Privileged Access Management (PAM) plays a pivotal role in protecting organizations from internal and external security threats by securing accounts with elevated access to critical systems and data. As cyber risks evolve, choosing the right Privileged Access Management Tools is more important than ever to ensure compliance, productivity, and data protection.
In this article, we explore the top 10 PAM tools for 2024, featuring leading solutions like Admin By Request, which offers a cutting-edge approach to Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM).
So whether you are a security professional looking to upgrade your organization’s PAM capabilities or an IT manager searching for the perfect solution, keep reading to discover the top PAM tools for 2024.
What is Privileged Access Management
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a security practice that involves managing and controlling access to systems, data and applications in an org. PAM solutions prevent unauthorized access, reduce security risk and meet compliance requirements. By PAMing, you ensure only authorized people have access to privileged accounts and access is granted need-to-know.
PAM tools protect an org’s most sensitive info by enforcing access controls and monitoring user activity. They help you maintain a strong security posture by keeping privileged access tightly controlled and monitored. In today’s IT, where internal and external threats are everywhere, PAM gives you the controls to protect your resources and meet industry standards.
Benefits Of Privileged Access Management Tools
There are numerous benefits to implementing a PAM solution in your organization, including improved security, increased compliance, and enhanced productivity. Here are some of the key benefits of using a PAM tool:
- Reduced Risk: By controlling and monitoring access to privileged accounts, PAM tools help mitigate the risk of cyber attacks and data breaches.
- Compliance: Many regulatory bodies require organizations to have proper controls in place for managing privileged access. A PAM tool can help you meet these compliance requirements.
- Improved Productivity: With a centralized system for managing privileged accounts, IT teams can save time and resources by streamlining processes and reducing manual tasks.
- Increased Visibility: PAM tools provide real-time visibility into privileged account usage, allowing organizations to identify and address any suspicious activities.
- Enhanced Password Management: PAM tools often include features such as password rotation and vaulting, which help improve password management and reduce the risk of credential theft.
Features Of Privileged Access Management Tools
Privileged Access Management (PAM) tools offer a range of features designed to safeguard sensitive information and maintain a secure IT environment. Key features include granular access controls, which allow administrators to manage who has access to what resources at a highly detailed level.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is another crucial feature, enabling organizations to assign access rights based on user roles, ensuring only necessary permissions are granted. PAM tools often provide session monitoring and recording capabilities, allowing for real-time oversight and forensic analysis of sessions involving privileged accounts.
PAM tools such as Admin By Request’s EPM provide a sophisticated approach to endpoint privilege management by utilizing just-in-time elevation and application whitelisting, ensuring secure yet flexible access for end-users.
Additionally, PAM tools typically offer password management features, including secure storage and rotation of privileged account passwords. These capabilities assist organizations in preventing password sprawl and enhancing their overall security posture.
Top 10 Privileged Access Management Tools for 2024
Now that we understand the importance and benefits of PAM tools, let’s explore the top 10 solutions for 2024:
StrongDM: Zero Trust PAM
StrongDM is a full Zero Trust PAM platform, access management in one place. As more organizations move to Zero Trust, StrongDM’s comprehensive approach ensures only verified and authorized users get to your resources. It’s a win for security and compliance teams who need the tools to maintain a strong security posture.
One of the best features of StrongDM is just-in-time access management. This means user access is automatically expired after tasks are done, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Imagine being able to grant access to users and know it will be revoked as soon as they’re done. This not only strengthens security controls but simplifies access management for security teams.
StrongDM also has built in reporting to help with compliance reporting and maintain detailed audit trails. This is especially important for organizations that need to meet strict regulatory requirements. Clear and detailed logs of user activity from StrongDM gives you transparency and accountability, two key components of any solid security strategy.
StrongDM Features
StrongDM supports multiple access control models. These include Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) and Policy-Based Access Control (PBAC). These models provide fine grained access control over user permissions so users only have access they need to do their job. This is critical to minimize risk and enforce least privilege.
StrongDM also simplifies policy management and enforcement for RBAC and ABAC. Centralizing access control policies means consistent application of security across the organization. This is good for security and reduces the administrative burden on IT and security teams.
Pricing and Reviews
StrongDM has a competitive pricing model starting at $70 per license. They also offer a free trial so you can try it out and see how it fits into your security framework.
This trial period is golden for organizations looking to test the tool before committing to a purchase.
Admin By Request: Simple Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM)
Admin By Request has a simple Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) solution that’s part of their Privileged Access Management (PAM) offerings. Known for being easy and effective, Admin By Request’s EPM handles privilege access without the complexity of traditional PAM solutions. User centric so security is manageable and scalable for all sized organizations.
Admin By Request has made a name for itself by being easy and cost effective. The EPM solution has an easy to use interface that simplifies privilege management. Organizations can deploy EPM quickly with minimal disruption to existing workflows. Users can elevate privileges on demand, a critical feature to ensure operational effectiveness while maintaining security.
One of the best features of Admin By Request’s EPM is the seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure. So organizations don’t have to rip and replace their entire system, reducing implementation time and cost. The built in monitoring and reporting tools give you transparency and visibility into user activity so you can comply with standards with ease.
Admin By Request EPM Features
Admin By Request has fine grained access controls so organizations can apply the principle of least privilege. Users only have access to what they need for their role, minimizing risk.
The platform has a central dashboard for policy creation and enforcement so access permissions can be managed across departments and teams. Centralized management reduces admin overhead and ensures policies are applied consistently.
Admin By Request’s EPM scales with your organization so it’s a future proof solution for your evolving security needs. And it’s affordable so high level security is available to more organizations without compromise.
Pricing and Reviews
Admin By Request has a competitive pricing model for small and large businesses. They have various subscription tiers to fit different organizations and budgets.
Customer reviews praise the tool for being simple and easy to integrate. Users love how easy it is to use without sacrificing any of the powerful features for secure privilege management. That’s what makes Admin By Request a PAM solution that’s user friendly and effective.
CyberArk: Identity and Privileged Access Management
CyberArk is a leader in identity and access management and privileged access management. They have solutions for various environments, on-premises, multi-cloud and hybrid. Their deployment options are flexible, SaaS and self-hosted on-premises, which is great for organizations with diverse infrastructure. CyberArk’s PAM solutions are known for operational efficiency and cost savings, that’s why many enterprise security teams choose them.
One of the best features of CyberArk is passwordless, VPNless, agentless just-in-time access for remote and third-party users. This is Zero Trust in action, only access to verified and authorized users and remote access to PAM. Adaptive, context aware MFA and SSO is an extra layer of user validation, making CyberArk a secure solution for access.
CyberArk has a tamper proof Digital Vault for secure credential management, continuously manages and rotates credentials to prevent exposure and has centralised privileged access management. This prevents unauthorized access and potential breaches, making CyberArk a PAM solution.
CyberArk Features
CyberArk offers core features like password vaulting, access restriction, audit trails, and session replays, essential for secure environments and accountability. The audit features provide detailed trails and session replays to verify user activity.
The platform enforces consistent session isolation for vaulted and zero standing privilege sessions, securing and monitoring privileged sessions. CyberArk’s centralized monitoring detects threats and identifies risky sessions, improving organizational security.
CyberArk also provides granular control to enforce least privilege by implementing role-specific, policy-based access and removing local admin rights, reducing breach risks.
Deployment Options
CyberArk offers flexible deployment options, including cloud and on-premises, to support Zero Trust and just-in-time access, allowing for scalable and robust security across regions. With SaaS and on-premises solutions, CyberArk accommodates diverse IT environments, ensuring secure and efficient PAM whether on-premises, multi-cloud, or hybrid.
Delinea: Custom PAM Solutions
Delinea offers customizable PAM solutions for various needs, ideal for organizations seeking custom security.
By enforcing a least privilege policy, Delinea ensures users have only the permissions necessary to perform their jobs, reducing security risks and enhancing overall system security.
Designed to integrate smoothly with existing IT infrastructure, Delinea’s solutions make implementation efficient for organizations with unique operational requirements. Their customization provides a valuable addition to any security strategy.
Secret Server and Beyond
At the core of Delinea is the Secret Server, which manages privileged account access with a focus on secure identity management. Employing least privilege policy and role-based access control (RBAC), it ensures users have necessary permissions.
It automates password changes and manages network account passwords, simplifying credential management. Secret Server scales by storing 10,000 secrets in the cloud and unlimited on-premises.
Its unified dashboard offers a single solution for secure credential management with discover, search, manage, provision, and delegate access features.
Cloud Environment Support
Delinea’s PAM solutions support cloud services, managing privileged credentials in cloud environments.
Secret Server Cloud simplifies access management with advanced security features for cloud-native environments, including automated password changes and seamless integration with multiple platforms.
These scalable, cloud-native solutions ensure robust security across platforms, making them future-proof and capable of addressing evolving security needs.
BeyondTrust: PAM Tools
BeyondTrust offers PAM tools to secure IT environments, endpoints, and cloud systems. A standout feature is its endpoint privilege management, providing robust security for modern organizations. With a focus on endpoint and cloud, BeyondTrust ensures strong security across entire infrastructures.
BeyondTrust’s PAM tools are versatile, suitable for use cases like remote workstation access and privileged credential management—critical for organizations needing tailored security solutions. This comprehensive protection safeguards critical systems and sensitive data.
Security Features
Privileged Remote Access offers secure remote workstation access without a VPN, ideal for remote or distributed workforces. Endpoint Privilege Management enforces a least privilege policy, granting users only necessary access.
Remote Support lets IT monitor and access devices, with video logs and LDAP integration for secure support. User activity monitoring includes logs and video recordings, while real-time session monitoring captures keystrokes, commands, and screen activity.
Strong session management allows administrators to terminate or isolate active sessions and review recordings. Password Safe manages privileged credentials and SSH keys, while DevOps Secrets Safe centralizes secrets management, providing comprehensive infrastructure protection and minimizing security risks.
Integration and Cost
BeyondTrust has an API for integration with existing security tools to enhance the overall security posture of the organisation. However integration can require significant configuration to align with existing systems so may be a consideration for organisations with complex IT environments. This flexibility in integration means BeyondTrust’s PAM tools can be tailored to the organisation’s specific needs.
Cost is important when implementing BeyondTrust’s PAM solutions as organisations may incur additional costs for training and support services. Session monitoring allows you to track user activity during remote access sessions so security teams can see what’s going on. By considering both the integration and cost organisations can make an informed decision if BeyondTrust is the right PAM solution for them.
Okta ASA: Cloud-Native PAM for Multi-Cloud
Okta ASA, acquired from ScaleFT in July 2018, offers cloud-native PAM for managing access across multiple servers in multi-cloud environments using role-based access control (RBAC). It’s designed to provide scalable security for a mobile and distributed workforce.
One of Okta ASA’s key benefits is reducing administrative burden by preventing direct access to server credentials, enhancing security and simplifying the user experience. By focusing on server access, Okta ASA ensures robust security and a straightforward PAM solution for multi-cloud environments.
Productivity with Okta ASA
Okta ASA boosts productivity by automating user provisioning, eliminating manual effort. Users quickly receive the necessary permissions to work without delay. It streamlines access controls, enabling security teams to operate securely and efficiently, while reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Limitations and Alternatives
Okta ASA has limitations; it doesn’t support web application access, which might not suit all organizations. Its focus on server access might not meet the needs of those requiring broader application access management.
Alternatives to Okta ASA offer wider application access management, supporting web applications and databases, ensuring robust security across all critical assets. Exploring these alternatives helps organizations find the right PAM solution for their needs and security requirements.
HashiCorp Vault: Secure Credential Management
HashiCorp Vault is essential for organizations seeking better credential management. It securely stores privileged account credentials with encryption and access controls, protecting sensitive data. A key benefit is its ability to create dynamic credentials that expire after a certain period, reducing credential exposure.
HashiCorp Vault can generate over 10,000 unique tokens daily, making it scalable and efficient for large environments.
Dynamic Workflows and Automation
HashiCorp Vault ensures secure secrets and credential management with dynamic access and automation. It creates secrets on the fly, giving users instant and secure access to IT resources—crucial for organizations needing quick, secure access.
Automated secret generation and revocation enhance security and reduce credential exposure, easing the administrative burden on IT and security teams. Integration with HashiCorp Boundary enhances session management and monitoring, ensuring secure dynamic workflows.
Session Management with Boundary
HashiCorp Boundary provides identity-based access and session management by applying the principle of least privilege.
By giving users only the access they need, Boundary enhances security and reduces the risk of unauthorized actions. It focuses on secure, controlled access to critical assets. Boundary also improves security by monitoring and logging session metadata, allowing you to track user activity.
Real-time session monitoring helps detect and respond quickly to suspicious actions, boosting overall security. Together with HashiCorp Vault, Boundary offers a complete solution for secure credential management and session control.
ManageEngine PAM360: User Granular Control
ManageEngine PAM360 is designed for IT system administrators and DevOps engineers, featuring robust account discovery and SSH key management. It focuses on granular user control to tailor access management for IT and DevOps. By offering detailed visibility into user activity, PAM360 enhances organizational security.
The platform automates key management and centralizes control, strengthening security while reducing IT burdens. With granular control and visibility, effective access management is achieved.
PAM360 Features
PAM360 offers central SSH key management, including discovery, deployment, and periodic rotation, ensuring secure and efficient key handling while minimizing unauthorized access risks. It generates and deploys new SSH key pairs to multiple servers, enhancing security and management.
Additionally, PAM360 streamlines workflows with on-demand key generation and remote SSH session launch, managing privileged user access requests efficiently and securely. These features make it a comprehensive PAM solution for IT and DevOps.
Comparison with Others
ManageEngine PAM360 excels in account discovery and granular user control, making it ideal for IT and DevOps. Its ticketing, SSH management, and streamlined workflows enhance user experience and security. With detailed visibility and control, PAM360 is a complete PAM solution.
Compared to others, PAM360’s focused approach to privileged access management is tailored for IT and DevOps, providing security without compromising usability or efficiency, making it a valuable addition to any security strategy.
Teleport: Unified Access Platform
Teleport is a unified access platform that simplifies privileged access management across environments. With just-in-time access, users can request privilege elevation only for the duration of a task, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Teleport’s Passwordless Access uses biometrics instead of passwords, offering a secure and user-friendly authentication method.
The Access Plane provides full infrastructure access through one platform, similar to StrongDM, simplifying access management and security.
Free vs Enterprise
Teleport offers free and enterprise versions to meet varying security needs. The enterprise version includes moderated sessions, proxy peering, and compliance support, while the free version does not, allowing organizations to choose based on requirements and budget.
Advanced Features
Teleport includes advanced features like session isolation and real-time monitoring. Session isolation securely separates user sessions, critical for accessing secure systems. Real-time monitoring provides ongoing visibility of user activity to quickly detect and respond to suspicious behavior, ensuring strong security.
These features make Teleport an excellent tool for securing access and managing privileged accounts.
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AAD): Integrated Identity Management
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AAD) is a cloud based identity management solution that provides integrated identity management capabilities including PAM. AAD helps organisations manage and control access to privileged accounts so only authorised users can access sensitive systems and data.
AAD has advanced features like multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access and identity protection. These features adds extra verification steps for access and monitors user behaviour for potential threats. With AAD organisations can have robust access controls and ensure privileged access is tightly controlled.
Besides security features AAD has seamless integration with other Microsoft services and third-party applications so it’s a versatile solution to manage privileged access across multiple IT environments. By using AAD’s integrated identity management organisations can have stronger security posture and simplify access management.
Saviynt: Cloud Security and PAM
Saviynt is a cloud security and PAM solution that has comprehensive security and compliance features. Designed to manage and control privileged accounts Saviynt has many features that secures and simplifies access management.
Saviynt has identity governance, access governance and cloud security features. These features allows organisations to manage user identities and access permissions so there’s no risk of unauthorized access and compliance to regulatory requirements.
Saviynt also has robust password management, session management and access control features. By automating password rotation and monitoring privileged sessions Saviynt helps organisations have a secure environment and detect security threats in real-time.
With its comprehensive security and compliance features Saviynt is the perfect solution for organisations that want to manage privileged access and protect their critical systems and data.
How to Choose the Right PAM Solution for Your Organization
When looking for a PAM solution, it’s important to consider your organization’s specific needs and requirements. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the right PAM solution for your organization:
Assess your organization’s existing IT environment and the types of privileged accounts that need to be managed. This will help narrow down the list of PAM solutions that are compatible with your systems.
Consider the level of automation and centralization that your organization requires. Some PAM solutions offer more comprehensive automation and centralization features than others.
With a comprehensive array of features and benefits, Admin By Request’s EPM serves as a versatile and cost-effective PAM solution, providing advanced capabilities such as least privilege, application control, and password management all in one platform.
Also, consider the size and complexity of your organization. Larger organizations may require more advanced features and scalability, while smaller organizations may benefit from a simpler PAM solution.
So, it’s important to carefully assess your organization’s needs and evaluate different PAM solutions to find the one that best fits your requirements.
Trends in Privileged Access Management
The future of PAM is being shaped by trends like AI driven threat detection and cloud native solutions. AI and machine learning is changing PAM by enhancing threat detection and response. These technologies can analyse user behaviour and detect anomalies in real-time so organisations can respond to security threats better.
Cloud native PAM solutions are becoming more important in modern security strategies, providing protection for privileged accounts. By integrating AI these solutions can analyse in real-time and make more agile decisions on access requests. As organisations move to cloud native environments the demand for scalable and flexible PAM solutions will only grow.
AI and Machine Learning in PAM
AI and machine learning are revolutionizing privileged access management (PAM) by enhancing threat detection and response capabilities. These technologies evaluate typical login patterns of privileged users to identify anomalous activities that could indicate security risks. Tools such as Teleport utilize real-time monitoring to improve incident response.
AI’s predictive capabilities enable organizations to anticipate threats by analyzing data trends, thereby strengthening security and enhancing adaptability to evolving risks.
Solutions like Admin By Request’s EPM leverage AI to scan and secure endpoint privileges, allowing efficient privilege management without compromising security. By combining simplicity with advanced detection, Admin By Request’s EPM empowers organizations to proactively address threats.
Cloud-Native PAM Solutions
Cloud-native PAM solutions are crucial for securing privileged accounts in cloud-centric environments. Tools like HashiCorp Vault automate secret management in CI/CD pipelines, ensuring secure access to tokens and credentials during deployment. Adding AI to cloud-native PAM enhances solutions with real-time threat detection and adaptive access controls.
Admin By Request’s EPM is a standout solution, offering seamless cloud integration while maintaining strong endpoint privilege security. Its AI capabilities improve malware detection and provide detailed audit logs and real-time monitoring to protect privileged accounts effectively.
As organizations move to cloud-native ecosystems, the demand for scalable, flexible, and intelligent PAM solutions like Admin By Request’s EPM will grow, ensuring security and operational agility.
Can PAM Protect Against Insider Threats?
Insider threats are a major concern for organizations, as they can come in many forms and cause significant damage. PAM solutions have features that can help mitigate the risk of insider threats.
PAM solutions provide granular access controls that restrict privileged users to only the necessary systems and data. This prevents them from accessing sensitive information that is not relevant to their job responsibilities.
Some PAM solutions also offer session monitoring and recording, which can track user activity and detect any suspicious or unauthorized actions. By having a record of all privileged sessions, organizations can identify and respond to insider threats more effectively.
Additionally, PAM solutions that offer password management features can prevent employees from sharing credentials or using weak passwords, reducing the risk of internal attacks. And by automating password rotation, organizations can ensure that old credentials are no longer valid, further reducing the risk of insider threats.
Tips for Implementing a PAM Solution
Here are some tips to consider when implementing a PAM solution in your organization:
- Define clear goals and objectives: Determine what you want to achieve with the PAM solution, such as improved security, compliance, or operational efficiency.
- Involve all stakeholders: Get input from IT, security, and business teams to ensure the PAM solution meets everyone’s needs and addresses all potential use cases.
- Conduct a thorough assessment: Evaluate your organization’s infrastructure, systems, and privileged accounts to identify any vulnerabilities or gaps that need to be addressed by the PAM solution.
- Choose the right solution for your organization: Consider factors like compatibility with existing systems, level of automation and centralization, scalability, and cost when selecting a PAM solution.
- Plan for deployment and integration: Create a detailed plan for deploying and integrating the PAM solution into your organization’s existing IT environment to minimize disruptions.
- Establish policies and procedures: Develop clear policies and procedures for privileged access, including password management, session monitoring, and emergency access.
- Train employees on proper usage: Educate all users on how to use the PAM solution effectively and follow established policies and procedures.
By following these tips, organizations can successfully implement a PAM solution that meets their specific needs and enhances their security posture. With the right PAM solution in place, organizations can better protect their valuable assets from insider threats and external attacks, ensuring business continuity and compliance.
Conclusion
The PAM landscape in 2024 presents a variety of robust and flexible solutions for security and access management. With options ranging from solutions like Admin By Request’s EPM and StrongDM to versatile tools such as BeyondTrust, organizations have numerous choices. Each PAM solution offers distinct features to address diverse security and infrastructure requirements.
Selecting the appropriate PAM solution necessitates a thorough understanding of your organization’s security objectives and ensuring seamless integration with existing tools.
Admin By Request’s EPM provides a proactive Endpoint Privilege Management strategy, streamlining privilege control while enhancing security. By evaluating your security team’s specific needs alongside the capabilities of each PAM tool, you can make an informed decision to fortify your security posture.
Emerging trends like AI-driven threat detection and cloud-native solutions will continue to influence the PAM landscape. By remaining informed about these trends and adopting scalable PAM solutions, organizations can effectively safeguard their critical systems and sensitive data.
FAQs
What is PAM?
PAM is a security framework to manage and restrict access to sensitive systems and data by users with elevated privileges. So valuable resources are protected from unauthorised access.
What are privileged access management solutions, and how do they work?
Privileged access management solutions are tools designed to control privileged access to sensitive systems and data. They ensure users have just enough access to perform their required tasks, reducing the risk of security breaches. These solutions typically use features like granular access control, which grants specific permissions based on user roles, and include capabilities to monitor and manage privileged accounts across an organization.
How does just-in-time access improve security?
Just-in-time access improves security by giving users temporary privileges so that prolonged unauthorised access is minimised. This means users only have access to what they need for a limited time so overall security is strengthened.
How does granular access control in PAM tools improve security?
Granular access control ensures users have access only to the specific resources and actions they need, minimizing unnecessary permissions. This approach supports the principle of just enough access, which reduces the risk of insider threats or unauthorized activities.
What are the benefits of cloud native PAM solutions?
Cloud native PAM solutions offer scalability and flexibility and improved security through integration with cloud environments. This allows for better management of privileged access in dynamic environments.
Why is an audit trail important in privileged access management tools?
An audit trail provides a detailed record of actions performed under privileged accounts, improving visibility into who accessed what and when. This is crucial for detecting anomalies, ensuring accountability, and meeting regulatory compliance standards. PAM solutions with robust audit trail capabilities offer enhanced control over privileged access by enabling organizations to track activity and quickly respond to suspicious behavior.
