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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs Trustwave DbProtect 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
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Trustwave DbProtect
Ranking in Database Security
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 28.0%, down from 32.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trustwave DbProtect is 3.6%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection28.0%
Trustwave DbProtect3.6%
Other68.4%
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.
Marcelo Raza - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Architect at Oakmount
A tool that offers a proper view and division of all databases while also allowing users to do continuous monitoring
I have seen that the tool's installation phase has some problems regarding the versions, specifically the version of SQL. Trustwave DbProtect doesn't accept some versions of SQL. Some credentials when you are installing give some problems, but all of them did pass through the installation phase but gave a certain amount of hard work to be done during the installation phase. The aforementioned area needs to be considered for improvement. The pain points with Trustwave DbProtect were about the installation and problems with the different versions not being accepted. A more compatible version of the product with other databases and operating systems should be possible.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Having the Guardium solution and its reporting helps us get through that process a lot more quickly and efficiently."
"Its ability to find data; once I find data, I can leverage it to perform specific select statements against PII data and do smarter controls rather than monitoring the entire database."
"In the past we were doing a lot of manual checking, running our own reports, going through SMF data, but now Guardium does that reporting for us, which saves us time and money and satisfies critical audit and security requirements."
"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."
"Has a great Big Data Intelligence feature."
"Every time an inquiry comes in, instead of it taking tens of hours, now it's taking minutes."
"For security and compliance it is very, very good."
"The most valuable feature is using the capture operation mode “S-TAP/K-TAP agent”, because all activities in the database are captured, including direct access to the database server by privileged users. This is useful because, even if the database server logs were deleted, the Guardium Collector has already stored such data to enable traceability of access."
"Knowing what is in your enterprise and its vulnerabilities can save you from being the next headline."
"This solution helps our clients to monitor their database use, and detect violations of the policy."
"Transfer and vulnerability scanning are the most valuable features of this product."
"Its automation functionality and ease of use."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that you can have a good view which is provided with a proper division of all your databases, which you can see in Trustwave DbProtect."
"Database activity monitoring is valuable because it helps monitor and identify any fraudulent or suspicious activities that are executed on the database."
 

Cons

"Deployment process is very complicated as you need to now all advanced parameters. Almost not possible to figure out for yourself."
"The deployment is complex and requires expertise to deploy."
"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
"I would like to be able to upgrade appliances within major versions without needing to rebuild the appliance."
"It will not go as fast as you want."
"Technical support is unsatisfactory."
"We've had some issues recently that we're working through, on the agent software that runs on the databases."
"I would like to see a better GUI."
"Regarding stability, I would give it a rating of 3.5/5."
"I have seen that the tool's installation phase has some problems regarding the versions, specifically the version of SQL."
"We have not been able to integrate this product with a lot of standard incident response solutions, so an open API would help in this regard."
"We encountered issues with stability, especially during database upgrades and migration."
"The system that is running scans can become slow to respond. Thus, you should be able to say, don't consume more than a particular amount of resources when scanning."
"The product does not have encryption or data masking."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
"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 not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"For IBM Guardium, licensing is very simple and straightforward. There are no issues I can speak of."
"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."
"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."
"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."
"I would suggest to review the type of data, need for security, and if the organizational structure needs the options IBM Guardium provides."
"I rate the pricing a five on a scale from one to ten, where one is the lowest and ten is the highest."
"The licensing fees, including support, are approximately $5,000 USD per database, per year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
24%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise44
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.
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Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
Application Security DbProtect
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Pax World Investments, Crest Savings Bank, Magnolia Hotels
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. Trustwave DbProtect and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.