Administrator accounts are the keys to your entire digital kingdom. PAM locks them in a vault, controls when they are used, records everything that happens, and ensures nobody has more power than their current task requires.
The Problem
Privileged accounts, root, administrator, service accounts, database superusers, have one thing in common: they can do things that ordinary accounts cannot. They can install software, access sensitive data without restriction, modify security configurations, create new accounts, and cover their tracks. In the wrong hands, a single privileged account can compromise an entire organisation. That is why privileged accounts are the primary target of sophisticated attackers, and why protecting them requires a fundamentally different approach than protecting ordinary user accounts.
In most organisations before PAM, privileged account management was informal at best. Root passwords were shared among team members and rarely changed. Service accounts used the same password across dozens of systems, rotated never or infrequently, because changing them required manually updating every system that used them. When a system administrator left, IT hoped that the shared passwords would be changed, but the operational disruption of changing passwords on everything at once meant it was often deferred indefinitely. Former employees retained privileged access to critical systems for months or years after departure.
PAM addresses this systematically: it stores privileged credentials in a secure vault, rotates them automatically, requires authentication and authorisation before credentials are released, records every privileged session, and ensures that access to admin capabilities follows just-in-time principles, granted when needed for a specific task, revoked when the task is complete.
74%
Of data breaches involve privileged account abuse or misuse
40%
Of insider threat incidents involve ex-employees with retained privileged access
100%
Of major ransomware attacks require privileged access to execute fully
Core Capabilities
All privileged account passwords, server root, database admin, network device, cloud IAM, are stored in an encrypted, access-controlled vault. No human ever sees the actual password. They check out access through the PAM system, which provides time-limited access without revealing the credential itself.
PAM rotates privileged account passwords automatically on a schedule or after each checkout. Even if a password is somehow compromised, it becomes invalid after use. Service account passwords are rotated automatically across all dependent systems, eliminating the operational barrier to frequent rotation.
Every privileged session is recorded, keystrokes, commands, screen activity, and stored for audit review. Real-time monitoring can detect suspicious commands and terminate sessions automatically if policy is violated. Provides a complete forensic record of every admin action taken.
Instead of having permanent administrator accounts, PAM issues time-limited elevated privileges on demand. An engineer requests admin access for a specific task, is granted it for a specific window, and the privilege is automatically revoked when the window expires. No standing privileges, no permanent admin accounts.
Modern applications and DevOps pipelines have their own credential problem: hardcoded API keys, database passwords, and service credentials embedded in code or configuration files. PAM's secrets management capability provides a programmatic API for applications to retrieve credentials at runtime without storing them statically, eliminating the security risk of hardcoded secrets.
Integration with IGA platforms to ensure that privileged access is included in access reviews, that SoD policies apply to privileged accounts, and that unused privileged access is automatically detected and flagged for revocation. Privileged governance closes the gap between general access reviews and admin account management.
Modern PAM
Traditional PAM stored privileged credentials in a vault and let approved users check them out. Modern PAM goes further: standing privileges are eliminated entirely, and elevated access is granted only for the duration of a specific task. The result is dramatically reduced ransomware blast radius and a credible answer to compliance auditors.
An engineer opens a PAM portal and requests administrator access to a specific server for a specific task. They specify the reason, the expected duration, and the target system.
For high-sensitivity systems, the request is routed to a manager or security team member for approval. For routine tasks on lower-risk systems, it may be auto-approved based on the engineer's role and the system's classification.
A temporary admin account is created, or the engineer's existing account is elevated for the approved duration, say, four hours. The PAM system connects them to the target system without revealing the underlying credential.
Every action during the session is logged, commands run, files accessed, configurations changed. The session recording is available for review and satisfies audit requirements for privileged access evidence.
When the time window expires, the elevated access is automatically removed. The engineer cannot continue using the admin capability until they request it again. Standing privileges are eliminated entirely.
Ransomware attackers need privileged access to execute their attack at scale. To encrypt thousands of files across an entire organisation, to disable backup systems, to extract data for double extortion, all of these actions require administrator-level privileges across multiple systems. PAM directly limits the blast radius of a ransomware attack by ensuring that no single compromised account has standing access to everything. With JIT access, an engineer who falls victim to phishing gives the attacker access to nothing privileged, their account is ordinary until they explicitly request elevation for a specific task. The attacker has a compromised credential that opens no privileged doors.
In every major ransomware incident I have investigated, the attackers gained privileged access through one of three paths: a shared admin password that never changed, a service account with an unchanged default credential, or a former employee whose admin access was never removed. PAM makes all three paths significantly harder.
PAM selection depends on scale, cloud strategy, vendor / contractor access needs, and whether you need integrated IGA governance. Artiflex suggests the solution that best fits your needs.
| Criteria | Fortra | CyberArk | BeyondTrust | Delinea | One Identity (Safeguard) | HashiCorp Vault | Senhasegura |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded / Heritage | Fortra (Core Security / BoKS), enterprise PAM heritage | CyberArk 1999, PAM category creator | BeyondTrust 1985, converged PAM + remote | Delinea (Thycotic + Centrify merger) | One Identity Safeguard, IGA + PAM | HashiCorp Vault, DevOps-native secrets | Senhasegura, EMEA PAM challenger |
| Credential Vault | ★★★★★ Strong credential vault | ★★★★★ Strongest enterprise vault | ★★★★★ Mature vault | ★★★★★ Solid vault | ★★★★★ Safeguard vault | ★★★★★ Cloud-native secrets vault | ★★★★★ Solid vault |
| Auto Password Rotation | ★★★★★ Rotation + secure reset | ★★★★★ Mature auto-rotation | ★★★★★ Mature rotation | ★★★★★ Solid rotation | ★★★★★ Native rotation | ★★★★★ Dynamic secrets generation | ★★★★★ Solid rotation |
| Session Recording | ★★★★★ Solid session recording | ★★★★★ Industry-leading recording | ★★★★★ Comprehensive recording | ★★★★★ Solid recording | ★★★★★ Safeguard recording | ★★★★★ Not a focus | ★★★★★ Solid recording |
| Just-in-Time Access | ★★★★★ Granular JIT elevation | ★★★★★ Mature JIT | ★★★★★ Mature JIT | ★★★★★ Solid JIT | ★★★★★ Native JIT | ★★★★★ Partial JIT | ★★★★★ JIT supported |
| Secrets Management | ★★★★★ Solid secrets handling | ★★★★★ AAM secrets, mature | ★★★★★ Solid secrets mgmt | ★★★★★ Solid secrets mgmt | ★★★★★ Partial secrets mgmt | ★★★★★ Best-in-class DevOps secrets | ★★★★★ Partial secrets |
| Cloud PAM (AWS / Azure / GCP) | ★★★★★ Hybrid + cloud PAM | ★★★★★ Cloud Entitlements + Privilege Cloud | ★★★★★ Solid cloud PAM | ★★★★★ Cloud PAM growing | ★★★★★ Cloud PAM growing | ★★★★★ Cloud-native by design | ★★★★★ Partial cloud PAM |
| Privileged Remote Access | ★★★★★ Solid privileged remote access | ★★★★★ Strong PRA | ★★★★★ Best PRA in market | ★★★★★ Solid PRA | ★★★★★ Solid PRA | ★★★★★ Not applicable | ★★★★★ Solid PRA |
| UAE Compliance Fit | ★★★★★ Strong audit + compliance fit | ★★★★★ Government and enterprise heritage | ★★★★★ Strong audit trail | ★★★★★ Strong audit trail | ★★★★★ Mature audit | ★★★★★ Audit via integration | ★★★★★ Strong audit + EMEA fit |
| 5-Year TCO (5,000 users) | ★★★★★ Best value for full-stack PAM | ★★★★★ Highest cost in market | ★★★★★ Premium but flexible | ★★★★★ Mid-market friendly | ★★★★★ Mid-market value | ★★★★★ Open-source core option | ★★★★★ Competitive pricing |
| Best Suited For | Best-value full-stack PAM, Unix / Linux server estates | Large enterprises, government, regulated industries | Vendor / contractor remote access focus | Mid-market enterprises, cost-conscious PAM | Unified IGA + PAM single vendor | DevOps / cloud-native secrets | EMEA mid-market PAM |
| Strategic verdict | ✓ Recommended #1 Artiflex's default PAM recommendation. Full privileged-access coverage at the strongest value for money. The right starting point for most UAE estates. | ✓ Recommended The premium pick when budget allows. Most complete capability set and central-bank track record. Consider when sovereign mandates name CyberArk. | ✓ Recommended The premium alternative for vendor / contractor remote access. Consider when third-party privileged access is the dominant requirement and budget is flexible. | ✓ Recommended Strong full-stack PAM at a more accessible price. The pragmatic mid-market pick. | Native IGA + PAM in one vendor. The choice when consolidation matters. | Best-in-class DevOps secrets. Deploy alongside a traditional PAM tool for human privileged access. | Solid PAM with EMEA presence. A competitive challenger for mid-market organisations. |
Strengths, blind spots, and the buyer profile each vendor was built for. Recommendations are based on UAE deployment patterns, not vendor tier.
Leader · Artiflex Recommended · Best Value
Artiflex's default PAM recommendation. Fortra delivers full-stack privileged access management, credential vaulting, rotation and secure reset, just-in-time elevation, and session recording, at the strongest value in the market. Particularly strong for Unix / Linux server privileged access and hybrid estates, with the audit depth UAE regulators expect.
Leader · Premium · Budget-Flexible Alternative
The category creator and most-deployed PAM platform in regulated estates. The premium pick when budget allows: the most complete capability set, strongest references, and the platform most often named directly in central-bank mandates. Artiflex recommends it where sovereign or regulator requirements call for it.
Leader · Premium · Budget-Flexible Alternative
A premium alternative with unique Privileged Remote Access capabilities that serve vendor and contractor access management use cases particularly well. Artiflex recommends it when third-party privileged access is the dominant requirement and budget is flexible.
Leader · Mid-Market Value
Formed from the merger of Thycotic and Centrify. Offers a strong PAM platform at a more accessible price point than CyberArk. Good for mid-market organisations and those starting their PAM journey.
Visionary · DevOps-Native
The developer-native secrets management platform. Essential for cloud-native organisations where application credential management is the primary problem, CI / CD pipelines, container environments, API secrets.
Challenger · IGA + PAM Integrated
The PAM platform that integrates natively with One Identity Manager for unified governance, access certifications covering both standard and privileged accounts in one review process.
Visionary · EMEA Challenger
A solid PAM platform with strong EMEA presence and competitive pricing. Good full capability coverage at a more accessible price point than the top three leaders.
Artiflex IT delivers Fortra, CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Delinea, One Identity Safeguard, HashiCorp Vault and Senhasegura across UAE PAM programmes.
The vendor follows the assessment, not the other way around.
Each vendor is rated across PAM capabilities using a standardised tier scale. A gold ★ marker denotes best-in-class performance for that specific capability.
| Capability | Fortra | CyberArk | BeyondTrust | Delinea | One Identity Safeguard | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credential Vaulting | Best in class Strong credential vault | Best in class Strongest enterprise vault | Best in class Mature vault | Best in class Solid vault | Best in class Safeguard vault | Excellent Cloud-native vault |
| Auto Password Rotation | Best in class Rotation + secure reset | Best in class Mature auto-rotation | Best in class Mature rotation | Best in class Solid rotation | Best in class Native rotation | Best in class Dynamic secrets generation |
| Session Recording | Best in class Solid recording | Best in class Industry-leading | Best in class Comprehensive | Best in class Solid recording | Best in class Safeguard recording | Moderate Not a focus |
| Just-in-Time Access | Best in class Granular JIT elevation | Best in class Mature JIT | Best in class Mature JIT | Excellent Solid JIT | Best in class Native JIT | Good Partial JIT |
| Secrets Management (DevOps) | Very strong Solid secrets handling | Best in class AAM secrets mature | Very strong Solid secrets mgmt | Very strong Solid secrets mgmt | Good Partial secrets mgmt | Best in class Best-in-class DevOps |
| Cloud PAM (AWS / Azure / GCP) | Very strong Hybrid + cloud PAM | Best in class Cloud Entitlements + Privilege Cloud | Best in class Solid cloud PAM | Very strong Cloud PAM growing | Very strong Cloud PAM growing | Best in class Cloud-native by design |
| Privileged Remote Access | Very strong Solid PRA | Best in class Strong PRA | Best in class Best PRA in market | Very strong Solid PRA | Very strong Solid PRA | Moderate Not applicable |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Best in class Best value full-stack PAM | Moderate Highest cost in market | Very strong Premium but flexible | Best in class Mid-market friendly | Very strong Mid-market value | Best in class Open-source core option |
Decision Guide
The quickest path to the right vendor. Hover or focus any scenario to see the recommendation.
Fortra. Artiflex's default PAM recommendation, complete privileged-access coverage, granular elevation, vaulting, rotation and session recording, at the strongest value for money. The right starting point for most UAE estates, with particular strength in Unix / Linux server PAM.
CyberArk, with BeyondTrust as the alternative. The most complete capability set and the platform most often named directly in central-bank mandates. Artiflex recommends CyberArk or BeyondTrust where budget is flexible and sovereign or regulator requirements call for premium tooling.
BeyondTrust. Its Privileged Remote Access capability is the best in the market for managing third-party access without requiring VPN, critical for organisations with large supplier ecosystems. A premium pick when third-party access dominates and budget is flexible.
Delinea. A strong full-stack PAM platform at a more accessible price point, with simpler deployment for organisations without dedicated PAM engineering teams.
HashiCorp Vault. The only developer-native secrets management platform with deep cloud provider integration. Deploy alongside a traditional PAM tool for human privileged access.
One Identity Safeguard. The PAM platform that integrates natively with One Identity Manager for unified governance, access certifications covering both standard and privileged accounts in one review process.
60-minute review of your privileged account inventory, JIT readiness, and ransomware blast-radius exposure, with a vendor-neutral PAM recommendation.