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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Oracle Data Masking and Subsetting 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:
 

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)
Oracle Data Masking and Sub...
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Data Masking (17th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Database Development and Management Tools solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is designed for Database Security and holds a mindshare of 26.4%, down 32.4% compared to last year.
Oracle Data Masking and Subsetting, on the other hand, focuses on Data Masking, holds 3.5% mindshare, up 1.8% since last year.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection26.4%
Imperva Data Security Fabric24.8%
Oracle Audit Vault10.1%
Other38.699999999999996%
Database Security
Data Masking Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Oracle Data Masking and Subsetting3.5%
Perforce Delphix10.3%
Broadcom Test Data Manager7.3%
Other78.9%
Data Masking
 

Featured Reviews

Marylennis Franco - PeerSpot reviewer
Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
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.
reviewer1164618 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Manager at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Stable with good support but the single-sign on could be improved
Once the data masking was complete, we were not confident that the data was good. A lot of data modeling needed to be added to make sure that the quality of the data was satisfactory. The definition phase was very slow, but that was due to a lack of knowledge that the client had. We were fortunate to locate the correct resources. Finding the correct resources on the market is a problem. We were very fortunate. Some of the issues we were experiencing were with setting up the single sign-on in the beginning. There are not a lot of templates available to use, so we had to start many things from scratch. It wasn't difficult but I would have preferred it. They may have already improved or added more, as it's been a year from when we needed it. Generally speaking, I would like to see more templates available.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We are able to identify who does what, when, and we are able to go back to them and say, "Is this an authorized activity? Is it not an authorized activity?""
"Audit Process Builder – Workflow generator to enhance audit tasks and compliance workflows."
"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 features are the reporting and data-level access control."
"We appreciate its ease of implementation and the local support available for the product."
"The maturity of the agent is the most valuable feature of the solution"
"The front-end works very well."
"The investment return was good because IBM Security Guardium Data Protection provided significant security and compliance benefits."
"This solution delivers the value that it is supposed to deliver."
"This solution delivers the value that it is supposed to deliver; it met the needs of the enterprise and is a solid product."
 

Cons

"​It will not go as fast as you want. ​"
"The solution lacks control over database security."
"The deployment is complex and requires expertise to deploy."
"The Guardium licensing is based on PVU and as a result, the solution became a bit costly."
"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."
"There was a slight performance tax on the system and load balancing could be better."
"I have already mentioned to IBM that a primary need is to improve the number of records in the reports above 65,535."
"More predictive, using Watson AI would be good."
"There are not a lot of templates available to use, so we had to start many things from scratch."
"There are not a lot of templates available to use, so we had to start many things from scratch."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"For IBM Guardium, licensing is very simple and straightforward. There are no issues I can speak of."
"I would suggest to review the type of data, need for security, and if the organizational structure needs the options IBM Guardium provides."
"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's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."
"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
"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."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software 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...
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.
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Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
Oracle Data Masking and Subsetting Pack
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
IBVI, illycaffe, Scottish water, trueblue, AirAsia
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security. Updated: May 2026.
893,915 professionals have used our research since 2012.