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ACF2 vs Top Secret comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

ACF2
Ranking in Mainframe Security
5th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Database Security (17th)
Top Secret
Ranking in Mainframe Security
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Mainframe Security category, the mindshare of ACF2 is 8.1%, down from 14.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Top Secret is 11.5%, down from 16.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mainframe 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.
it_user558108 - PeerSpot reviewer
In terms of authorization, it controls what access accounts have with the two resources on the mainframe.
I've got about 20 or 30 items. I would like to see the ability to create a CFILE backup from a backup. A CFILE is a sequential version of what you've got on your database. If you do it against your live database, you impair performance. I want to be able to create that from a backup of the database. That's one of our primary items that we need. Another item that we need is more capabilities around two-factor authentication (2FA). They are working on two-factor authentication and have been making good progress. It's not quite where it needs to be for us yet.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We use this tool to quickly assign privileges to different users as soon as they come in."
"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."
"Logging and monitoring are most valuable. It is for the mainframe environment, and it is at the forefront for security and resilience."
"I love their support. The support is great. They are number one."
"We have implemented two-factor authentication, which is a new piece of CA Top Secret."
 

Cons

"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.​"
"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."
"Make sure that there is a post-sale department in your country. We have experienced some post-sale problems to do with integration of CA products into our systems."
"The user interface could be improved. Sometimes, it is not simple to understand where a certain definition should be defined, and I go through a number of screens until I find where to do some of them."
"It would be helpful if they removed limitations on user record sizes."
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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
31%
Insurance Company
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
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...
Can Top Secret enforce granular access controls for our mainframe system?
Top Secret is a great solution that can provide you with extensive capabilities to enforce very specific access controls for mainframe resources. You can set up intricate rules and restrictions, gi...
 

Also Known As

CA ACF2
CA Top Secret
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sky, Rogers Communications
First Tennessee Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, CyberArk, Broadcom and others in Mainframe Security. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.