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

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: 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

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 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
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Security Guardium Data Protection	29.3%
IDERA SQL Compliance Manager	1.1%
Other	69.6%

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

"It provides us regulatory compliance proof and evidence for audit."

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

"Has a great Big Data Intelligence feature."

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

"I rate Guardium 10 out of 10 for data activity monitoring and nine for vulnerability assessment. It's easy to implement and does its job. But I would rate it seven out of 10 in terms of advanced features."

"It's one of the first to encrypt DB2 databases."

"Guardium lets you centrally manage aggregators and collectors."

"Accelerators is one of the big functions they have out there. It gives you canned reports that you don't have to make yourself, they're out there by being part of the patch. You just have to fill your information in to some of the already built groups, for your environment, and it automates a lot of that. That has definitely helped improve things."

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

"Sometimes the connectors to the databases need to be manually updated and we have to configure them again, which is something that should be improved."

"More predictive, using Watson AI would be good."

"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."

"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."

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

"The integration part of the present solution is very complex and tedious. Plus it gives a lot of false positives which need to be eradicated over time."

"I am struggling getting through to social."

"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."

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."

"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."

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Guardium is most suitable for large scale enterprises because the pricing model is better if you are implementing a large number of databases."

"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."

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

"If you are researching this type of solution, work with IBM."

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

"It's an expensive solution"

"The cost depends on the number of databases. You can purchase advanced licenses, but the standard license is calculated based on the number of databases you have to onboard."

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

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

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

Imperva Data Security Fabric vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 52% of the time

Oracle Audit Vault vs IBM Security Guardium Data Protection

Compared 19% of the time

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

Compared 3% of the time

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 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

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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