10 Best PAM Tools | Top Privileged Access Management Solutions

From The IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024, 71% was the growth from year to year in attacks done with genuine credentials. To historically speak, exploitation of genuine accounts has reached number one among top entry methods chosen by cybercrime for coming into victim networks.

Best PAM Tools/ Privileged Access Management Tools addresses this risk by restricting access to critical systems and sensitive data. Additionally, PAM software monitors and logs all privileged activities, enabling organizations to detect and respond swiftly to unauthorized actions or suspicious behavior.

In this article, you’ll discover how best privileged access management tools functions and explore the top PAM tools to safeguard your organization from both internal and external threats.

What is Privileged Access Management?

Privileged access management is an identity security solution that is meant to manage and track users with special or elevated access to sensitive portions of computer systems or networks. Such users, referred to as “privileged users,” have access to sensitive data, modify system settings, and execute critical tasks. They consist of administrators, SSH keys, and service accounts that are required to keep an organization up and running.

The key objective of privileged access management is to:

• Block unauthorized access to critical resources and information
• Provide support for security compliance
• Prevent privilege credential theft
• Manage and monitor third-party access
• Secure remote access to sensitive assets

But although useful, PAM tools have a major weakness: they’re usually blind to the majority of identities and their permissions. In other words, most PAM tools are not able to see the full picture of permissions across all systems and applications.

How does Privileged Access Management (PAM) Tools operate?

No matter what their specific purpose or type, there’s a general formula to how privileged access management software operates. Here’s how:

Authorization and authentication: PAM software employs strong authorization and authentication methods to ensure the identity of users attempting to utilize a privileged account. Upon authenticating a user, the software authorizes what they can access based on preconfigured security policies

Password protection: PAM tools helps your company automatically handle privileged account passwords. The software requires strong-complex password policies, rotates the password periodically, and stores the password securely to avoid unauthorized access by breached account credentials.

Session monitoring and recording: PAM tools provides insights into the sessions of privileged users by recording and monitoring real-time activity. This helps organizations preserve an audit trail as well as recognize anomalous behavior promptly.

Least privilege and access controls: Reducing insider threat, attack surface, and impact of potential security breach is facilitated by PAM using access control to impose the least privilege principle

Alerts and reports: In most organizations, 99 days on average elapse between a security breach and its detection. PAM tools reduces detection time through automatic generation of alerts for suspect activity and reports on sessions of privileged accounts. Organizations can identify threats in real-time, respond rapidly, and keep records of compliance.

Privileged access management is a necessity in protecting sensitive data and critical systems. Nevertheless, although the majority of PAM tools are adept at managing and monitoring the access of privileged accounts, their effectiveness relies on identifying first all privileged accounts, rather than only those specifically recognized as privileged by design. Thus, organizations require a software that can detect all privileged accounts.

Best Privileged Access Management Tools

1. CyberArk

CyberArk is an identity security product that operates on Cora AI, a Cora AI-powered identity security intelligence platform. Its PAM solution offers least privileged security control and an identity-focused audit and compliance solution. It also allows users to observe and isolate privileged sessions and remediate risky behaviors.

CyberArk runs on Windows and Mac desktops and Windows servers and grants remote access to IT assets without passwords or VPNs. It comes with an API for developers to build into their platform’s security as well as integrate with such tools as AWS, Sailpoint, and Azure.

Key Features :

• Adaptive multi-factor authentication and single sign-on
• Automated password rotation
• Endpoint privilege security
• Identity governance and administration

Pros:

• Market scale – CyberArk’s size and market share results in it having a big partner ecosystem and numerous integrations with other applicable technologies.
• Features – CIEM, secrets management, and more.

Cons:

• Product complexity – The products of CyberArk are hard to upgrade and handle. The users are also unable to differentiate between their overlapping set of features and solutions.
• Privileged session management – Features such as PSM cannot compete with the offerings of smaller and dynamic players.
• Pricing – The products of CyberArk are always positioned at the upper end of the PAM market.

CyberArk Pricing:

CyberArk does not disclose its pricing information, and potential customers are invited to schedule a demo to learn more.

2. Delinea

Delinea provides centralized authorization intelligence for IT management teams, DevOps teams, and cybersecurity teams. Its PAM platform offers privilege behavior analytics, privilege control for servers, privilege control for cloud entitlements, and privileged remote access.

Delinea provides cloud endpoint privilege management at an enterprise scale, allowing users to impose least privilege rights on endpoints and take away local admin rights. It includes a mobile application and open API and integrates with ActiveDirectory, ServiceNow, Secret Server, and Virus Total.

Key Features:

• Server privilege control
• Privilege behavior analysis
• Identity threat protection
• User Access Control override

Pros:

• UNIX/Linux friendly – Delinea offers a capable product solution. Specifically, customers mention the PEDM capability on Unix/Linux devices as being among the best available.
• User interface experience – Customers mostly report a seamless experience using Delinea solutions.

Cons:

• Overlapping products – Some users might find the array of products confusing – and prices can quickly escalate when numerous solutions are bundled together.
• Functionality – Certain common functionality is lacking with Delinea, and users might have to install additional tools or set up PowerShell commands to access features that are readily available in other products.
• Service accounts – The service and machine account management functionality is not as advanced as some of the other vendors on this list – especially those that deal with local systems.

Delinea Pricing:

Delinea does not publish public pricing for its Secret Server product. Reviews indicate that it is one of the pricier products available in the market. G2 user reviews score it as 4/4 for cost, approximately 26% higher than the market average.

3. Arcon

Arcon is a converged identity platform for global businesses. It is designed for business in telecom, government, financial, utilities, and healthcare sectors. It also provides compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS.

Arcon’s PAM solution provides fine-grained access control of digital identities within an organization’s IT infrastructure. It provides threat analytics, zero-trust authentication, and credential management. It allows users to have centralized security by integrating with databases, file transfer, web browsers, and DevOps platforms.

Key Features :

• Multi-factor authentication
• Credential management
• Single sign-on
• Access control

Pros:

• Features – Users and reviews indicate the functionality is typically better than average when compared to other providers on this list.
• Password capabilities – ARCON has a high-end set of password management features, such as a secure password vault, regular password change, as well as multi-factor authentication, and single sign on.
• Auditing – The product also provides a comprehensive audit trail of privileged activity, including reports and analytics.

Cons:

• Interface – One of the most frequent complaints from ARCON customers is about the user interface, which is not as simple as some of its competitors.
• Customer base – ARCON customers are predominantly located in Asia Pacific and EMEA, so it might be less appealing to US-based organizations.
• Product stack – Multiple products exist and it can be difficult to keep track of which ones are required – and costs will increase as stand-alone solutions are packaged up together.

ARCON Pricing:

ARCON doesn’t release pricing data. Gartner regards its price as ‘competitive’.

4. BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust is constructed for businesses to manage, visualize, and safeguard routes to privileged access accounts. BeyondTrust is a user identity security product to discover blindspots and key risk exposure points in their security posture. It provides AI-driven identity threat detection and response.

BeyondTrust has a free identity risk assessment and privilege discovery tool. It also provides cloud security for multi-cloud IT environments and supports cloud platforms such as AWS, Ping Identity, and ServiceNow.

Key Features :

• Identity threat detection and response
• Endpoint security
• Secure remote access management
• Workforce passwords

Pros:

• UNIX/Linux support – The UNIX/Linux support is widely acclaimed, with many deeming this the platform of choice for these operating systems.
• Discovery – Ease of use of the discovery features is one of the major attractions here, according to users.

Cons:

• Pricing – BeyondTrust products tend to be at the high end of the market in terms of pricing.
• Multiple tools – Customers also find costs and complexity increase as there are a number of different PAM products available, each with varying features and applications.
• Features – Features like single sign on, MFA, and PEDM are not included in the complete PASM package. 

BeyondTrust Pricing:

BeyondTrust does not disclose pricing information. Instead, potential customers are urged to get in touch with the sales team.

Suggested Blog: Best Synthetic Monitoring Tools

5. ManageEngine

ManageEngine is an enterprise developer PAM for compliance and audit and cyber insurance readiness teams. It provides cloud infrastructure entitlement management, identity threat detections and readiness, and zero trust privileged access management. It also provides least privileged workflows for provisioning access.

ManageEngine also supports remote security posturing with its remote access feature, which allows users to initiate direct connections to remote hosts without browser plug-ins. It offers a developer platform for customers to create customized integrations using APIs and SDKs.

Key Features :

• Privileged account and session management
• Enterprise password manager
• Privilege account governance
• Privilege user behavior analytics

Pros:

• Pricing – ManageEngine’s pricing is typically lower than market average.
• Scale – The customer base of the company is spread over several geographic regions worldwide, such as EMEA, North America, and Asia Pacific.
• Discovery – PAM360 supports comprehensive discovery capabilities to discover privileged users and service accounts across systems, databases, infrastructure, networks, etc.

Cons:

• Session management – Although some session management features are supported, the complete functionality is accessible only through a resource-intensive HTML5 browser session emulation.
• PEDM – While PEDM is packaged in the base product  its functionality is not as comprehensive.
• Broader functionality – Functions like secrets management, CIEM, and privileged credential management have a tendency to be behind the competition.

ManageEngine Pricing:

ManageEngine doesn’t release pricing information for PAM360 or other offerings. Instead, potential buyers are asked to request a quote or demo through the website to learn more.

6. One Identity

One Identity provides SaaS-delivered and on-premises privileged access management for organizations to secure, analyze, and govern PAM tools across various platforms or IT environments. It offers on-demand, remote PAM with privileged analytics, password vaulting, and session management.

One Identity has an open API as well as cloud infrastructure integration like AWS and Azure, access management software like Okta, data software like Dropbox, and other enterprise solutions such as finance and ERP systems.

Key Features:

• Identity governance
• Privilege identity management
• Privilege account analytics
• Centralized identity management

Pros:

• Ease of use – Safeguard is easy to use and users typically commend the product’s user-friendly UI.
• Customer support – One Identity gives each account an account and customer success manager, which makes their general customer support a true attraction.

Cons:

• Lack of CIEM capability – One Identity does not provide CIEM tools, unlike several other vendors on this list. However, clients have access to limited governance and auditing capability through One Identity Governance & Administration. 
• Overlapping products – With even the complete set of Safeguard modules, customers might still need to add additional One Identity products to achieve the full functionality.

One Identity Pricing:

One Identity does not disclose pricing and no details are available to enable us to give further information.

7. WALLIX:

WALLIX is another established provider in the PAM space, having deployed its first product back in 2007.

The core package of PASM capabilities is now supported by the flagship product: WALLIX Bastion. PEDM tools are also provided through WALLIX BestSafe.

Key Features :

• Access control permissions
• Compliance management
• Password management
• Access management
• Credential management
• Single sign on
• Authentication
• Multi-factor authentication
• User management

Pros

• Broad PASM support – WALLIX Bastion has a broad set of PASM tools, with session monitoring and auditing features included.
• Cost – While cost information is not publicly announced, it is reportedly competitive.
• Ease of use – End users report a product that is easy to use and has a user-friendly UI.

Cons:

• No password rotation – Most machine or service account password rotation policies are not supported.
• Global reach – The customer base is typically limited to EMEA.
• Lack of discovery – WALLIX Bastion lacks cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM) capabilities. This reduces its effectiveness for organizations seeking to automatically scan and detect privileged users and other identities.

WALLIX Pricing:

• Perpetual license (+ 12-36 month maintenance subscription)
• Yearly license (+ 12-36 month maintenance subscription)
• On-demand (Monthly, + minimum 12-36 month maintenance subscription)
• The application may also be obtained from cloud vendors like AWS, Azure, and GCP.

8. Microsoft  Entra ID 

Microsoft Entra ID may look like an unfamiliar name on this list. As a matter of fact, it’s just a new title for Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory. The new service was rolled out around the latter part of 2023.

This differs from other products on this list in that there’s a high probability you already possess it. Any organization utilizing Windows 11, Microsoft 365, or Azure services will essentially already be entitled to a basic Microsoft Entra ID package. That’s because it extends the existing identity and access management capability all Microsoft customers already utilize to sign in and authenticate.

Key Features :

• Access control permissions
• Compliance management*
• Password management
• Access management
• Credential management
• Single sign on
• Authentication
• Multi-factor authentication
• User management

Pros:

• Windows integrations – Microsoft Entra ID works well with other Microsoft technologies, making this an attractive choice for Windows-based organizations.
• Basic package – Microsoft offers a free package to all users and paid tiers to extend the functionality. This makes it easier to get started with these tools.
• Cloud security policies –Microsoft security tools are suitable for cloud and hybrid organizations. Users mention multi-factor authentication, conditional access policies, and password management as effective features in this product.

Cons:

• Confusing features – It’s not immediately apparent which features are included in various tiers of this product. 
• User interface – Certain users find the UI and layout of Entra ID less intuitive than third-party alternatives.
• Microsoft only – Entra ID is a build upon the underlying technology used by all Microsoft 365, Windows, or Azure consumers. Non-Microsoft consumers will consequently probably find it less beneficial, and maybe even confusing.

Microsoft Entra ID Pricing:

• Microsoft Entra ID P1: $6.00 /user/month
• Microsoft Entra ID P2: $9.00 /user/month

9. JumpCloud

JumpCloud refers to itself as “a single seamless solution for IT, HR, and security, that your users will love.”

The firm provides various levels of PAM and IAM tools, ranging from standalone features to the whole package. The most sought-after solution is the “Directory Platform”, which demonstrates a broad array of PAM features.

Key Features :

• Access control permissions
• Compliance management
• Password management
• Access management
• Credential management
• Single sign on
• Authentication
• Multi-factor authentication
• User management

Pros:

• Single sign on & IAM – Users describe an efficient and simple-to-use sign on process.
• User and device management – Another favorite feature because of the ease of managing multiple devices and users.
• Ease of use – The UI and navigation are simple and easy to navigate.

Cons:

• Limited Mac MDM support – The mobile device management (MDM) in Mac environments is not as comprehensive as in other operating systems.
• Lack of technical documentation – JumpCloud documentation is not as comprehensive as that of other vendors’.
• Reporting/auditing – Users have also requested enhanced tracking, auditing, and reporting capabilities, for compliance purposes.

JumpCloud Pricing:

• Individual features: From $2 /user/month (Billed annually)
• Core Directory package: From $11 /user/month (Billed annually)
• PlatformPlus: From $18 /user/month (Billed annually)

10. Okta:

One of the more recent additions to this roster, Okta is cloud-native in its focus. Its primary PAM solution, Privileged Access, is part of a broader suite of ‘Workforce Identity Cloud’ offerings. Included among these are tools providing multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, lifecycle management, and others.

The capabilities on this list are drawn from what’s offered across all these products – though buyers need to watch out for the potential escalating price of having multiple bundled subscriptions.

Key Features :

• Access control permissions
• Compliance management
• Password management
• Access management
• Credential management
• Single sign on
• Authentication
• Multi-factor authentication
• User management

Pros:

• Integration – Okta tools are easy to integrate with one another as well as more conventional PAM software.
• Cloud-native – The set of Workforce Identity Cloud tools is cloud-native and can operate smoothly in cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments.
• Onboarding – Onboarding and offboarding of users are automated and hence relatively simple in Okta.

Cons:

• Auditing – Absence of auditing and compliance features compared to other rivals is one major disadvantage.
• Costly and convoluted – Okta’s cost-per-resource pricing can be confusing, and the sheer number of distinct products available to buy can drive costs and complexity too.
• No single permissions – Most PAM tools don’t allow you to control and manage permissions for individuals – just groups. This restricts how fine-grained controls you can apply.

Okta Pricing

Okta’s Privileged Access product costs $14 per resource unit/ per month, which is approximately equal to the size of compute power that the deployment will need.

Conclusion

If you’ve made it this far, hopefully you understand a little better about the complicated PAM landscape, and how you can separate the confusing set of products and services out there.

As is always the situation with cybersecurity, there is no single solution.

Instead, it’s crucial to make the time to correctly comprehend your needs and the specific tools you already have. By doing that, you’ll be better positioned to comprehend your requirements and which providers are best suited to meet them. Selecting the right privileged access management tools ensures that your organization possesses the proper security controls to safeguard valuable assets while adhering to compliance and operational effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How do PAM solutions block insider threats and unauthorized access?

A. PAM solutions limit privileged access, enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), monitor privileged sessions, and use AI-powered anomaly detection to identify suspicious activity. PAM reduces insider threats and prevents unauthorized access to confidential data.

2. Are AI-based PAM solutions capable of blocking privilege misuse in real-time?

A. Yes. New-generation PAM solutions use AI-based risk analysis to identify suspicious privileged access patterns, unauthorized privilege elevation, and suspicious behavior. These AI-based capabilities raise alarms and automatically remove access upon detection of an anomaly.

3. What is the difference between PAM and IAM (Identity & Access Management)?

A. PAM (Privileged Access Management) is all about protecting and defending privileged accounts (admin and root users, for instance).

IAM (Identity and Access Management) is an extended pattern where all the users, and not the privileged users, are authenticated and access control is provided.

4. What do Just-in-Time (JIT) Access secure?

A. JIT access allows temporary access to privileged accounts and delegation of privilege on a needs basis. It does away with long-standing privileges, reducing exposure to unauthorized use and exploitation of credentials.

5. Do PAM solutions enable compliance?

A. Yes. PAM solutions enable companies to meet standards of compliance and security like NIST, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and PCI-DSS by:

Enforcing least-privilege access

Auditing session monitoring and logs

Vaulting credentials securely

6. Can PAM solutions integrate with already existing security systems?

A. Yes. Most PAM products are integrated with IAM, SIEM, endpoint security, cloud security platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and DevOps tools. It allows organizations to improve privileged security in all environments.