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ACF2 Reviews

Vendor: Broadcom
4.5 out of 5
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What is ACF2?

CA ACF2™ for z/OS provides innovative, comprehensive security for your business transaction environments—including Linux, UNIX and z/OS on System z—helping you realize the reliability, scalability and cost-effectiveness of the mainframe. CA ACF2 provides an Advanced Authentication Mainframe feature, system entry validation, resource control, auditability, accountability, and administrative control. In conjunction with distributed security solutions from CA Technologies, CA ACF2 provides mobile-to-mainframe enterprise class security and compliance management.

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ACF2 is the #5 ranked solution in top Mainframe Security solutions and #15 ranked solution in top Database Security solutions. PeerSpot users give ACF2 an average rating of 9.0 out of 10. ACF2 is most commonly compared to IBM Security Guardium Data Protection: ACF2 vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection. ACF2 is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 69% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 19% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
Mainframe Security
March 2026
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ACF2 mindshare

Product category:
Mainframe Security
As of March 2026, the mindshare of ACF2 in the Mainframe Security category stands at 11.8%, up from 9.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mainframe Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ACF211.8%
IBM Security zSecure16.3%
IBM Resource Access Control Facility12.3%
Other59.599999999999994%
Mainframe Security
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

ACF2 excels in mainframe security by offering strict, reliable access control and user security management. Organizations value its automatic privilege assignments and rule management. NOACCESS by default and straightforward access rules enhance protection. Logging and monitoring are crucial, with real-time reporting on event logs saving time and optimizing resource allocation. Its security and resilience features make it essential in mainframe environments.
  • "Without the product, extracting this information may take us as much as several days; instead, we can get it in real time."
  • "By providing a high level of access control to the z/OS systems, ACF2 allows us to maintain tight controls on dataset and system access and helps us keep unauthorized users from accessing PHI or PII data."
  • "Know that this tool is a great tool, a good tool to use, because you can quickly automate, quickly provision, and deprovision new users, which is essential when you are bringing new people onboard."

Room for Improvement

ACF2 requires improvements such as an Eclipse interface for simpler programmable access, longer rules exceeding 32K, and browser support for tasks instead of 3270. It should reduce manual intervention and false positives in user access checks. Organizations suggest focusing on integration with distributed applications and adaptability to cloud environments. There's a call for unique, secure naming conventions for accounts and user IDs.
  • "The user access review could also be improved. It produces a lot of false positives."
  • "It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."
  • "I would like my team and me to be able to use simple browsers, like Chrome, to be able to access mainframe data and provision users using the browser."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily utilize ACF2 to manage security and user access on mainframe systems. They handle user authentication, profile access, and deprovisioning from applications. ACF2 is also used for monitoring log events through reporting. Additionally, it encompasses access management for z/OS operating systems, supporting authentication and access to various resources. Companies use the latest version of ACF2, which they host in-house.

Service and Support

ACF2 technical support is praised for its exceptional responsiveness and expertise, often prioritizing solving issues efficiently. Users appreciate the team's knowledge and ownership of problems. While current support staff are seen as helpful, there may be challenges related to outdated UID information and the need to rely on external resources. ACF2 customers generally express high satisfaction with technical support quality and reliability.

Deployment

Some users found ACF2's initial setup complex, especially if relying on contractors, as errors require a deep understanding of ACF2. Others weren't involved but heard it performed reliably. For some, achieving goals took time but was completed within six months, suggesting it's widely adopted by the IT group. Another described the setup as straightforward, while one reviewed ACF2's security assessment without handling deployment. ACF2 has unexplored capabilities still being considered.

Scalability

ACF2 exhibits robust scalability, seamlessly accommodating large organizations. It efficiently handles user authentication and role changes across thousands of employees. Users reported no issues even when integrating with LDAP or AD groups, ensuring secure extensions. With its ability to support numerous deployments, ACF2 remains an integral security manager for mainframe environments despite its legacy status. Users trust it to manage corporate access while efficiently adapting to staff changes.

Stability

ACF2 is 100% stable and exhibits many years of reliable use. Users experience no issues, emphasizing its robust nature. Stability depends on system administrators' configurations. When configured with security in mind, ACF2 maintains its stability.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Mainframe Security Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Retailer
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Insurance Company
6%
Educational Organization
6%
Computer Software Company
5%
Government
5%
Media Company
3%
Marketing Services Firm
3%
University
2%
Consumer Goods Company
2%
Healthcare Company
2%
Hospitality Company
2%
Legal Firm
2%
Logistics Company
2%
Outsourcing Company
2%

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Learn more about ACF2

ACF2 Features

ACF2 offers some of the following features:

  • Authentication: ACF2 is used for authenticating users and granting them access to profiles and various resources on the mainframe.

  • Access Control: The solution provides resource control, allowing administrators to control who can access specific mainframe resources.

  • Logging and Monitoring: Organizations can easily track and monitor activities on the mainframe. This feature enables the creation of audit trails for follow-up and helps with security analysis.

  • Metrics and Reporting: ACF2 allows the configuration of tools to produce different types of metrics and reports. These can then be used by senior management for making informed security decisions.

  • Comprehensive Security: The solution provides comprehensive security for mainframe environments, ensuring the protection of valuable data assets. It offers advanced authentication, system entry validation, and administrative control.

  • Streamlined Administration: It simplifies the administration of mainframe security by providing streamlined management capabilities. ACF2 also enables administrators to monitor and adjust security policies and accommodate various organizational structures.

  • Scalability: ACF2 offers reliable and scalable security, allowing businesses to expand their mainframe environments while maintaining a high level of protection.

  • Compliance Management: Organizations can meet compliance requirements by providing auditability, accountability, and comprehensive security controls.

  • Integration: ACF2 can integrate with distributed security solutions from CA Technologies, providing enterprise-class security and compliance management for mobile-to-mainframe environments.

  • Flexibility: ACF2 allows flexibility in adapting security policies to accommodate different organizational structures and requirements.

ACF2 Benefits

Some of the benefits that ACF2 provides are:

  • Enhanced security and resilience

  • Streamlined administration

  • Reliable and scalable security

  • Comprehensive audit capabilities

  • Cost-effectiveness

  • Integration with other security solutions

  • Simplified identity and access management

  • Compliance management

  • Efficient monitoring and reporting

Reviews from Real Users

According to an IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,000+ employees, "ACF2 is extremely beneficial for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."

ACF2 was previously known as CA ACF2.

ACF2 customers

Sky, Rogers Communications

Related questions

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Product Categories

Product Categories
Mainframe Security
Database Security

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ACF2 Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees4.5No summary available
IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees4.0I rate this product an 8/10 for its excellent real-time log reporting, which saves significant time and resources. However, I desire less manual intervention and improved user access reviews to minimize false positives.
Technical Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees4.5I find ACF2 a highly stable and scalable z/OS security solution, valuing its robust protection, NOACCESS by default, and excellent support. My only improvement would be longer rule capabilities beyond 32K.
Security Analyst4.5I find CA ACF great for quickly managing mainframe user security and provisioning, and its support is excellent. My main wish is for browser-based access instead of the 3270 tool.
Project Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees5.0I find ACF2 offers strict access control and compliance, but as a legacy product, support is poor, setup is complex, and managing UIDs is challenging due to lost knowledge.
Chief Strategist at Mainframe analytics4.5I find this product offers excellent, stable, and scalable mainframe security with outstanding support. My key suggestion is an Eclipse interface for programmable access, which would greatly enhance development integration for more flexible solutions.