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IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs IDERA SQL Compliance Manager comparison

IBM and IDERA are both solutions in the Database Security category. IBM is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while IDERA is ranked #10. IBM holds a 29.3% mindshare in DS, compared to IDERA’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IDERA users who would recommend it.
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Read 79 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews
  • 4,782 Views
  • 3,969 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
Read 5 IDERA SQL Compliance Manager reviews
  • 238 Views
  • 236 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and IDERA SQL Compliance Manager are competing in the data security solutions category. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection has the upper hand in comprehensive database activity monitoring, while IDERA SQL Compliance Manager excels in detailed compliance reporting and auditing features.

Features: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection includes real-time monitoring, comprehensive threat detection, and automated compliance. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager specializes in fine-grained auditing, detailed compliance reporting, and analyzing server activity.

Room for Improvement: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection could improve user interface intuitiveness, streamline integration with non-IBM systems, and enhance reporting detail level. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager may enhance scalability for larger databases, expand support beyond SQL Server, and improve user training resources.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection offers flexible deployment for various environments with robust customer support fitting complex infrastructures. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager provides simpler deployment tailored to SQL Server environments with focused customer assistance.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection has higher initial costs supported by extensive features and a comprehensive protection scope. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager offers competitive pricing and a strong ROI due to its targeted compliance functions, appealing to cost-conscious entities focusing on audit needs.

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To learn more, read our detailed IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
September 2025
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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
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
Ranking in Database Security
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
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 IDERA SQL Compliance Manager is 1.1%, down from 1.2% 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%
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager1.1%
Other69.6%
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

Marylennis Franco - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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reviewer1659528 - PeerSpot reviewer
A valuable independent view of elevated access but the solution could be more organized
Our primary use case for this solution is for controls, which we deploy on-premises The independent view of elevated access and elevated instructions sent to our SQL are very valuable because they act as a secondary pair of eyes. The solution could be improved by using the proper filtration,…
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Guardium lets you centrally manage aggregators and collectors."
"The most valuable feature for me, in my role as systems DBA, is the expediting of internal and external audits."
"The ability to collect the data without database administers being able to modify it."
"The solution has definitely saved us time, because if you want to monitor this kind of vast environment of different products, it's going to take a lot of time. Let's say one database server has 100 database instances running on it; I don't need to install 100 data instances, I just need to install on the one database server and that will cover all of my instances on that particular database."
"One of the most valuable features is the accelerator. It has a predefined report for PCI SOX compliance and other compliances."
"The product has proven to be flexible"
"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."
"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."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros
"The tool can track logins and login failures. I made my own alert so that if there is a certain number of login failures for a server, it emails me. That is really useful. If I want logins to automatically lock out after a certain number of failed attempts, I can know when that happens."
"The ability to track activity including the SQL statements is definitely valuable. I really like how the database is laid out. It's straightforward. I can query the back-end tables. I've made a few of my own email alerts based on the data and the tables. It's accessible."
"The initial setup was straightforward."
 

Cons

"The installation should be a bit easier."
"The biggest complaint that I hear from customers and users is that using this solution requires database skills, yet it is a security and monitoring tool."
"The deployment is complex and requires expertise to deploy."
"We are currently facing a challenge because it does not offer data encryption by default, only data masking."
"The main issue I have with IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is the support. It's not good."
"I'd like to them make sure that the data sources can be more easily managed, because some of them are tied to multiple things. You try to remove one and you have to go to all the different spots to remove the associations before you can get rid of it."
"Since we are resellers we do not have enough information about the technical aspects and the areas of improvement. However, one consistent report that we receive from our customers is that IBM does not offer timely support due to the size of the organisation. It would be great if they could improve their response time."
"Many clients inquire if the solution includes a database firewall, which it doesn’t."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons
"There is an agent that collects the data on SQL Server. Sometimes it will stop collecting. I'm not exactly sure what's happening but I have to go in and manually restart the agent. It would be nice if the central collection server could send a request to the agent to restart."
"I submitted a ticket (last year) about archiving/grooming of old records because the GUI functionality was not working. Per their recommendation, I ended up using a command line to do it."
"The set up is kind of clunky, in my opinion. It's not really intuitive. If they had either a smoother install or better instructions, that would be nice."
"Its filtration and navigation are not the best."
"What would really a good thing is if you could refer to an external list or table for filtering on, say, certain applications, IP addresses, or host names; or perhaps even combinations of host name and application name."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."
"The product's pricing is reasonable and affordable. It is in the moderate range."
"Guardium has not saved us time or money."
"Reasonable cost but could be lower."
"I would suggest to review the type of data, need for security, and if the organizational structure needs the options IBM Guardium provides."
"It's an expensive solution"
"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. ​"
"For IBM Guardium, licensing is very simple and straightforward. There are no issues I can speak of."
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice
"It's a good price value... The other tools weren't cheaper."
"I feel the product's pricing is a good value."
"The pricing is pretty good."
"The product is cheaper than other products I checked but it is still a good idea to check again and compare."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
No data available
 

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...
See all answers
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.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
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Comparisons

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Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 52% of the time
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 19% of the time
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 5% of the time
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
Trustwave DbProtect vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Logo
Trustwave DbProtect vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
Compared 3% of the time
More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors
No data available
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection
October 2025
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reportDownload IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report
Buyer's Guide
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
October 2025
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager reportDownload IDERA SQL Compliance Manager product report
 

Also Known As

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
IDERA SQL CM
 

Overview

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection automatically discovers and classifies sensitive data from across the enterprise, providing real-time data activity monitoring and advanced user behavior analytics to help discover unusual activity around sensitive data.

Deploy the solution to help discover regulated data in your data stores and use pre-built templates for regulations such as PCI, SOX, HIPAA, CCPA and many more, to streamline and automate compliance workflows.

IBM

SQL Compliance Manager helps database administrators to monitor, audit, and alert on SQL Server user activity and data changes. Unlike its competition, it provides quick configuration of audit settings, a broad list of regulatory guideline templates for audit settings and reports, before and after data values for both regulatory compliance and forensic data investigations, differentiation of data access and between regular and privileged users and applications, easy specification of and reporting on sensitive data columns access and changes, and extensive customization of audit settings for databases and servers.

IDERA
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Hanger; AmerisourceBergen; CMS Energy; Manulife Financial; Patterson Companies; Pfizer; Rockwell Automation; TrialCard; Unum; Verizon Communications; Skygen USA; Calpine Energy Solutions; Standard Chartered PLC; TrialCard, Inc.; Raffles Hospital; Houston Methodist; Community America Credit Union; Noble Americas Energy Solutions LLC; QuikTrip Corporation; HUK COBURG; OneBeacon Insurance Group, Ltd.
Buyer's Guide
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
September 2025
Free Report: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
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