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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
6th
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 October 2025, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 29.3%, down from 33.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database Vault is 3.5%, up from 0.8% 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 Protection29.3%
Oracle Database Vault3.5%
Other67.2%
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

"This is a multi-platform solution that consolidates everything and centralizes support for it."
"The purpose of EBM Guardium is to monitor database activity and who is accessing it. This is the most valuable feature."
"The reporting side is also very, very good, especially its flexibility which allows you to tailor the reports to whatever information you want."
"Our main focus for IBM Guardium is to support security initiatives and compliance policies within our organization. We use the DPD product for monitoring, especially for GDPR, SOX regulations and, of course, the vulnerability assessment that we use to make sure we're keeping up with our patches, making sure things are configured, making sure we're following the best practices."
"We are using it to do a lot of data discovery from a data classification for structured data."
"Setting up Guardium was easy and straightforward."
"We also use IBM Guardium to support security initiatives and compliance policies. For example, our audit area can verify if someone has access to information that they shouldn't have, for their regular job functions."
"he solution offers trouble-free access."
"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."
"It encrypts data traveling across the network."
"The product is easy to use and provides good performance."
"The product is fairly easy to implement."
 

Cons

"It needs an integration with Optum."
"I would like to see IBM Guardium have other encryption algorithms employed."
"If IBM Guardium Data Protection could find a way to not have a lot of coding and development required to get the solution up and running it would be an advantage. The information of the agent could improve, which is necessary for us to monitor the databases would be a great benefit."
"The technical support is very poor."
"More predictive, using Watson AI would be good."
"Right now we're having some issues where it's using a high CPU, we don't know why. So, better testing before the product is ready would help."
"I have already mentioned to IBM that a primary need is to improve the number of records in the reports above 65,535."
"The most important requirements for us are integration with new database solutions and the ability to manage things like Jailbreak or something like that. Its reduction feature can also be improved. It has a functionality called reduction, which is like masking data, but it is just a replacement of characters. Sometimes the customer needs more than this. It would be good if it was more advanced or complete. We also have a problem with this solution because the IBM aggregator isn't working very well. IBM has created big data intelligence for Guardium, and occasionally, customers need three or four months of data, but they can't run it from the collectors. It can have a better dashboard and more pre-defined use cases for those customers who don't have any idea about data protection or don't have expert personnel in this area. For example, they can include five use cases for banks and five use cases for retail."
"The solution is excessively expensive. There is a lot of room for improvement, considering the pricing model of the solution."
"Oracle Database Vault is not easy to set up, and if I lose the key, it can lead to significant issues."
"Oracle's technical support could be improved."
"The solution is relatively expensive."
"The product's cost could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost depends on the number of databases. You can purchase advanced licenses, but the standard license is calculated based on the number of databases you have to onboard."
"We haven't talked much about pricing and licencing. But it is not cheap for sure"
"The price of the solution could be better."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."
"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."
"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. ​"
"I would suggest to review the type of data, need for security, and if the organizational structure needs the options IBM Guardium provides."
"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
27%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
24%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise45
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 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.
What needs improvement with Oracle Database Vault?
Oracle Database Vault is not easy to set up, and if I lose the key, it can lead to significant issues. A more user-friendly setup process would be beneficial.
 

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: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.