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ACF2 vs Imperva Data Security Fabric comparison

 

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
13th
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) (11th), Data Security Platforms (DSP) (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 2.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Imperva Data Security Fabric is 24.2%, down from 29.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Imperva Data Security Fabric24.2%
ACF22.1%
Other73.7%
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

"Excellent real-time reporting that saves time and resources."
"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."
"The NOACCESS by default is another very good feature. Also, access rules are straightforward, and easy to understand."
"We use this tool to quickly assign privileges to different users as soon as they come in."
"It is a good product."
"The most valuable feature is strict and reliable access control to CICS Resources."
"Logging and monitoring are most valuable. It is for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."
"Without the product, extracting this information may take us as much as several days; instead, we can get it in real time."
"Imperva is a product leader in this line, and it is very good."
"The most valuable features of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are the user-friendliness, easy-to-use interface compared to competitors, database operations do not need a specialist, and simple to manage for our security team. Additionally, the solution can show all the databases and the level of sensitivity. It can show what is more sensitive or less sensitive."
"It is a fantastic solution."
"The most valuable features of Imperva SecureSphere Database Security are vulnerability assessment, enrichment security policy, and security."
"All of Imperva’s features are extremely powerful, while a certain degree of knowledge is required to have a solid understanding of the product."
"The most valuable features include a great level of automation, machine learning for attack validation, and a very flexible and comfortable management console."
"The discovery module provides good visibility."
"The immediate return is that we are saving money by having a lower cost for the same functionality."
 

Cons

"It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."
"Initial setup could be complex if you rely on contractors to help with implementation."
"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."
"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."
"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment."
"Due to restrictions because of sanctions in Iran, we do not have support for this solution."
"I have worked with IBM before, and I prefer its ease of deployment and management. Imperva SecureSphere Database Security has tricky deployment, whereas IBM's deployment is straightforward because of the UI."
"Design/ease of the learning mode feature."
"This product needs a good team of UX people, because it's not always that understandable, and sometimes it's straight up confusing."
"It is quite expensive. We wanted it in my former organization, but the price was very high."
"Some cloud versions are not supported by the agent."
"Its reporting can be improved. The reporting feature is currently not good enough for our clients."
"Rebranding this is a pain in the current environment."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"This is an expensive solution and the price should be reduced."
"The cost of support for this solution is very expensive."
"We have all the licenses, which we pay for annually. The price is a little high, but the product is good."
"They have introduced new price models, which makes the product more affordable now."
"The price of the solution is reasonable. The cost of the solution depends on the customer, they have the flex protect licensing which can vary in price."
"The setup and license are quite expensive."
"Its pricing could be cheaper for the African countries or developing economies. The British pound is valued way more than the currency of most African countries. A better or cheaper pricing model for Nigerian and African customers would be better. It has a per-year subscription model. You pay exactly for what you need. That's all. You don't have to buy what you don't need."
"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%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

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...
 

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: August 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.