Sectona at AISS 2025 | Dec 3–5 | Pullman New Delhi Aerocity
Join Us at Infosecurity Europe 2025 | 3-5 June | ExCel London | Stand C95
Meet us at Gartner® Security & Risk Management Summit | 10-11 March 2025 | Grand Hyatt, Mumbai | Booth 319
Stop by our stand (C95) for a live demo of our Modern Infrastructure Access Platform.
Chief Executive Officer
Book a Slot
Regional Sales Director – MEA
Book a Slot
Solution Engineer
Book a Slot
Solution Engineer
Book a Slot
Solution Engineer
Book a Slot
Field Marketing Manager
Book a Slot
Sectona at Black Hat MEA 2025 | Dec 2-4 | Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center, Malham
Sectona at AISS 2025 | Dec 3–5 | Pullman New Delhi Aerocity
What is PAM?
Part 02: Implementation, Features, and Best Practices
In Part 1 of “What Is PAM?” series, we covered the foundational concepts of Privileged Access Management (PAM): what it is, how user privileges are created, and the different types of privileged accounts and identities. We explored why PAM matters, its key benefits, and the threat vectors organisations face.
In Part 2, we explore the practical side of PAM implementation in an enterprise environment, the core features of modern PAM solutions, and best practices to follow. We’ll also examine how Sectona’s PAM platform helps organisations address the challenges pertaining to securing elevated access.
PAM Implementation in Enterprises
PAM implementation is a structured process that requires careful planning and phased execution. Organisations can approach this effectively through the following steps:
- Assessment: Conduct a thorough assessment of the current privileged access landscape, identify all privileged accounts and access points across the organisation.
- Policy Development: Create comprehensive policies and procedures for privileged access. This includes access request and approval processes, password policies, and monitoring requirements.
- Solution Selection: Choose a PAM solution that best fits the organisation’s needs and integrates well with existing security and identity management systems.
- Implementation: Deploy the PAM solution, starting with critical systems and gradually expanding to cover all privileged accounts across the enterprise.
- Discovery and Onboarding: Use the PAM solution to discover and onboard all privileged accounts, including those that may have been previously undocumented.
- Access Control Configuration: Set up role-based access controls and implement the principle of least privilege across all systems and user types.
- Password Management: Implement automated password management for privileged accounts, including regular rotation and complexity requirements.
- Monitoring and Auditing: Configure monitoring and auditing capabilities to track all privileged account activities and generate a comprehensive audit trail.
- Integration: Integrate the PAM solution with other security tools and systems, such as SIEM solutions. This creates a unified security posture.
- Training: Provide comprehensive training to IT staff and privileged users on the new PAM processes and tools. This drives adoption and reduces human error.
- Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and refine PAM processes and policies. Base updates on new threats, changing business needs, and lessons learned from audits and incidents.
Once you understand the PAM implementation process, the next question becomes: what capabilities matter most?
Key Features for Successful PAM Implementation
Session Recording and Threat Analytics
Session recording captures and stores detailed records of all privileged user activities, enabling organisations to review and investigate suspicious behaviour:
- All actions performed during a privileged session are recorded as they happen.
- Recorded sessions can be played back like video footage, enabling detailed review of user actions.
- Beyond visual recording, the system logs session metadata including commands executed and files accessed.
- Advanced search capabilities allow administrators to quickly find specific actions or events within recorded sessions.
Threat analytics takes this further by applying machine learning to detect anomalous behaviour:
- The system establishes a baseline of normal user behaviour for each privileged account.
- Activities that deviate from the established baseline are identified.
- User activities receive risk scores based on their potential threat level.
- The system generates alerts for high-risk activities or security incidents.
Secure Remote Access
Secure remote access provides controlled, monitored, and secure access to privileged systems for remote users.
- Remote users connect through a secure gateway or jump server, which prevents direct access to sensitive systems.
- Users must authenticate using multiple factors before gaining privileged access.
- All remote sessions use encryption to protect data in transit.
- Privileged access is granted only for the required duration, then automatically revoked.
- All remote sessions are monitored and recorded in real-time.
Privileged Task Management
Privileged Task Management is a key component of modern PAM implementation, allowing organisations to automate and control the execution of privileged tasks without granting users full privileged access:
- Administrators define specific privileged tasks that users may need to perform.
- Approval workflows are created for each task, specifying who can request it and who must approve it.
- Once approved, the task executes with the necessary privileged access.
- All task executions are logged and audited for accountability.
Privileged Access Governance
Privileged Access Governance (PAG) focuses on managing the lifecycle of privileged access rights and ensuring ongoing compliance with security policies:
- Regular reviews ensure privileged access rights remain appropriate to each user’s current role.
- Access policies are enforced across the IT environment.
- The system generates reports to demonstrate compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
- Risk assessment occurs continuously across all privileged access rights in the organisation.
Password Management
Password management is a core PAM feature designed to secure the management of privileged account credentials:
- All privileged account passwords are stored in an encrypted, centralised vault.
- Passwords rotate regularly to reduce the risk of compromise.
- All privileged account passwords must meet strong complexity requirements.
- Users check out passwords for use and return them afterward. Passwords change after each use.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) adds an essential extra layer of security to privileged access by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors:
- The system supports various authentication factors: something you know, something you have, and something you are.
- Authentication requirements adjust based on the assessed risk level of each access request.
- The solution integrates with existing identity providers and authentication systems.
- Additional authentication factors are required for high-risk actions or access to sensitive systems.
Continuous Discovery
Continuous Discovery helps organisations maintain an up-to-date inventory of privileged accounts and access points:
- The IT environment is scanned regularly to identify new or changed privileged accounts.
- The system monitors for new privileged accounts or unexpected changes to existing ones.
- Integration with Active Directory and other directory services enables automatic detection of privilege changes.
- Alerts are generated when unauthorised privileged accounts are detected or when existing accounts change.
Account Lifecycle Management
Account Lifecycle Management in PAM ensures that privileged accounts are properly managed from creation to deletion:
- Privileged accounts are created based on predefined roles and policies, reducing manual overhead.
- Privileged access rights undergo regular reviews and re-certification.
- Access rights are revoked when no longer needed or when a user’s role changes.
- The system identifies and manages privileged accounts that haven’t been used for extended periods.
Privileged Account Analytics
Privileged Account Analytics leverages advanced data analysis to provide insights into privileged account usage and potential risks:
- The system analyses patterns in privileged account usage to identify normal behaviour and anomalies.
- Privileged accounts receive risk scores based on usage patterns and potential for abuse.
- Machine learning algorithms predict potential security incidents and policy violations before they occur.
- Graphical representations of privileged account usage and risk levels help security teams interpret data.
Best Practices for PAM Implementation
Organisations must follow these best practices to ensure successful PAM implementation:
- Implement the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Grant users only the minimum level of access required to perform their job functions. This reduces the potential impact of a compromised account and limits the attack surface.
- Use Just-in-Time (JIT) Access: Provide privileged access only when needed and for a limited time, rather than maintaining standing privileges. This minimises the window of opportunity for attackers.
- Enforce Strong Authentication: Implement multi-factor authentication for all privileged access requests. This adds an extra layer of security, making it much harder for attackers to gain access even if they obtain credentials.
- Regularly Rotate Passwords: Change passwords for privileged accounts on a frequent basis. This limits the usefulness of stolen credentials and reduces the risk of long-term unauthorised access.
- Monitor and Audit All Privileged Activities: Maintain comprehensive logs of all actions performed using privileged accounts to detect suspicious activities and meet compliance requirements.
- Implement Session Recording: Record and store all privileged sessions for later review and forensic analysis. This provides accountability and helps identify the root cause of security incidents.
- Conduct Regular Access Reviews: Periodically review and recertify all privileged access rights to ensure they remain appropriate, helping to identify and revoke unnecessary privileges and prevent privilege creep.
- Secure and Manage Service Accounts: Apply the same rigorous controls to service accounts as you do to human user accounts, preventing service accounts from becoming a weak link in your security posture.
- Implement Privileged Access Workflow: Establish processes for requesting, approving, and provisioning privileged access to ensure all privileged access is vetted and documented.
- Integrate with Other Security Tools: Ensure your PAM solution integrates with other security systems like SIEM and identity management tools.
- Provide Comprehensive Training: Educate all users with privileged access on security best practices and the proper use of PAM tools to reduce human error and drive effective adoption.
- Implement Application-to-Application Password Management: Secure and manage passwords used for application-to-application communication. This prevents hardcoded credentials and reduces risk in complex application environments.
- Update and Patch PAM Solutions: Keep your PAM software up-to-date to protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities and evolving threats.
- Implement Network Segmentation: Isolate critical systems and limit privileged access between network segments. This containment strategy makes lateral movement more difficult for attackers.
- Develop and Test an Incident Response Plan: Have a clear plan in place for responding to potential privileged account breaches to minimise impact and ensure a quick, effective response.
How Sectona Can Help with Privileged Access Management
Sectona PAM offers a comprehensive solution that simplifies PAM implementation and addresses the key challenges faced by organisations. Sectona contributes to effective PAM in several ways:
- Flexible Deployment: Sectona offers flexible deployment options including on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments, which matters because organisations have different infrastructure requirements and constraints.
- Integrated Approach: Provides a single console for securing passwords, secrets, and privileged credentials. This integrated approach simplifies management and reduces the complexity often associated with PAM implementations.
- Secure Vaulting: At the core of Sectona’s PAM solution is a purpose-built vault that securely stores passwords, SSH keys, and other sensitive credentials, helping eliminate high-risk password practices.
- Cross-Platform Technology: Sectona’s PAM solution offers cross-platform session management technology. This versatility is crucial in today’s heterogeneous IT environments spanning multiple operating systems and applications.
- JIT Access: Supports Just-in-Time privilege access, enabling organisations to implement zero-standing privileges. This approach reduces the attack surface by granting privileged access only when needed.
- Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM): Extends its PAM capabilities to endpoint security, helping organisations control and secure administrator account usage on Windows systems.
- DevOps Secrets Management: Offers solutions to manage secrets used in DevOps practices, ensuring that sensitive information is protected throughout the development and deployment pipeline.
- Continuous Discovery: Sectona’s PAM solution includes continuous discovery capabilities, which can reduce the time needed to reconcile privileged accounts.
- Advanced Session Monitoring: The platform provides advanced session recording for all privileged activities, coupled with risk profiling and behaviour-based analytics to enhance threat detection and forensic analysis.
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Incorporates robust MFA mechanisms to mitigate risks associated with compromised credentials, adding an extra layer of security to privileged access.
- Privileged Task Automation: By automating privilege assignment and usage, Sectona’s solution reduces the need for unnecessary session logins, allowing administrators to focus on high-priority activities.
- API Integration: Provides RESTful APIs, allowing organisations to integrate the PAM solution with their existing technology stack and customise it to their specific needs.
- Compliance Support: With comprehensive logging, auditing, and reporting capabilities, Sectona’s PAM solution helps organisations meet various compliance requirements and respond to audit queries.
- User-Friendly Interface: Sectona emphasises ease of use, which leads to better adoption rates and more effective implementation of PAM practices across the organisation.
To learn the foundational concepts of PAM, including what privileged accounts are, why they matter, and what threats they face, read Part 1: What is Privileged Access Management? Foundations & Fundamentals.
Ready to Strengthen Your Privileged Access Security?
Sectona’s PAM provides an all-in-one privileged access management platform built for modern enterprise environments. From secure vaulting and JIT access to advanced session monitoring and compliance reporting, Sectona helps organisations protect their most critical assets.
GET SUPPORT
- © 2026 Sectona Technologies Private Limited. All rights reserved. All trademarks held by their respective owners.
- © 2026 Sectona Technologies Private Limited. All rights reserved. All trademarks held by their respective owners.
- Privacy Policy
- Terms
- Eula
- Responsible Disclosure
GET SUPPORT
- © 2026 Sectona Technologies Private Limited. All rights reserved. All trademarks held by their respective owners.
- Privacy Policy
- Terms
- Eula
- Responsible Disclosure