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 8.6, while IDERA is ranked #10. IBM holds a 27.6% mindshare in DS, compared to IDERA’s 1.4% 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

4,800 Views
3,984 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IDERA SQL Compliance Manager

Read 5 IDERA SQL Compliance Manager reviews

259 Views
254 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Security Guardium Data ...

IDERA SQL Compliance Manager

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.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager Report (Updated: November 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager

November 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

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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Database Security category, the mindshare of IBM Security Guardium Data Protection is 27.6%, down from 33.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IDERA SQL Compliance Manager is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection	27.6%
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager	1.4%
Other	71.0%

Database Security

Featured Reviews

Marylennis Franco

Jefe De Continuidad Operacional at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees

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

VP Enterprise Data Management at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees

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 does a great job of capturing data and having the ability of trying to pull it out and make sense of it. Using it for business applications is its biggest capability."

"Ability to define reports based on SQL query, especially when you have complex report criteria."

"Satisfies audit requests, to give us an idea if anybody is accessing our privileged user IDs without our knowledge."

"It has been very difficult to analyze all the network traffic with something else. Guardium provides that feature, it's heuristic. So we have rule-based algorithms in place to take care of that."

"This is a multi-platform solution that consolidates everything and centralizes support for it."

"The purpose of EBM Guardium is to monitor database activity and who is accessing it. This is the most valuable feature."

"It supports our audit compliance."

"It protects sensitive data and blocks unauthorized access to the data."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pros

"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 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 initial setup was straightforward."

Cons

"Performance and the ability to use resources could be improved."

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

"The most important requirements for us are integration with new database solutions and the ability to manage things like Jailbreak or something like that. Its reduction feature can also be improved. It has a functionality called reduction, which is like masking data, but it is just a replacement of characters. Sometimes the customer needs more than this. It would be good if it was more advanced or complete. We also have a problem with this solution because the IBM aggregator isn't working very well. IBM has created big data intelligence for Guardium, and occasionally, customers need three or four months of data, but they can't run it from the collectors. It can have a better dashboard and more pre-defined use cases for those customers who don't have any idea about data protection or don't have expert personnel in this area. For example, they can include five use cases for banks and five use cases for retail."

"We've had some issues recently that we're working through, on the agent software that runs on the databases."

"Right now we're having some issues where it's using a high CPU, we don't know why. So, better testing before the product is ready would help."

"One of the limitations that everyone who uses Guardium knows is its ability for back-end reporting. The ability to collect it sometimes is easier than the ability to retrieve it, use it, or give a good representation of it for incidence response or questions which come from the different people who want to use the data."

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

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

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection cons

"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."

"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."

"Its filtration and navigation are not the best."

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"One of the deployments that I know of had three databases, and the yearly fees are approximately $50,000 USD."

"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."

"I would suggest to review the type of data, need for security, and if the organizational structure needs the options IBM Guardium provides."

"IBM Guardium Data Protection charges you based on the number of users, e.g. based on the number of licenses, and it's either on a per-license or a per-data basis."

"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."

"Guardium's pricing is quite high, but it gives good value for money for all sizes of enterprises, especially for partners."

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

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection pricing and cost advice

"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."

"I feel the product's pricing is a good value."

"It's a good price value... The other tools weren't cheaper."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	45

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...

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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.

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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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Comparisons

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Compared 50% of the time

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Compared 19% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

Trustwave DbProtect vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 3% of the time

IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Security Guardium Data Protection Competitors

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

October 2025

IBM Security Guardium Data Protection report

Download IBM Security Guardium Data Protection product report

Buyer's Guide

IDERA SQL Compliance Manager

October 2025

Download 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

November 2025

Free Report: IBM Security Guardium Data Protection vs. IDERA SQL Compliance Manager

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