Fundamentals · Beginner
What Is Privileged Access Management (PAM)?
By SWI Community Team · Updated 2026-06-12 · 6 min
Privileged Access Management (PAM) secures the most powerful accounts in an organization: administrators, root, service accounts, and anything that can change systems or read sensitive data. These accounts are the prize attackers want most, so they get dedicated controls.
What PAM does
- Vaulting stores and rotates privileged credentials so humans never know the raw password.
- Session management brokers, monitors, and records privileged sessions.
- Just-in-time (JIT) access grants elevated rights only for as long as they are needed, moving toward zero standing privileges.
- Discovery finds unmanaged privileged accounts before attackers do.
Why it is separate from IAM
Standard IAM governs everyday access. PAM adds a hardened layer for high-blast-radius accounts, with stronger isolation, recording, and approval workflows. It overlaps with secrets management for application credentials and increasingly with non-human identity.
Where to start
Browse PAM vendors, compare leaders like CyberArk vs Delinea, or read how to choose a PAM solution.