Learn the role Privileged Access Management (PAM) plays in controlling privileged users’ access to sensitive resources to maintain security and compliance.
See how Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) serve distinct aspects of user access management.
In general, Access Management in modern IT environments employs a set of documented processes that enable organizations to control the granting of access rights to regular and privileged users while ensuring users do not violate organizational security policies and adhere to compliance regulations such as segregation of duties (SoD).
Privileged Access Management is a set of technologies and practices that help organizations secure, monitor, and control access to sensitive resources by privileged users or accounts.
When administrators create identities for employees, contractors, partners and other stakeholders in their IT architectures, they initiate an identity lifecycle management process for these users in the organization. Throughout the identity lifecycle, as users move around the organization their needs to access data, applications, and other resources change. Access Management processes enable organizations to ensure users have access rights sufficient to perform day-to-day responsibilities in whatever role they are engaged.
Maintaining appropriate access management for administrators and users is a constantly moving target; frequently administrators need to extend access rights to a system because a user has been assigned to a new department or region, or because they get promoted and require access to additional functionality in applications they already use. At the same time, organizations may onboard new applications and sensitive resources to the IT architecture to which users must have access to do their jobs. Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) are both essential to these processes.
It is critical for organizations to differentiate between IGA and PAM so they can choose the right solutions to meet their access management goals. In this post, we will compare and contrast PAM and IGA, present the principal challenges of implementing them, and explain the benefits of each.
Privileged Access Management is a set of technologies and practices that help organizations secure, monitor, and control access to sensitive resources by privileged users or accounts. Examples of privileged user accounts would include system or database admins, network engineers, and any employee, contractor, vendor, or partner whose role for whatever reason requires elevated permissions to applications and data. Privileged accounts represent an elevated risk for identity theft, increasing the threat of security breaches of an organization’s IT infrastructure. PAM addresses these challenges as part of an overall Identity Access Management (IAM) strategy.
A privileged user account includes system or database admins, network engineers, and any employee, contractor, vendor, or partner whose role requires elevated permissions to applications and data.
Identity Governance and Administration is an element of Identity and Access Management (IAM) that focuses on establishing and enforcing policies, processes, and controls to manage digital identities and their access to applications and resources. It ensures that identity and access rights are aligned with organizational goals, compliance requirements, and cybersecurity best practices.
PAM | IGA | |
---|---|---|
Focus and Scope | Privileged users | All identities |
Primary Goal | Security and control | Governance and compliance |
Implementation | Tactical | Strategic |
Principal Use Cases | Access control for admins | Access for all users |
Do not look at these processes as PAM vs. IGA vs. IAM because PAM and IGA are not mutually exclusive but complementary, and both are elements of IAM.
By integrating PAM and IGA with other IAM tools, organizations can achieve a holistic Identity and Access Management strategy, balancing security, compliance, and operational efficiency.
Since PAM and IGA solutions are both critical elements in an organization’s IAM strategy, it is important to understand when to choose a PAM or IGA solution or both.
PAM is essential in scenarios where an organization must protect sensitive data and manage access to privileged accounts. IGA is essential for managing the identity lifecycle for all users and for helping organizations meet compliance requirements.
To help the right people or machines get access to the assets they need when they need them to perform their roles, organizations typically use both PAM and IGA among other processes. Taken as part of a holistic approach to IAM, PAM and IGA contribute significantly to organizations looking to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems, applications, and data. IGA enables organizations to adhere to regulatory compliance requirements in a way that ensures security without impeding efficiency and PAM helps to mitigate the chances of cybersecurity incidents like insider threats and data breaches among users with elevated permissions to access assets and applications in the IT infrastructure.
Implementing PAM and IGA is not without its challenges. Three principal ones to consider are:
IGA safeguards sensitive data by granting only authorized individuals the necessary access privileges to do their job. IGA provides organizations with granular visibility into user access, including who accesses what, why, and when. This visibility into user access patterns enables organizations to effectively mitigate risks, prevent unauthorized access, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Benefits of IGA include:
PAM is essential for organizations to safeguard their most sensitive systems and data against threats originating with privileged administrator accounts. Benefits of PAM include:
To learn more about IGA and PAM deployments, see Omada’s IGA product brief.
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