A Complete Guide to Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Here, Privileged Identity Management (PIM) makes all the difference. PIM assists businesses in gaining full control over privileged identities by monitoring every action and ensuring that only the right people get access at the right time and for the right reasons.

Now, let’s discuss what PIM is, its core features, benefits, and how it differs from other identity and access management solutions.

What is Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a security framework that helps businesses govern, control, and monitor privileged identities to avoid unauthorized access and misuse. It ensures that only the right individuals receive appropriate access permissions without compromising security.

PIM is not just like standard identity management that covers all user identities, but it focuses more on high-risk accounts with elevated permissions like system administrators, executives, and service accounts.

The purpose of PIM is to restrict privileged account exposure by provisioning and taking back access based on the requirement, in line with the principle of least privilege. Instead of giving standing privileges, it implements temporary access with detailed audit trails to ensure accountability. PIM prevents privilege creep by analyzing access patterns and revoking excessive permissions which reduce security risks.

What Happens Without Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

If not a PIM then definitely a standard identity management solution where privileged accounts remain vulnerable to unauthorized access and cyberattacks. Here are the risks you might face if you do not implement PIM.

• Admin and service accounts retain excessive permissions which increase the attack surface.
• Users accumulate unnecessary privileges over time, resulting in security loopholes.
• No audit trails make it difficult to track and investigate suspicious activities.
• Failure to implement strict access controls results in penalties under GDPR, HIPAA, and NIST regulations.

Now, let’s first check out the features and functionalities that privileged identity management offers.

Core Features of Privileged Identity Management

Privileged identity management tools offer a variety of security-focused features that assist in controlling, monitoring, and protecting privileged accounts. Here is the list of the key features with appropriate descriptions.

Features	Description
Just-in-Time (JIT) Access	Grants privileged access only when needed, reducing exposure to cyber threats.
Granular Access Controls	Defines specific access levels for multiple users to ensure they have only the permissions needed for their tasks.
Session Monitoring & Auditing	Tracks and records privileged activities in real-time to detect anomalies and security breaches.
Automated Credential Management	Enforces password rotation, strong authentication, and secure vaulting for privileged credentials.
Approval-Based Access Requests	Requires multi-level approvals before granting elevated access to sensitive accounts or security systems.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)	Adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple authentication factors before granting access.
Password Rotation Policies	Regularly updates passwords for privileged accounts to prevent unauthorized access and credential misuse.
Privileged Role Assignments	Assigns and manages privileged roles dynamically based on predefined policies.
Real-Time Threat Detection	Uses AI-driven analytics to identify suspicious activities and respond to potential threats.
Temporary Privileged Access	Limits the duration of privileged access to reduce the risk of privilege abuse.
Reporting & Compliance Logs	Generates detailed audit logs and compliance reports for security and regulatory requirements.

These key features ensure that privileged identities remain secure and actively monitored. But considering just the features is not efficient you need to know the entire process of how privileged identities are managed. Let’s discuss the entire process in detail.

How Does Privileged Identity Management Work?

Here is the entire process of how privileged identity management works.

Step 1. Identify and Categorize Privileged Accounts

The process of managing privileged identities starts with the discovery and classification of the privileged accounts. These include admin accounts, service accounts, and shared credentials used for critical systems. Here are the factors on which each account is evaluated.

• Access level: What sensitive data and system can it control?
• Risk exposure: How vulnerable is it to misuse?
• Usage patterns: Is it actively used, or is it dormant?

After the classification, security teams define appropriate access policies to prevent privilege misuse.

Step 2. Enforce Just-in-Time (JIT) Access

Privileged identity management provides just-in-time access only when required not just like traditional management where you are granted continuous access.

• Privileged access is provided when needed and removed once the task is completed.
• Access approvals can be handled manually by IT teams or automatically through predefined policies.
• Minimizes the risk of attackers exploiting always-on admin accounts.

Businesses reduce the attack surface by limiting the standing privileges. At the same time, they also ensure smooth operations without compromising the security.

Step 3. Require Multi-Level Approvals

You already know that high-risk privileges demand strict approval workflows. So before accessing the systems, users should submit a request that follows a multi-step approval process. This prevents unauthorized privilege escalation and ensures accountability.

Let us understand with an example, a request to access server configurations requires approvals from both a security administrator and a compliance officer. Some PIM tools in the market are integrated with ITSM like ServiceNow to streamline approvals.

Step 4. Monitor and Record Privileged Sessions

Then after, all the privileged activities are tracked to detect anomalies and avoid security breaches. Here are the capabilities used for monitoring.

• Real-time privileged account activity tracking to identify unauthorized access attempts.
• Session recording and playback for detailed security audits and breach investigations.
• Automated alerts for unusual behavior like logins from unrecognized locations.

Businesses quickly detect threats and mitigate risks by constantly monitoring who accessed what.

Step 5. Manage Privileged Credentials Securely

Privileged credentials need strong security measures to get rid of unauthorized access. PIM ensures passwords and access keys are collected and stored in an encrypted vault using AES-256 and RSA encryption, which reduces the risk of credential theft. Automated password rotation eliminates the use of static passwords which makes it difficult for attackers to exploit stolen credentials.

Multi-factor authentication then adds a layer to provide comprehensive security against unauthorized access. It requires users to verify their identity before accessing the crucial resources available in the IT infrastructure. Businesses strengthen their defenses from cyber threats and reduce the risks of misuse through securing privileged credentials.

Step 6. Generate Audit Logs and Compliance Reports

The process is continued by maintaining a detailed record of every privileged access request, session, and action. Here is how these logs assist organizations in security monitoring.

• Identify who accessed what, when, and why.
• Detect policy violations or security risks.
• Generate audit reports to ensure compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX.

This is how PIM works and how it ensures that only authorized individuals access privileged accounts. Lack of considering any of the above steps leads to security vulnerabilities.

Key Benefits of Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Businesses rely on privileged access to handle systems but unauthorized access results in financial loss and operational disruptions. Let’s check out each of the benefits.

1. Strengthens Security by Restricting Unauthorized Access

Privileged Identity Management (PIM) ensures that only authorized identities have elevated access to sensitive credentials. It creates a centralized control system that prevents unauthorized access and minimizes security risks. Businesses implement strict policies to protect these privileged accounts from external threats and insider misuse.

2. Reduces Operational Risks with Granular Access Control

It makes it easy for businesses to assign precise access permissions based on job roles and responsibilities. This is what helps prevent excessive privilege allocation, which is a leading cause of security breaches. Also, PIM minimizes operational risks and improves the entire security posture by ensuring users only gain access when they require it.

With Securden, IT teams automate access control through role-based permissions, time-limited access, and secure password vaulting. Securden’s request-approval workflow further prevents unauthorized access to ensure strict security without interrupting productivity.

3. Boosts Productivity with Automated Access Requests

Traditional access approvals result in delays and inefficiencies. Privileged identity management streamlines this process by automating access requests and approvals depending upon predefined policies. Employees and IT teams can easily and quickly get the required privileges without manual intervention which results in faster workflows and improved efficiency.

4. Accelerates Time-to-Market for IT Deployments

Fast-moving IT projects require quick and secure access to the systems. Here, PIM allows for rapid provisioning of privileged accounts to ensure IT teams deploy applications and infrastructure without security issues. This also accelerates the timeline of their projects and helps businesses deliver solutions faster without compromising security.

5. Enhances Incident Response with Real-Time Alerts

As you know, unauthorized access attempts and privilege misuse can pose serious security threats. This is where PIM offers real-time monitoring and instant alerts which allows security teams to detect and respond to risks on an immediate basis. By identifying suspicious activities in advance, businesses prevent security breaches and optimize their defense mechanisms.

6. Lowers Costs by Reducing Security and Compliance Expenses

When you opt to manage privileged access manually, it increases administrative costs and exposes businesses to expensive security breaches and compliance fines. Here, privileged identity management automates access control to reduce the need for manual oversight while preventing financial losses from cyberattacks and regulatory violations.

This is all about Privileged Identity Management (PIM). If you want to understand how it differs or stands out, consider reading.

PIM vs. PAM vs. IAM: Which One Do You Need?

Here is the table discussing a complete comparison of all the major identity and access management solutions.

Aspect	PIM (Privileged Identity Management)	PAM (Privileged Access Management)	IAM (Identity and Access Management)
Focus Area	Manages and secures privileged identities	Controls privileged access to critical systems	Manages identities and general access for all users
Core Function	Governs who hold privileged identities	Governs how and when privileged users access systems	Governs authentication, authorization, and identity lifecycle
User Scope	Covers privileged users and service accounts	Covers privileged users, third parties, and admins	Covers all users, including employees and customers
Key Capabilities	Identity lifecycle, role-based identity governance, credential management	Just-in-time access, session monitoring, credential vaulting	Single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), directory services
Access Control	Controls identity permissions	Controls access sessions and commands	Controls general access policies
Use Case	Ensures only authorized identities hold privileged accounts	Restricts when and how privileged users can access resources	Ensures all identities get appropriate access
Risk Management	Prevents identity-related threats like privileged identity misuse	Mitigates access-related threats like session hijacking	Reduces security risks by managing authentication and authorization
Best for	Organizations managing highly privileged identities	Companies needing secure access control for critical assets	Businesses looking for comprehensive user identity governance

By analyzing the table, you can decide whether a reliable privileged access management solution or identity and access management solution best fits your unique requirements.

You must evaluate your security needs and implement a combination of PIM, PAM, and IAM to ensure in-depth identity and access control. Identifying gaps in privileged identity governance, access management, and authentication processes helps you in choosing the right solutions.

Secure Privileged Identities with PIM Implementation

PIM secures and governs identities to ensure that sensitive accounts remain protected. However, privileged identity management solutions focus more on discovery, vaulting, and access monitoring, often lacking advanced session control and real-time privileged elevation.

To get a more resilient security framework, businesses evaluate solutions that go beyond identity protection and provide strong access control mechanisms. While PIM safeguards privileged identities, there are reliable privileged access management solutions like Securden that extend these capabilities by offering deeper access control and real-time privilege access governance.

With advanced integration for SIEM, ticketing system, and workflow automation, Securden offers a unified approach to managing privileged identities and access. Get a free demo today and ensure strong security with advanced privileged access controls.