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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
7.2
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Database Vault
Ranking in Database Security
5th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 26.4%, down from 33.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database Vault is 3.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection26.4%
Oracle Database Vault3.7%
Other69.9%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

DP
Chief Executive Officer at Kipustec
Ensures data security and compliance with reliable alerts and protections
The manuals should be clearer. There needs to be an online course or tutorial for faster management training. The maintenance was slightly complicated. I had to read the manuals carefully and even failed the Guardium certification exam due to insufficient information or time. Improving the tool learning process would be beneficial.
Johny Baby - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Role-based security has protected structured workloads but integration still needs improvement
I need to check certain aspects at this point as I do not have comments on price or those options at this moment. Support and service level agreements depend more on your agreement with Oracle and your TAT in terms of the agreement type, which has a certain SLA based on that. The overall review rating for this product is seven out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features have been how easy it is to deploy and use, as well as the comprehensive monitoring options. These are a few things that customers like most about this product."
"Our ability to see when users are accessing sensitive data."
"Gathering ​the data works very well. ​"
"The reporting side is also very, very good, especially its flexibility which allows you to tailor the reports to whatever information you want."
"Has a great Big Data Intelligence feature."
"We now have the ability to begin to understand how people, applications, and service accounts are interacting with data to better protect it."
"Security policy enforcement of policy-based encryption and centralized encryption key management allows us to maintain data in a secure environment."
"The tech support is very knowledgeable."
"Oracle Database Vault has been valuable for database security in maritime companies and ports."
"I haven’t seen any other database perform as well as Oracle."
"Oracle Database is one of the most reliable structured databases, making it highly trustworthy."
"The product is fairly easy to implement."
"The product is easy to use and provides good performance."
"It encrypts data traveling across the network."
 

Cons

"Using the data in native Guardium is difficult, at best."
"There could be a feature to integrate and protect multiple databases. The local support services need improvements as well."
"I would like to see AI and machine learning added in the future."
"We deal with updates manually on Sundays and sometimes face bugs with the newer versions."
"Right now, we're in the development phase for IBM Guardium Data Protection, so I don't have any recommendations about additional features and room for improvement in the solution. We're very excited to work on IBM Guardium Data Protection because we are new to the solution, and we're still exploring product features. We're very excited about integrations and use case creation, and it's only after six to eight months that I'll be able to share my recommendations in terms of additional features the solution should have. We did find some difficulty in deploying IBM Guardium Data Protection here in Pakistan because of the lack of resources."
"More automation, user guides, and tips would make this solution better."
"We have had some issues with patches breaking things unexpectedly in our environments."
"Needs easier integration with custom applications."
"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 integration aspect could be improved through additional APIs to integrate with various SAML protocols and Active Directory protocols, which would be more helpful."
"Oracle's technical support could be improved."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
"The product's pricing is reasonable and affordable. It is in the moderate range."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"My company purchased IBM Guardium Data Protection in a package, so I'm unable to give its exact licensing cost, but for the package of three IBM solutions, it wasn't very expensive. I'd rate the pricing for all three solutions three out of five. When my team deployed IBM Guardium Data Protection, all features were included."
"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."
"It's an expensive solution"
"We haven't talked much about pricing and licencing. But it is not cheap for sure"
"The product is more costly than its competitors."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise45
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise4
 

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 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.
What needs improvement with Oracle Database Vault?
The integration aspect could be improved through additional APIs to integrate with various SAML protocols and Active Directory protocols, which would be more helpful.The solution is somewhat comple...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Database Vault?
We continue to work with Oracle Database in various capacities. Oracle Database Vault is part of our infrastructure. We work with it, especially for structured databases and high-volume workloads, ...
 

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: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.