What Is Privileged Access Management?

Privileged Access Management (PAM) refers to the giving, to an IT user, access, or abilities over and above that of a standard user.  This may be in order for them to carry out their roles, for example, an IT administrator, and enables organisations to secure their systems, ensure the confidentiality of data as well as to allow the business to thrive.

It works by employing the principle of least privilege, where users are provided with the minimum level of access needed for their work and, given that humans are often the weakest link in an organisation’s cyber security system, making sure levels of access are kept ‘tight’ helps reduce the attack surface, and limit the damage from external attacks, insider threats and negligence.

It also provides good compliance rigors, as it allows organisations to record and log all aspects of the IT infrastructure, simplifying audit and compliance requirements.

Real-time data collection means that the organisation can monitor who has accessed critical information from networks, servers, and applications. Unauthorised login attempts are also logged, with alerts set for the detection of suspicious activity, thus allowing IT administrators to take immediate action.

Once focused on password protection modern PAM systems have evolved to include key security factors such as session monitoring, user behavioural analytics, multi-factor authentication, proxying and password vaulting.

And, once installed a Privileged Access Management (PAM) systems need managing.  Organisations need to monitor who has what privilege access on an ongoing basis, so as to keep control of all data.  A member of a human resource department, for example, moving to a new role in another area of the business, should not continue to be able to access their previous HR systems, unless still required for their new role.

Every organisation can benefit from added protection. Call us on 0844 586 0040, or email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to advise you.