Why is IBM Privileged Access Management Solution So Much Rated?

When employees worldwide work remotely due to the current lockdown, companies face the challenge of appropriately protecting their assets. Cybercriminals can steal valuable data by gaining access to users’ accounts. In this post, we’ll consider why privileged access management solutions are becoming more and more popular.

What Is Privileged Access Management?

Not all employees should have equal access to corporate information. So, differentiating between accounts and assigning some of them more permissions leads to the existence of privileged accounts. Cybersecurity strategies and technologies that control such accounts and strengthen the company’s security are called privileged access management (PAM). PAM is a part of a wider area of identity and access management (IAM). Yet, as privileged accounts may have the authority to configure networks, software and systems, they become a chief aim for hackers.

Reasons to Choose Privileged Access Management Solutions

By gaining access to privileged accounts, cybercriminals can not only steal information but also install and run malware, change processes of the operating system, cloud services, etc. Such a substantial security risk makes companies look for privileged access management solutions and tools. Let’s have a look at what you can do if you opt for PAM solutions.

Discover Privileged Accounts

Knowing that certain accounts have privileged access to data is not enough for the company’s security. It’s vital to be aware of an exact number of users with extended permissions, as well as of the rights they have. Therefore, one of the primary privileged access management solutions is a specialized discovery tool. It scans your network and helps to identify accounts that you probably didn’t know exist.

Make Passwords a Top Secret

It doesn’t matter how well you protect single accounts if the information with passwords to them is not secure. Very often, passwords are not stored correctly, and thus they become an easy trophy for cybercriminals. It’s hard to imagine the damage that an enterprise can get if attackers get a grip on such sensitive data.

Consequently, PAM solutions help you keep account details in a safeguarded, encrypted vault.

Moreover, regular changing of privileged passwords helps to secure access to accounts. This process can be automatic without manual intervention when a password expires.

Merge PAM Software with Other Tools

Contemporary privileged access management solutions integrate with other tools and software, such as multi-factor authentication and identity governance tools. You can conduct a comprehensive audit of accounts. HR and IT departments may review users and privileged access to check that employees’ accountability corresponds to their status or position. Therefore, lifecycle management becomes fully controlled and secure.

Monitor Sessions and Activities

Proper control of privileged accounts and their activities lets you take immediate actions in case of a cyberattack from a hacked account. Trustworthy privileged access management tools support the monitoring and recording of each keystroke that a user makes. Hence, an administrator can see that the session is active and control the actions. Furthermore, it’s possible to terminate a session in case of suspicious activities.

Protect Cloud Environments

You can use PAM solutions to control access to cloud platforms and hybrid environments. Cloud privileged access management is crucial for remote work and cloud identity security.

Which PAM Solutions Are Available?

IBM Secret Server is one of the leading privileged access management solutions. It provides you with full role-based access control of all users. You can assign multiple roles to employees and set the level of access that they get. Privileged accounts can view and copy the passwords if it’s necessary. Simultaneously, administrators can see activity recordings and the highlights at which users take action. 

Moreover, IBM Secret Server lets you automate the processes. Notably, it’s possible to change passwords automatically to prevent the leak of information after checking out a secret. Additionally, this tool is a perfect solution for on-premises and cloud security alike.

In Conclusion

Privileged access management solutions help enterprises control credentials that provide a higher access level to specific accounts. Using these tools, such as IBM Secret Server, companies increase the protection of their assets, both on-premise and cloud ones.

Don’t give hackers a chance to become ‘insiders’ in your enterprise’s network and system by gaining access to privileged accounts. Safeguard your assets with IBM Secret Server and monitor activities easily and securely.