foundation (Voltage) vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
OpenText Data Privacy and Protection Foundation (Voltage) vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 4% of the time
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy 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
December 2025
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reportDownload IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report
Buyer's Guide
Database Security
December 2025
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
December 2025
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