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ACF2 vs Imperva Data Security Fabric comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 22, 2026

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

ACF2
Ranking in Database Security
12th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Mainframe Security (4th)
Imperva Data Security Fabric
Ranking in Database Security
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (13th), Data Security Platforms (DSP) (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 2.0%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva Data Security Fabric is 23.9%, down from 27.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Imperva Data Security Fabric23.9%
ACF22.0%
Other74.1%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1077621 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
A reliable, scalable product for security and auditing of our mainframe environment
It is a good product. It has been used for years. As long as it is configured correctly, it is a very stable product. It depends on how an institution or a company configures it. It depends on an institution's risk appetite. You need to make sure it is configured as per the concept of least privilege, and the logging features, detection and control mechanism, and other things like that are enabled. If you configure it to give access to the public, then there could be compromises. You should also have someone who independently checks it to make sure that it is configured keeping security in mind. If it has been configured for a while, when there are enhancements to the product or when you enhance it, you need to make sure that security is also looked at, and it is configured according to an institution's security policies. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
reviewer1876449 - PeerSpot reviewer
BDM at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Has provided wide data coverage and supports flexible implementation for growing database environments
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security offers the most comprehensive coverage range of database types, which is a significant advantage. It has very flexible implementation modes and an understandable console. Even someone who is not a database administrator could work with it, understand the security events, and comprehend the data activity monitoring events.Data is the most important asset in any organization and the primary target of hackers. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security provides one of the best solutions to analyze data, maintain GDPR compliance, and help investigate any incidents. It is user-friendly and can start with a small scope. Unlike competitors such as IBM Guardium and Oracle, customers can start with a small scope and scale every year. This advantage allows them to invest less money initially while learning the solution. Year after year, they can add value scope and cover more databases in their organization with high quality. We have been working with Imperva SecureSphere Database Security for about 10 years. I started working with this project about five years ago.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I am deeply impressed with the quality and depth and breadth of security and functionality in CA’s ACF2 and Top Secret products."
"The NOACCESS by default is another very good feature. Also, access rules are straightforward, and easy to understand."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is strict and reliable access control to CICS Resources."
"I love their support. The support is great. They are number one."
"It is a good product."
"Excellent real-time reporting that saves time and resources."
"Logging and monitoring are most valuable. It is for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."
"The best features of Imperva Data Security are that it's a complete solution and it safeguards company reputation."
"The most valuable features include a great level of automation, machine learning for attack validation, and a very flexible and comfortable management console."
"A solution which does what other name brand products do for a lower cost."
"The technical support for Imperva is super, super, super."
"The benefits are operational. The outcome comes from preventing an attack on the organization. On the operational side, you generally have good, decent security measures for your application, database, and digital assets."
"The audit feature is great. It is totally encrypted."
"This solution enables clients to achieve data security, whether on cloud or on prem."
"Before SecureSphere was used, the native auditing tools were used, and now there is a segregation of duties when managing audit data from DBAs and DBS teams."
 

Cons

"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.​"
"The user access review could also be improved. It produces a lot of false positives."
"It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."
"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment."
"Reporting can sometimes include false positives."
"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment. It's a mainframe product. As many companies move to the cloud, depending on what cloud models they choose, such as a public, hybrid, or private cloud, it should be deployable. I am not sure if it can be deployed on those platforms. It has been there since the '50s or '60s, and it's still scalable. It has survived all these years, and it's scalable to many platforms, but I don't know about the cloud."
"Initial setup could be complex if you rely on contractors to help with implementation."
"SecureSphere activity log can be used with Imperva CounterBreach in an effort to protect enterprise data from theft and loss caused. Since such is core to its function, I would like to see future versions to integrate such options."
"A disadvantage of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, particularly relevant for ex-Soviet Union countries where there is Russian influence, is that we don't cover Russian types of databases."
"Overall, it's a very good product but they could do with some modifications log-wise — it should be more comprehensive."
"Most of the feedback I receive relates to clients wanting to see an improvement in the reporting. They like the ability and functionality of the solution but they feel the reporting is lacking."
"It would be better if it were more user-friendly. Right now, it's a little bit of a complicated product to use."
"There were many stability issues with the upgrade procedure. The technical support team didn't know how to handle them."
"Technical support for this solution is insufficient. If you have a professional then you can handle it, but if you are a regular customer then it is difficult."
"Its reporting can be improved. The reporting feature is currently not good enough for our clients."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The pricing is reasonably good in South Africa."
"The cost of support for this solution is very expensive."
"It is very expensive."
"The product’s price is reasonable compared to other products."
"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis, and it is a good value for the money."
"The pricing is reasonable and competitive."
"Imperva is too expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises. They're missing out on technology that helps them manage their data security better. Data security is essential because even the strongest network may be attacked from the inside without it."
"The price is very high but compared to the price of the overall solution, then I think it's a good deal because the solution itself is great."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

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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 needs improvement with Imperva SecureSphere Database Security?
There are several aspects of the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security that could be improved or enhanced.There are specific missing features in the Imperva SecureSphere Database Security that I w...
 

Also Known As

CA ACF2
Imperva SecureSphere Database Security, jSonar, Imperva's Data Security Posture Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications
BlueCross BlueShield, eHarmony, EMF Broadcasting, GE Healthcare, Metro Bank, The Motley Fool, Siemens
Find out what your peers are saying about ACF2 vs. Imperva Data Security Fabric and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.