Privileged Access Management (PAM), also known as privileged account or privileged identity management, is the process of assigning, monitoring, and securing access to critical business systems and applications.
The Challenge: Privileged accounts have higher levels of access to critical systems that contain sensitive or valuable business data. When threat actors steal or crack the login credentials of a privileged user account, they can access all the sensitive data available to a legitimate user.
How PAM Works: With a privileged access management solution, IT and security admins can monitor, secure, and control access to critical systems by granting elevated privileges “just-in-time”, i.e., only for as long as the user needs them to do their job. Once the user signs out of the system, the privileges are revoked.
In this shortlist, we’ll highlight:
JumpCloud is a comprehensive identity and access management solution that enables secure connections for privileged users to critical systems, applications, files, and networks. It offers a centralized platform for implementing multiple security controls, including MFA, SSO, PAM, device management, and SaaS management.
Why We Picked JumpCloud: We appreciate JumpCloud’s ability to serve as a core directory or integrate seamlessly with existing systems like Google Workspace and Azure AD. Its granular authorization policies with MFA and SSO provide robust security for privileged access.
JumpCloud Best Features: Key features include multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), privileged access management (PAM), mobile device management, password and SSH key management, and alerts for brute force attempts. Integrations include Google Workspace, Azure AD, and other directory services.
What’s great:
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Pricing: JumpCloud offers multiple packages. Their PAM capabilities are available within their Core Directory package ($13 USD/user billed annually), Platform package ($19 USD/user billed annually), and Platform Prime package ($24 USD/user billed annually).
Who it’s for: JumpCloud is ideal for enterprises of all sizes seeking an efficient, user-friendly solution for privileged access management and comprehensive identity and access control.
Heimdal Privileged Access Management (PAM) streamlines securing user access to privileged accounts and proactively remediates identity-related threats. It offers automated workflows for managing privilege escalation and comprehensive monitoring of privileged user activities within high-tier systems.
Why We Picked Heimdal PAM: We appreciate Heimdal PAM’s streamlined process for securing access to critical resources and its proactive approach to mitigating identity threats. The solution’s automation capabilities, including automatic termination of privileged sessions upon threat detection, stand out.
Heimdal PAM Best Features: Key features include automated workflows for approving or denying privilege escalation, role-based permissions, escalation period settings, session logging, and automatic session termination upon threat detection. Integrations include compatibility with desktop and mobile devices via an intuitive dashboard.
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Pricing: Pricing information is available from Heimdal on request.
Who it’s for: Heimdal PAM is ideal for SMBs and mid-size enterprises seeking an easy-to-use solution for managing and automating privilege escalation processes, as well as monitoring the activities of privileged users within high-tier systems.
ThreatLocker Elevation Control is an endpoint privilege management solution that enables administrators to run specific applications with elevated privileges without granting local admin rights to users. This tool offers a secure and efficient way to manage application access across enterprise environments.
Why We Picked ThreatLocker Elevation Control: We like the ability to approve application-specific elevation and the integrated Ringfencing technology, which prevents unauthorized lateral movement between applications.
ThreatLocker Elevation Control Best Features: Key features include application-specific privilege elevation, streamlined user permission requests, temporary or permanent elevation settings, automatic learning of existing applications, and Ringfencing technology. Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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Pricing: For pricing details, visit ThreatLocker directly.
Who it’s for: ThreatLocker Elevation Control is ideal for organizations needing strict control over application permissions, such as those in finance and healthcare sectors, or any large enterprise looking to balance security and user access efficiently.
ARCON|PAM is a privileged access management solution that secures and manages the lifecycle of privileged accounts. It offers robust protection against insider threats and credential-related breaches through its comprehensive features.
Why We Picked ARCON|PAM: We like the solution’s just-in-time access feature, which minimizes the threat surface by granting access as needed. Additionally, its MFA-protected password vault automates password management, enhancing security.
ARCON|PAM Standout Features: The solution includes a secure password vault with strong, dynamic password generation and storage, accessible only via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). It supports just-in-time access, automatic password rotation, advanced session monitoring, and a reporting engine with analytics. Integrations include native support for One-Time-Password (OTP) validation and Single Sign-On (SSO).
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Pricing: Pricing information is available from ARCON upon request.
Best suited for: ARCON|PAM is ideal for organizations of any size seeking a scalable, robust PAM solution with comprehensive protection against insider threats and credential breaches.
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access enables organizations to manage and audit internal and third-party privileged access without a VPN. It securely stores passwords in a cloud-based or on-appliance vault and injects credentials directly into user sessions.
Why We Picked BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access: We appreciate the credential injection feature that prevents exposure during sign-in. Additionally, the platform’s strong session management capabilities provide granular visibility into privileged activity.
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access Best Features: Key features include secure credential storage in a cloud-based or on-appliance vault, integration with BeyondTrust’s PasswordSafe, credential injection, and robust session management with audit trails and session forensics. The solution offers deployment flexibility with desktop consoles for Windows, Mac, and Linux, a web-based console, and a mobile app for remote access approval and monitoring.
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Pricing: Contact BeyondTrust for pricing details.
Who it’s for: BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access is ideal for organizations with remote workers needing secure access to privileged systems. It suits businesses requiring robust visibility and control over privileged access across various environments.
Symantec Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a robust solution designed to enhance security by monitoring and governing access to high-tier corporate accounts. It reduces the risk of credential-related breaches and ensures compliance with industry standards.
Why We Picked Symantec PAM: We appreciate its ability to not only secure user accounts with preventative measures but also respond to breaches with built-in behavioral analytics and automated remediation workflows.
Symantec PAM Best Features: The solution stores privileged credentials in an encrypted vault accessible only after identity verification. It records user sessions, assessing risk and triggering automatic mitigation for anomalous behaviors. Key features include multi-factor authentication, machine learning-powered activity monitoring, and full session audit data, including video recordings. Integrations are strong with other Broadcom/Symantec security technologies.
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Pricing: Available from Broadcom’s partners and distributors upon request.
Who it’s for: Symantec PAM is ideal for large enterprises aiming to prevent credential-related breaches and lateral account compromise attacks, especially those already using Broadcom/Symantec security technologies.
CyberArk Privilege Access Manager (PAM) delivers multi-layered security for privileged accounts, enabling IT teams to secure, manage, and record account activities. It isolates credentials in a secure vault and continuously scans the network to detect and manage privileged access attempts.
Why We Picked CyberArk PAM: We like CyberArk’s ability to prevent repeat attacks by terminating sessions and automatically rotating credentials upon detecting suspicious behavior. Its continuous network scanning effectively identifies and manages privileged access.
CyberArk PAM Best Features: Key features include credential isolation in a secure vault, continuous network scanning for privileged access detection, automatic session termination based on risk levels, credential rotation, and full video playback and keystroke monitoring for each session. It supports on-prem, cloud, and SaaS deployment options.
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Pricing: CyberArk PAM is available as a self-hosted solution starting at $112/user, or as a SaaS solution via the Azure marketplace from $17,800.00/one-time payment for 1 year.
Who it’s for: CyberArk PAM is best suited for enterprises needing a robust, flexible privileged access management solution with strong session monitoring and remediation capabilities across various deployment environments.
Delinea Secret Server enables organizations to monitor, manage, and secure access to their most sensitive corporate databases, applications, and network devices. It stores all privileged credentials in an encrypted, centralized vault accessible only through two-factor authentication, ensuring users can view only the passwords necessary for their roles.
Why We Picked Delinea Secret Server: We appreciate its strong focus on authorization, allowing detailed control over what activities users can perform once logged into privileged accounts. The solution’s granular access controls align with the principle of least privilege.
Delinea Secret Server Best Features: Key features include secure storage of privileged credentials, two-factor authentication for access, granular access controls, policy controls for password complexity and rotation, on-demand privilege provisioning, custom workflows for access delegation, and session recording for monitoring and auditing. Integrations support a wide range of systems, applications, and security tools.
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Pricing: Available from Delinea upon request.
Who it’s for: Delinea Secret Server is ideal for enterprises seeking to secure and centrally manage access to critical systems, accounts, and applications, ensuring compliance with data protection standards and preventing account takeover attacks.
ManageEngine PAM360 is a comprehensive privileged access management (PAM) solution that automates access management and ensures compliance readiness for securing critical systems, applications, and services.
Why We Picked ManageEngine PAM360: We appreciate PAM360’s ability to automatically discover and onboard privileged users and accounts, enabling immediate identification of standing privileges across the network. Its just-in-time access and least privilege workflows streamline access provisioning.
ManageEngine PAM360 Best Features: Key features include automatic discovery and onboarding of privileged accounts, just-in-time access with least privilege workflows, secure credential vault with AES-256 encryption, full audit trails, real-time session recording, session shadowing, and regulatory compliance support for NIST, PCI-DSS, FISMA, HIPAA, SOX, and ISO-IEC 27001. Integrations include seamless compatibility with ManageEngine’s other products.
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Pricing: ManageEngine PAM360 is available as a subscription from $7,995/year (billed annually), or as a perpetual license from $19,995 with support from $3,999.
Who it’s for: ManageEngine PAM360 is best suited for organizations needing comprehensive privileged access management, especially those in regulated industries like healthcare, government, and financial services. It’s particularly valuable for existing ManageEngine customers.
Saviynt Cloud PAM integrates Privileged Access Management with Identity Governance and Administration, offering just-in-time access to assets across on-prem, web, and cloud environments. It eliminates standing privileges and streamlines access management with a user-friendly interface.
Why We Picked Saviynt Cloud PAM: We appreciate its ease of setup and management, which does not compromise on security. The solution’s real-time discovery of accounts, workloads, and entitlements simplifies the setup process.
Saviynt Cloud PAM Key Features: The platform supports policy-based lifecycle management for privileged identities, provisioning least-privilege time-bound or temporary role-based access. It includes a secure password vault for credentials, keys, and tokens, with options for password rotation and role-based access controls. Additional features include AI-informed security and compliance reporting, zero-footprint session monitoring, keystroke logging, and a risk scoring system for automatic session termination.
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Pricing: Contact Saviynt directly for pricing details.
Best suited for: Saviynt Cloud PAM is ideal for organizations seeking a comprehensive yet easy-to-use privileged access management solution. It’s particularly beneficial for those prioritizing both security and usability.
One Identity Safeguard is a Privileged Access Management (PAM) suite that offers modules for password management, session monitoring, and threat detection. It enables organizations to secure, control, and audit access to critical resources throughout the session.
Why We Picked One Identity Safeguard: We appreciate its ability to reduce user friction across multiple platforms and its comprehensive session recording and analysis capabilities.
One Identity Safeguard Best Features: The suite includes a secure password vault, session management, threat detection, and user behavior analytics. Key features are centralized authentication, single sign-on (SSO), machine learning for user activity analysis, and customizable access controls for just-in-time or least-privileged access. Integrations support multiple environments and platforms.
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Pricing: Pricing information is available from One Identity on request.
Who it’s for: One Identity Safeguard is best suited for large enterprises needing powerful tools to control and monitor privileged access across multiple platforms with minimal user friction.
We researched lots of PAM solutions while we were making this guide. Here are a few other tools worth your consideration:
Scalable PAM with a user-friendly interface, easy integration and cloud-based LDAP, RADIUS and SSH Key management.
Password randomization and encryption, one-time access, and credential rotation to secure shared accounts.
Powerful password management and PEDM that ensures secure privileged access for both internal and remote employees.
Why should you trust this Shortlist?
This article was written by the Deputy Head of Content at Expert Insights, who has been covering cybersecurity, including privileged access management, for over 5 years. This article has been technically reviewed by our technical researcher, Laura Iannini, who has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.
Research for this guide included:
This guide is updated at least every 3 months to review the vendors included and ensure that the features listed are up to date.
Who is this Shortlist for?
We recommend that all organizations control privileged access using a strong privileged access management solution, but particularly larger enterprises and organizations operating within heavily regulated industries. This list has therefore been written with a broad audience in mind.
How was the Shortlist picked?
When considering PAM solutions, we evaluated providers based on the following criterion:
Features: Based on conversations with vendors, end customers, and our own testing, we selected the following key features :
Market perception: We reviewed each vendor included on the Shortlist to ensure they are reliable, trusted providers in the market. We reviewed their documentation, third-party analyst reports, and—where possible—we have interviewed executives directly.
Customer usage: We use market share as a metric when comparing vendors and aim to represent both high market share vendors and challenger brands with innovative capabilities. We have spoken to end customers and reviewed customer case studies, testimonials, and end user reviews.
Product heritage: Finally, we have looked at where a product has come from in the market, including when companies were founded, their leadership team, their mission statements, and their successes. We have also considered product updates and how regularly new features are added. We have ensured all vendors are credible leaders with a solution we would be happy to use ourselves.
Based on our experience in the identity and broader cybersecurity market, we have also considered several other factors, such as the benefit of consolidating multiple features into a single platform, the quality of the admin interface, the customer support on offer, and other use cases.
There are over 400 vendors in the user authentication market. This list is designed to be a selection of the best PAM providers. Many leading solutions have not been included in this list, with no criticism intended.
“Privileged access” refers to the elevated access permissions that IT and security admins can assign to user accounts, that give those accounts administrative levels of access to critical systems and applications.
Most organizations organize their systems in tiers, according to the severity of the consequences should the system be breached or misused; the higher the tier, the more damage a breach would cause. Privileged accounts, such as domain admin or local administrator accounts, are granted higher levels of permissions than standard user accounts. These permissions give them administrative levels of access to high-tier systems.
If a cybercriminal were to compromise a privileged account by stealing or cracking its credentials, they could:
“Standing privileges” are elevated access privileges that are always on. If a user has standing privileges, it means that they always have those privileges assigned to their account, even if they’re not currently using them. A user may not even be aware that they have those privileges.
A common example of standing privilege is the “admin” account that often comes pre-made with a new laptop or desktop, or when you install a new cloud application.
The problem: If an attacker were to compromise a privileged account by stealing or hacking the user’s login credentials, they would be able to use that account to access critical business resources multiple times.
The solution: The best way to mitigate risk associated with standing privileges is by implementing a “just-in-time” approach to elevating access privileges, also known as the “principle of least privilege.”
This principle states that IT, security, and compliance teams should only grant elevated permissions when they’re needed, and for the amount of time they’re needed. Once the user logs out of the system, the elevated permissions and revoked. In other words, every user has just enough access to do their job at all times.
So, if an attacker compromises an account with just-in-time privileges, they’ll only be able to utilize those elevated permissions once— this greatly limits the amount of damage they can do.
Privileged access management (PAM) is the process of identifying privileged users and ensuring they have a reasonable level or access, or revoking levels of access that are unnecessary.
This stops cybercriminals from being able to access privileged accounts by greatly reducing the time period during which the credentials are valid.
Privileged access management (PAM) software enables IT and security teams to assign, monitor, and secure privileged access to high-tier business systems and applications. This involves:
To achieve this, PAM tools usually work in one of two ways:
The best PAM tools also enable admins to monitor a user’s activities during their privileged session. This can help identify malicious activity and can also be used for regulatory compliance and auditing. The level of monitoring varies between solutions; some offer activity logs, while others offer full video recordings and keystroke monitoring.
There are numerous benefits to implementing a PAM solution:
Identity and access management (IAM) and privileged access management (or privileged identity management) are similar, but not the same.
IAM is a series of tools and processes (such as multi-factor authentication and single sign-on) that are used to verify and authorize users across an entire organization. This enables IT and security teams to control who can access what, from which locations, when, and how. In IAM, the verification process usually takes place when a user first signs into their user account. A user’s credentials (including alternative authentication factors) are used to verify their identity.
PAM is a subset of IAM that focuses solely on privileged users who need to access more sensitive data. In PAM, verification takes place when a user tries to access a specific resource. And while PAM solutions often include MFA as a means of verifying users before they can be granted elevated privileges, PAM ultimately bases its identity validation on attributes, rather than credentials.
IAM gives authorized users access. PAM gives users just enough access.
Caitlin Harris is Deputy Head of Content at Expert Insights. Caitlin is an experienced writer and journalist, with years of experience producing award-winning technical training materials and journalistic content. Caitlin holds a First Class BA in English Literature and German, and provides our content team with strategic editorial guidance as well as carrying out detailed research to create articles that are accurate, engaging and relevant. Caitlin co-hosts the Expert Insights Podcast, where she interviews world-leading B2B tech experts.
Laura Iannini is an Information Security Engineer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida. Laura has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and leads technical reviews of leading solutions. She conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.