ACF2 vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection comparison

Broadcom and IBM are both solutions in the Database Security category. Broadcom is ranked #17, while IBM is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6. Broadcom holds a 0.6% mindshare in DS, compared to IBM’s 32.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of IBM users who would recommend it.

ACF2

Read 6 ACF2 reviews

96 Views
55 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Read 76 IBM Security Guardium Data Protection reviews

5,554 Views
2,702 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

ACF2

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between ACF2 and IBM Security Guardium Data Protection based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Database Security solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

October 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 814,649 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

ACF2

Ranking in Database Security

17th

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mainframe Security (5th)

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

Ranking in Database Security

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

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

IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Jan 13, 2022

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.

Read full review

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

Jun 26, 2024

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.

Read full review

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."

"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 NOACCESS by default is another very good feature. Also, access rules are straightforward, and easy to understand."

"The most valuable feature is the GUI, the interface. It also interfaces well with REST API, if you want to automate some of the commands."

"It has automated a bunch of manual tasks, giving us insights into activities that we would not otherwise be able to capture."

"Has a great Big Data Intelligence feature."

"We use IBM Guardium to support security initiatives and combine policies within the organization."

"Good data encryption and data masking features."

"It supports our audit compliance."

"I like the reporting mechanism. It's very good."

"The ability to collect the data without database administers being able to modify it."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros

Cons

"It needs longer rules. The max rule is 32K."

"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."

"Reporting can sometimes include false positives."

"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."

"Initial setup is very complex. Once you start interacting with people's databases, they get very hesitant. Then, the amount of social tasks to socialize the solution ensuring people are comfortable with it became a much heavier lift."

"Guardium Data Protection is far better in terms of external integration. But in terms of firewall features, like when you're blocking activities, it's as if Oracle AVDF simply has superior features. This is just from third-party observations, but the users of Oracle AVDF are saying that when it comes to the firewall and protection functionality, they're much more inclined to AVDF."

"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."

"IBM Guardium Data Protection is a mature product. There is a lot of encryption that is not owned by IBM and is done by a third party and is not an integral part of the solution."

"We are currently facing a challenge because it does not offer data encryption by default, only data masking."

"I have already mentioned to IBM that a primary need is to improve the number of records in the reports above 65,535."

"Using the data in native Guardium is difficult, at best."

"Can't be used for a NoSQL database, which is limiting."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"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."

"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."

"It is not an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"We haven't talked much about pricing and licencing. But it is not cheap for sure"

"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."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database Security solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

38%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

29%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 do you like most about IBM Guardium Data Protection?

It sends out an immediate alert when there's suspicious activity.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

Comparisons

Top Secret vs ACF2

Compared 52% of the time

IBM Resource Access Control Facility vs ACF2

Compared 48% of the time

More ACF2 Competitors

Imperva SecureSphere Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 54% of the time

Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 15% of the time

DataSunrise Database Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle Advanced Security vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 5% of the time

Voltage SecureData Enterprise vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Mainframe Security

October 2024

Download ACF2 product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

October 2024

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection report

Download IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report

Also Known As

CA ACF2

InfoSphere Guardium, Guardium, IBM Guardium

Learn More

Broadcom

IBM

Overview

CA ACF2™ for z/OS provides innovative, comprehensive security for your business transaction environments—including Linux, UNIX and z/OS on System z—helping you realize the reliability, scalability and cost-effectiveness of the mainframe. CA ACF2 provides an Advanced Authentication Mainframe feature, system entry validation, resource control, auditability, accountability, and administrative control. In conjunction with distributed security solutions from CA Technologies, CA ACF2 provides mobile-to-mainframe enterprise class security and compliance management.

ACF2 Features

ACF2 offers some of the following features:

Authentication: ACF2 is used for authenticating users and granting them access to profiles and various resources on the mainframe.
Access Control: The solution provides resource control, allowing administrators to control who can access specific mainframe resources.
Logging and Monitoring: Organizations can easily track and monitor activities on the mainframe. This feature enables the creation of audit trails for follow-up and helps with security analysis.
Metrics and Reporting: ACF2 allows the configuration of tools to produce different types of metrics and reports. These can then be used by senior management for making informed security decisions.
Comprehensive Security: The solution provides comprehensive security for mainframe environments, ensuring the protection of valuable data assets. It offers advanced authentication, system entry validation, and administrative control.
Streamlined Administration: It simplifies the administration of mainframe security by providing streamlined management capabilities. ACF2 also enables administrators to monitor and adjust security policies and accommodate various organizational structures.
Scalability: ACF2 offers reliable and scalable security, allowing businesses to expand their mainframe environments while maintaining a high level of protection.
Compliance Management: Organizations can meet compliance requirements by providing auditability, accountability, and comprehensive security controls.
Integration: ACF2 can integrate with distributed security solutions from CA Technologies, providing enterprise-class security and compliance management for mobile-to-mainframe environments.
Flexibility: ACF2 allows flexibility in adapting security policies to accommodate different organizational structures and requirements.

ACF2 Benefits

Some of the benefits that ACF2 provides are:

Enhanced security and resilience
Streamlined administration
Reliable and scalable security
Comprehensive audit capabilities
Cost-effectiveness
Integration with other security solutions
Simplified identity and access management
Compliance management
Efficient monitoring and reporting

Reviews from Real Users

According to an IT Examiner at a financial services firm with 10,000+ employees, "ACF2 is extremely beneficial for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."

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.

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

October 2024

Free Report: ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Find out what your peers are saying about ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our ACF2 vs. IBM Security Guardium Data Protection report.

See our list of best Database Security vendors.

We monitor all Database Security reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.