What is Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

Privileged Identity Management is a security practice and set of tools that organizations use to manage, monitor, and control access to privileged accounts and resources within an IT infrastructure. Privileged accounts are those with elevated permissions that allow users or systems to access critical infrastructure, sensitive data, and perform administrative tasks. Examples of users having privileged accounts include domain administrators, database admins, root accounts, and cloud resource administrators.

Organizations use Privileged Identity Management to enforce security controls, provide just-in-time access, and gain visibility into privileged user activities. The practice mitigates the risks associated with the misuse or compromise of privileged accounts.

Key Attributes of Privileged Identity Management

Just-in-Time (JIT) Access

Grants privileged access temporarily and only when needed, to reduce the attack surface. Access automatically expires after a set time.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Rather than assigning permissions to individual users, permissions are grouped by role, and users are assigned to roles that determine what actions they can perform and which resources they can access within an IT infrastructure.

Approval Workflows

Requires approval from designated personnel before granting privileged access to resources, adding a layer of oversight.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

This process compels privileged accounts to complete multiple steps before being granted access to internal resources, applications, or data. Privileged users must prove their identity using two or more independent authentication factors, ensuring a higher level of security.

Audit Trails and Monitoring

Tracks and logs all privileged account activities to identify suspicious activity or policy violations in close to real time. Perform periodic reviews to ensure compliance and identify potential vulnerabilities among privileged users.

Temporary Privileged Roles

Allows users to elevate their privileges temporarily to perform specific tasks and then reverts them to their normal roles.

Alerting and Notification

Sends real-time alerts for suspicious or unauthorized activities involving privileged accounts.

Integration with Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Works in tandem with IAM solutions including Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) to enforce the principle of least privilege.

Benefits of Privileged Identity Management

Enhanced Security

By enforcing the Principle of Least Privilege, Privileged Identity Management ensures that privileged accounts only have access to the resources they need, limiting potential damage from insider threats and external attacks.

Compliance

Helps organizations meet regulatory requirements like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOX by enforcing strict access controls and maintaining detailed audit logs.

Improved Operational Efficiency

Automates privileged access control processes, reducing manual intervention and streamlining workflows.

Reduced Attack Surface

By restricting permanent privileged access and using just-in-time permissions, Privileged Identity Management minimizes the number of active privileged accounts that attackers can exploit.

Challenges to Implementing Privileged Identity Management

Deployment Complexities

Implementing Privileged Identity Management across an organization’s diverse systems and environments can be challenging and time-consuming, particularly in organizations using both on-premises and cloud-based platforms.

User Resistance

Users may perceive Privileged Identity Management as a barrier to productivity, especially if access approval processes are slow.

Integration with Existing Systems

Unless Privileged Identity Management tools can connect easily with an existing IT infrastructure, organizations may have difficulty ensuring that their solution integrates seamlessly with legacy systems, cloud platforms, and third-party tools.

Cost

Some advanced Privileged Identity Management solutions can be expensive, particularly if custom development is required to deploy them.

Maintenance and Monitoring

Many organizations have trouble executing the regular updates, monitoring, and policy reviews required to ensure their Privileged Identity Management solution remains effective and relevant.

Common Use Cases for Privileged Identity Management

Cloud Resource Management

Organizations can use Privileged Identity Management to control administrative access to cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

IT Infrastructure Access

Privileged Identity Management secures privileged access to servers, databases, and network devices.

DevOps and CI/CD Pipelines

Control privileged access to tools, APIs, and environments used in software development and deployment.

Third-Party Access

Provide secure, temporary privileged access to vendors or contractors when they need to carry out specific tasks.

Compliance and Auditing

Ensure that access to sensitive resources meets regulatory standards and maintain logs for audit purposes and forensic investigations.

Privileged Identity Management Best Practices

Enforce the Principle of Least Privilege

Ensuring users, applications, and systems are granted only the minimum level of access necessary to perform their assigned tasks or functions strengthen an organization’s security posture, reduces vulnerabilities, and better protects sensitive information and resources.

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Adding extra layers of verification and requiring users to prove their identity using two or more independent authentication factors makes it more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access, even if passwords are compromised.

Monitor and Audit Privileged Activities

Regularly review logs and set up alerts for unusual activities.

Regularly Rotate Credential

Frequently change passwords for privileged accounts to reduce the risk of compromise.

Educate Users

Train employees in the importance of Privileged Access Management and following secure practices.

Use Just-in-Time (JIT) Access

Limit the duration of privileged access to minimize the attack window.

Where to Learn More

Privileged Identity Management is critical for securing access to sensitive resources in modern IT environments. It helps organizations manage risks, enforce compliance, and protect against both insider and external threats by controlling and monitoring privileged access.

A modern Identity and Governance Administration (IGA) solution like Omada Identity Cloud helps organizations monitor user privileged accounts for suspicious activities or changes in behavior. Get a demo.