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Fortra's Vera vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection 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

Fortra's Vera
Ranking in Database Security
11th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Cloud and Data Center Security (19th)
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Ranking in Database Security
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of Fortra's Vera is 2.1%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 26.4%, down from 32.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection26.4%
Fortra's Vera2.1%
Other71.5%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Brando Diego - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer/Consultant at Notable Frontier Sdn Bhd
Has good encryption features
Vera encryption is the most valuable feature.  Additional improvement can be done as the issues are encountered.  I have been using Fortra's Vera for two years.  The stability is a nine out of ten.  The scalability is a nine. The clients are small enterprises.  The initial setup is an eight…
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Vera encryption is the most valuable feature."
"The monitoring and analytics capabilities make it a very good product, although we have had intermittent problems with our database connectors so it is not perfect."
"The solution is easy to use."
"It has made us more responsive and more productive, more efficient."
"The most valuable feature is the GUI, the interface. It also interfaces well with REST API, if you want to automate some of the commands."
"The investment return was good because IBM Security Guardium Data Protection provided significant security and compliance benefits."
"The centralization of data is probably the most valuable feature because we span multiple database technologies."
"Compliance Quick Start – Quick, GUI, step-by-step guide to automate compliance and give the customer a quick ROI."
"The tool helps detect invalid login attempts within a specific time frame."
 

Cons

"Additional improvement can be done as the issues are encountered."
"The additional improvement can be done as the issues are encountered."
"I would like to be able to upgrade appliances within major versions without needing to rebuild the appliance."
"It needs an integration with Optum."
"The documentation could be better."
"They could enable the out-of-the-box feature to track application user activity."
"We deal with updates manually on Sundays and sometimes face bugs with the newer versions."
"We've had some issues recently that we're working through, on the agent software that runs on the databases."
"The only downside is that the deployment is complex and requires special expertise to deploy."
"Reporting has always been a weakness, but it has improved across the versions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"It's an expensive solution"
"IBM Guardium Data Protection charges you based on the number of users, e.g. based on the number of licenses, and it's either on a per-license or a per-data basis."
"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."
"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."
"It is a very costly product."
"The price is good for the quality of the solution."
"For IBM Guardium, licensing is very simple and straightforward. There are no issues I can speak of."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
23%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
Insurance Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
 

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 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.
 

Also Known As

No data available
InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Imperva, Oracle and others in Database Security. Updated: May 2026.
893,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.