Privileged account management (PAM) and password management are two important security practices that can help organizations protect their systems and data. However, there are some key differences between the two. PAM focuses on managing privileged accounts, while password management focuses on managing user passwords.
Our industry has evolved from being predominantly what is now referred to as break-fix to offering more rounded and complete support as a third party IT service provider; Managed services. With this evolution, the need for credential management has evolved from using password managers and vaults to needing tools to facilitate privileged access management and, more importantly, privileged account management.
Password vaults are repositories to store credentials. Some are also designed to help users create and manage strong, unique passwords for all of their online accounts. The more comprehensive vaults can help to protect users from password reuse, which is a major security risk.
Privileged account management is a given, not discretionary. Everyone manages privileged accounts – everyone is doing PAM, but the distinction is that there is a right way and a wrong way. This is why it is critical for providers to have best practice PAM policies for both security and compliance, and why leveraging tools like TechIDManager can simplify the complexities MSPs are faced with when they want to do it the right way. Privileged accounts are those that have elevated permissions, such as administrator accounts, and can be used to make significant changes to systems and data. User passwords are those that are used by regular users to access their accounts.
PAM offers a wider range of security features than password management. In addition to storing passwords, the right PAM solution can also provide features such as:
– Non-repudiation on the client’s side; this means there is proper logging of who accessed what and when in a manner that does not flow back onto the MSP’s system to keep audits from flowing back to the MSP.
– Meeting cybersecurity framework needs, comprehensively.
– Facilitating MFA needs with fidelity.
PAM is a more comprehensive security solution than password management. While password management can still be a valuable tool for organizations that need to help users create and manage strong passwords, password management is a tiny component of PAM. Yes, privileged accounts have passwords, but there is far more to PAM than simply storing passwords.
To engage in best cyber security practices as it relates to your privileged accounts, a comprehensive security solution that can help you protect your privileged accounts is a need. The tool should deliver privileged access management and deliver privileged account management.
To meet the security needs of privileged access management, proper privileged accounts must be established first. It takes more than rotating passwords to break access. It is ensuring that all system users have been assigned a unique identifier. This is where a privileged account management tool comes in. Creating and managing unique accounts for every tech, across all unrelated client networks is untenable to do manually.
Organized access management is a need, just as proper account management is, and that happens when you address the account management element. Creating and managing individual accounts for your technicians is a substantial time commitment without automation. This is where TechIDManager steps in. Book a demo with us and see what TechIDManager would mean to you!
