By SecureBeans Engineering ·
Privileged accounts - domain administrators, root accounts, database owners and service accounts - hold the keys to your organisation. Privileged Access Management (PAM) is the set of tools and processes that controls who can use those accounts, when and how.
Why privileged accounts are a top target
Most serious breaches involve stolen or misused credentials. Once an attacker has an admin password, they can disable defences, move between systems and reach sensitive data without triggering ordinary alerts. Shared admin passwords, passwords that never change and admin rights left on everyday user accounts make this far too easy.
What a PAM solution does
- Vaults privileged credentials so people never need to know the actual password
- Rotates passwords and keys automatically after use or on a schedule
- Brokers and records admin sessions for audit and investigation
- Grants just-in-time access instead of permanent admin rights
- Removes local admin rights from endpoints while still letting approved tasks run
How to get started
Start by discovering where privileged accounts exist - you will usually find more than expected. Vault the highest-risk accounts first (domain admins, firewall and database admins), then extend to service accounts and endpoints. Integrate PAM with your identity platform and SIEM so access and activity are visible in one place.
SecureBeans designs and deploys PAM with leading vendors including Delinea, RevBits and Microsoft. If you would like a short assessment of your privileged access risk, talk to our identity engineers.