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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Oracle Database Vault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

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 ...
Ranking in Database Security
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Database Vault
Ranking in Database Security
5th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 31.6%, up from 31.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database Vault is 2.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmer Faisel Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers mature agents, compliance reporting and reliable database security
The solution should allow the data to shift to a centralized repository with elastic servers and big data infrastructure. If a customer searches for old logs for retention purposes, there are limitations on appliances once they are set with specific hardware, so they can only be changed by uninstalling or reinstalling the hardware. The solution's aggregator feature allows data aggregation, but for instance, if a customer wants a project ready in two years, having an Elasticsearch in DB or the capacity to store huge amounts of data would be beneficial in data investigation or evaluation at an affordable cost. Some AI features should be added to IBM Security Guardium Data Protection. For example, the AI features implemented in the solution can be anomaly detection or suspicious activity identification.
AjayKumar13 - PeerSpot reviewer
Setup challenges and user experience issues persist
I primarily use Oracle Database Vault for encryption during data transit. The data is encrypted as it travels across the network, and I have previously used it for backup purposes I use Oracle Database Vault mainly for encryption at transit. It encrypts data traveling across the network.…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Our ability to see when users are accessing sensitive data."
"I like the reporting mechanism. It's very good."
"The ability to collect the data without database administers being able to modify it."
"Satisfies audit requests, to give us an idea if anybody is accessing our privileged user IDs without our knowledge."
"The most valuable feature I have found is the performance of client monitoring. The other competitors are unable to do this."
"The most valuable features are the reporting and data-level access control."
"I think IMB's technical support is good."
"It's allowing us to be more proactive than reactive on alerts and access rights and types of resources that are being hit. Before, there were a lot of different solutions, but this expanded that out and made it a more holistic solution. It provides centralization of monitoring, instead of multiple, disparate applications. It definitely allows more economies of scale, streamlining, less fragmented use."
"I haven’t seen any other database perform as well as Oracle."
"The product is fairly easy to implement."
"It encrypts data traveling across the network."
"Oracle Database Vault has been valuable for database security in maritime companies and ports."
"The product is easy to use and provides good performance."
 

Cons

"There could be a feature to integrate and protect multiple databases. The local support services need improvements as well."
"We've had some issues recently that we're working through, on the agent software that runs on the databases."
"Deployment process is very complicated as you need to now all advanced parameters. Almost not possible to figure out for yourself."
"I would like to be able to upgrade appliances within major versions without needing to rebuild the appliance."
"I'd like to see a smoother GUI interface for the CAS agent - CAS does configurations on the database - to interface better with the vulnerability assessments."
"Initially it did not have support external applications like, say, Tableau, ServiceNow, Remedy, and the like. They have started growing into it, but I would like to have more and more integration with outside applications."
"More automation, user guides, and tips would make this solution better."
"I would like them to support cloud services."
"Oracle Database Vault is not easy to set up, and if I lose the key, it can lead to significant issues."
"The solution is relatively expensive."
"The product's cost could be better."
"The solution is excessively expensive. There is a lot of room for improvement, considering the pricing model of the solution."
"Oracle's technical support could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is good for the quality of the solution."
"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."
"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"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 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."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is low price, and ten is very high price, I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."
"Reasonable cost but could be lower."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"I rate the product's pricing a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"The product is more costly than its competitors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
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.
What is the cost of Oracle Database Vault?
The cost of Oracle Database Vault depends on the number of processors and users. You can find more information about the pricing on the Oracle website. Pros: Oracle Database Vault is a powerful ...
What do you like most about Oracle Database Vault?
The product is easy to use and provides good performance.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Database Vault?
I do not handle pricing, so I am not aware of pricing details related to Oracle Database Vault.
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Oracle Database Vault and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.