While the larger vendors will continue to dominate the database security market, according to Forrester, standalone vendors will start to use broader information security frameworks, and begin offering (SIEM), intrusion-detection-and-prevention and data-loss-prevention systems.

Third-Party Tools vs. Database Vendors

Most enterprises use the security features that come native with the database management system (DBMS), according to Forrester, but they turn to third parties for advanced requirements, such as real-time protection, granular compliance reporting and support for heterogeneous deployments, the analyst firm says.

"DBMS security features are siloed per database vendor and don't provide a holistic view," says Mike Hortobagyi, senior solutions architect at Bell Canada.

"It's better to go with a centralized tool that can provide a full picture of the threat landscape from one console and integrate with other enterprise systems for management, risk reporting and analytics."