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ACF2 vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

ACF2
Ranking in Database Security
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Mainframe Security (5th)
IBM Security Guardium Data ...
Ranking in Database Security
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
77
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 0.6%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 32.4%, up from 29.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Security
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1077621 - PeerSpot reviewer
A reliable, scalable product for security and auditing of our mainframe environment
It is a good product. It has been used for years. As long as it is configured correctly, it is a very stable product. It depends on how an institution or a company configures it. It depends on an institution's risk appetite. You need to make sure it is configured as per the concept of least privilege, and the logging features, detection and control mechanism, and other things like that are enabled. If you configure it to give access to the public, then there could be compromises. You should also have someone who independently checks it to make sure that it is configured keeping security in mind. If it has been configured for a while, when there are enhancements to the product or when you enhance it, you need to make sure that security is also looked at, and it is configured according to an institution's security policies. I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Muzzamil Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers vulnerability analyzer with easily integration with other IBM solutions
We are currently facing a challenge because it does not offer data encryption by default, only data masking. When we decide to implement data encryption, we must purchase an additional add-on, which incurs extra costs. Data encryption and data masking often work together in organizations. Therefore, using different products for these functions, such as Oracle for data management and a plugin for data masking, creates a burden on our systems. We have to install and manage multiple agents, like Oracle's light agents and IBM's agents. IBM should include data encryption in its standard package. This would streamline operations and reduce the complexity and cost of managing separate data protection solutions. Currently, it supports cross-platform integration but does not support integration with flat file databases. IBM Guardium integrates well with international databases like MySQL and Oracle, making it easy to use with these systems. We need to develop a plugin to integrate flat file databases with Guardium.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Excellent real-time reporting that saves time and resources."
"The NOACCESS by default is another very good feature. Also, access rules are straightforward, and easy to understand."
"I love their support. The support is great. They are number one."
"We use this tool to quickly assign privileges to different users as soon as they come in."
"Logging and monitoring are most valuable. It is for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."
"The solution supports a lot of databases."
"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."
"Guardium is easily integrated with other IBM solutions, a significant advantage and a key reason we chose Guardium. Both platforms share the IBM infrastructure, enhancing compatibility and integration. Additionally, Guardium offers a vulnerability analyzer, which is another compelling feature of the platform."
"Security policy enforcement of policy-based encryption and centralized encryption key management allows us to maintain data in a secure environment."
"The most valuable feature of the solution for the customers is the monitoring and full log of the database activity of privileged users."
"Database logging and audit functions are the most valuable features."
"The platform provides data protection from internal and external threats."
"Audit Process Builder – Workflow generator to enhance audit tasks and compliance workflows."
 

Cons

"They can work on its ability to work in a distributed environment. It's a mainframe product. As many companies move to the cloud, depending on what cloud models they choose, such as a public, hybrid, or private cloud, it should be deployable. I am not sure if it can be deployed on those platforms. It has been there since the '50s or '60s, and it's still scalable. It has survived all these years, and it's scalable to many platforms, but I don't know about the cloud."
"It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."
"I would like my team and me to be able to use simple browsers, like Chrome, to be able to access mainframe data and provision users using the browser.​"
"Reporting can sometimes include false positives."
"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."
"Needs easier integration with custom applications."
"I have already mentioned to IBM that a primary need is to improve the number of records in the reports above 65,535."
"I am struggling getting through to social."
"Could be more user friendly; deployment is a little complex."
"The documentation could be better."
"Many clients inquire if the solution includes a database firewall, which it doesn’t."
"Setup can be complex. The documentation is in so many different locations, and a lot of times we have to leverage support and higher level resources to figure out the right steps to take."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The biggest challenge is the cost associated with the product, and the cost of maintaining. Everything is not translated directly to the benefits we see. There are benefits, yes, but if I were writing the check, would I buy Guardium? No."
"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."
"Guardium won mostly because of our scope and scale. It was able to perform at the scale that we wanted to use it. ​"
"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."
"For IBM Guardium, licensing is very simple and straightforward. There are no issues I can speak of."
"Its cost is good. With the new metric of licensing, such as PDO not being available now, customers are expecting a good price for the solution."
"The tool is not cheap, but it is not expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
37%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
29%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is a good length for a password in ACF2 so it's safe?
A set length of 12 characters can ensure the safety of a system. Longer passwords provide an added layer of security, especially when combined with other password complexity requirements. With a le...
Is ACF2 suitable for beginners?
ACF2 can be suitable for beginners with the right guidance and support. While it may have a steep learning curve for many due to its complexity, it offers extensive documentation and resources that...
What types of auditing and reporting capabilities does ACF2 offer?
ACF2's reporting capabilities are highly valuable. It offers various predefined reports that provide insights into our system's security posture. These reports include information on user access pr...
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 can't provide details on the pricing because I don't deal with the billing. We have a big package with QRadar, Guardium, and other tools.
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.
 

Also Known As

CA ACF2
InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,562 professionals have used our research since 2012.