In today’s digital-first world, the way we manage identities has never been more critical. As hybrid workforces expand and regulations tighten, organizations are increasingly looking to modernize their Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) systems—not just to stay compliant, but to stay secure and agile.
Recently, I had an interview with a seasoned identity expert from a global retail manufacturing giant who joined the conversation to unpack the evolution of IGA, share real-world challenges, and explore where the industry is heading next.
Here are the top takeaways from that insightful discussion.
What Is IGA and Why Does It Matter Today?
Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) isn’t new. Traditionally, it’s been focused on provisioning access, handling joiners/movers/leavers, and enforcing separation of duties. Where Identity and Access Management (IAM) covers the broader picture of who has access to what, IGA zeroes in on how that access is granted, monitored, and revoked.
Historically, IGA was reserved for large enterprises with deep pockets. But events like the Enron scandal pushed IGA into the spotlight, making it essential for compliance and corporate accountability. Today, identity governance must support not only employees but also dynamic workforces, contractors, and even non-human identities across sprawling digital ecosystems.
Where Traditional IGA Falls Short
Despite its benefits, legacy IGA systems often struggle with real-world complexity:
Fragmented Stakeholders: HR, IT, security, and compliance teams all rely on IGA, but often have conflicting priorities.
Slow Deprovisioning: Many organizations excel at onboarding new users but lag at removing access when roles change or users leave.
Inconsistent Ownership: IGA often floats between departments—sometimes under the CSO, other times under GRC or IT—making it difficult to drive a cohesive strategy.
Signal-to-Noise Overload: As IGA systems evolve toward Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR), the challenge becomes separating meaningful signals from massive volumes of data.
How IGA Is Modernizing
The good news? IGA is undergoing a major transformation.
1. Cloud-First, Agile Architectures
Cloud-native IGA platforms have matured significantly. Ten years ago, they were lightweight and limited. Today, they often outpace their on-prem counterparts in speed, features, and ease of adoption. Organizations can now test features in private previews and toggle capabilities with the flip of a switch—an impossible feat in traditional setups.
2. Security-First Integration
Modern IGA is becoming more intertwined with ITDR and threat prevention. This includes signals from endpoint detection, phishing-resistant MFA such as passkeys and hardware tokens, and behavioral analytics. However, challenges persist—especially in stitching together data from different vendors without standardized orchestration tools.
3. Adaptive, Fine-Grained Access Controls
The move from static policies to adaptive, context-aware permissions is a game-changer. Attribute- and policy-based access controls (ABAC/PBAC) enable organizations to grant just-in-time, least-privilege access that adapts to changing conditions. Think: access that aligns with peer groups, behavior norms, or real-time risk scores.
4. AI-Powered Efficiency
AI is taking center stage in automating onboarding, role modeling, and access certification. Rather than relying on exhaustive manual interviews to determine who needs what, AI can analyze historical data and suggest policies based on similar roles or behaviors, freeing up valuable analyst time and reducing risk.
What’s Next: From People to Bots
The identity leader from the retail manufacturing company shared a clear vision of what’s ahead:
Expanding Beyond Employees: Extending IGA to cover business partners and vendors, not just full-time staff.
Managing Non-Human Identities (NHIs): From service accounts to AI agents, organizations must bring these entities under governance.
Combatting Shadow IT/AI: Just like shadow IT introduced risks a decade ago, unsanctioned AI tools are the next blind spot. IGA must adapt.
Orchestration of ITDR: As identity signals become more diverse, orchestration platforms that unify those signals will become critical.
Community + Collaboration = Better Security
One of the best ways to keep up with this rapidly evolving landscape? Community.
From industry conferences like Gartner IAM and EIC to informal meetups like Identity Beers, connecting with peers helps professionals learn what’s working, what’s not, and where innovation is headed. Our guest emphasized that even a single conversation can replace weeks of research or pilot testing.
Final Thoughts
IGA is no longer a “nice-to-have” compliance tool. It’s a strategic enabler of security, productivity, and digital agility. The organizations that embrace modern, flexible, and AI-driven identity governance are best positioned to thrive in today’s dynamic threat landscape.
Whether you’re just starting your IGA journey or looking to modernize an existing program, the time to act is now.
Stay safe, stay informed, and keep your identities governed.
About Segura® Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
How advanced Privileged Session Management (PSM) works in real time
What to look for in modern PSM tools
How AI-driven session analysis reduces risk
Where advanced PSM delivers the most value
Privileged Session Management (PSM) often just records and files away privileged user sessions for compliance checks. But since privileged accounts drive the bulk of breaches, organizations are realizing that passive session capture isn’t enough.
The 2024 IBM Cost of a Data Breach study pegs the average breach at $4.88 million, up by 10% from before. Malicious insiders, typically abusing privileged credentials, rack up an even heftier $4.99 million price tag on average.
Meanwhile, attackers love targeting these high-value accounts. According to Verizon’s 2024 DBIR, 83% of confirmed breaches involve privilege misuse or system intrusion. Segura’s 2025 Threat Landscape Roundup reinforces this, citing that 74% of breaches trace back to a human factor, where admins and developers commit the bulk of mistakes.
If you’re only relying on after-the-fact footage, you’re basically paying millions just to watch replays of your own security failures. It’s time for modern PSM to move beyond basic “video capture” and embrace real-time, AI-driven protections that detect and interrupt breaches within the session itself.
In this post, we’ll uncover how advanced PSM strategies continuously watch privileged sessions, letting security teams stop malicious behavior on the spot, rather than sifting through damage once it’s all over.
What Are the Limitations of Basic Session Monitoring?
Basic session monitoring, often included in legacy PAM systems, isn’t built for the frenetic pace of most modern breaches. Traditional PSM tools quietly capture everything a privileged user does, like keystrokes, commands, on-screen changes, but they don’t interrupt anything.
It’s a silent recorder that just observes and saves mountains of footage. If an attacker masquerades as a legitimate admin, the system will dutifully log the intruder’s every move but never raise a red flag.
Even worse, the collected data is enormous. Large companies like financial institutions generate hundreds of thousands of hours of session footage every month – far too much for manual review. By the time anyone notices alarming actions, the window for preventing damage is long gone.
This gap between observation and intervention highlights why basic PSM falls short. Attackers quickly exploit elevated privileges to roam the network, exfiltrate data, or deploy malware. Monitoring alone can confirm a breach in retrospect, but it rarely stops one in progress.
Given that privileged accounts are implicated in most intrusions, organizations must shift gears from recording for compliance to actively foiling suspicious activity during sessions.
What Is Advanced Privileged Session Management?
Advanced Privileged Session Management takes the concept of PSM beyond any “VCR-like” playback model. Rather than simply cataloging every keystroke, advanced PSM continuously scrutinizes ongoing sessions, mapping user actions to normal baselines and known threat signatures. If something looks abnormal or risky, the system can trigger alerts or countermeasures on the spot.
This approach hinges on proactive security, not passive documentation. Advanced PSM solutions layer analytics, AI, and dynamic enforcement to detect malicious intent or policy violations the moment they occur.
For instance, if an admin initiates suspicious scripts to bulk-copy sensitive databases, the system could freeze the session or demand re-authentication. It’s all about prevention, real-time awareness, and minimal attacker dwell time.
Leaders in the PAM space increasingly embed real-time controls within privileged sessions, equipping security teams with immediate oversight. Basic PSM merely gives you the “what happened” story after the fact. Advanced PSM, in contrast, gives you the power to intervene in that story as it unfolds, turning each privileged login into a guarded checkpoint.
Advanced Privileged Session Management vs. Basic Monitoring: A Feature Comparison
What Are the Core Features of Advanced PSM?
The building blocks of advanced privileged session management revolve around live analysis, AI-driven behavioral checks, and automated policy enforcement. Let’s explore them one by one.
Real-Time Session Analysis and Threat Detection
Sophisticated advanced PSM platforms continuously examine the live session feed, whether that’s text-based command lines or GUI interfaces. They look for high-risk commands, unexpected data access operations, or unusual usage patterns. If trouble arises, security teams get immediate alerts and can even watch the session in real time. Administrators might choose to kill the session outright if the activity is conclusively harmful.
AI and Machine Learning for Behavioral Analysis
Machine learning is a powerful differentiator. These algorithms assess user habits, everything from command choice and system interactions to subtle signals like typing intervals, then build a baseline for each account.
When new activity diverges from the norm, the system flags it. Think of it as user behavior analytics tailored for privileged logins. Whether the divergence comes from an impersonator or an insider suddenly going rogue, these anomalies don’t go unnoticed.
Automated Policy Enforcement and Response Actions
Speed matters when you’re facing a credentialed enemy. Advanced PSM integrates automated responses into policy frameworks, letting the system react the second it deems something risky. It might deliver immediate alerts to the SOC, demand a fresh multi-factor authentication prompt, block specific commands, or cut the entire session.
Here’s a real-world example: in 2022, a Lapsus$ hacker tricked an Uber contractor into approving an MFA prompt, ultimately accessing admin credentials. With automated response policies, the system would have flagged the suspicious login, locked down the session, and cut off the attacker before they could burrow deeper.
How Is AI Transforming Privileged Session Monitoring?
AI has drastically changed how organizations watch privileged sessions, moving from simple after-the-fact recordings to proactive, data-driven analysis.
Basic monitoring might churn out mountains of recorded footage, making manual review nearly impossible on a large scale. By contrast, AI sifts through live data fast and spots trouble in real time.
Command Analysis
AI-powered privileged session monitoring uses different techniques to analyze privileged commands in a live session, Here are some of the most common ones:
Entropy Detection: The system measures how random or obfuscated command-line inputs are. Attackers often try encoded or scrambled scripts to avoid detection, and high entropy can be a huge red flag.
Pattern Recognition: Machine learning solutions memorize each user’s normal command usage, then flag anomalies, especially important for privileged actions like adding admin accounts or changing system policies.
Privileged Command Classification: Advanced PSM correlates high-risk commands with known attack techniques (like those documented in MITRE ATT&CK), scanning for possible privilege escalation or system exploitation.
Keystroke Analysis
AI also monitors how users type, looking at each person’s distinctive rhythm, speed, and key hold times.
If there’s a sudden shift, like the user is typing too fast, too slow, or in a completely different pattern, the system suspects something’s wrong, possibly a hijacked session.
Application Usage Monitoring
Since security teams don’t have time to review thousands of session hours manually, AI can record app usage, then automatically highlight any out-of-the-ordinary actions. This includes identifying unauthorized or suspicious software launches within privileged sessions.
Setting Behavioral Baselines
Over time, AI and machine learning engines learn what’s normal for each user (and each peer group). They track typical commands, logins, or usage times and refine their models continuously. When new behavior drifts too far outside the established bounds, the system instantly flags it.
Identifying Deviations and Risks
Once those baselines are set, the software compares live activities like commands, access patterns, file transfers to the user’s usual behavior. If it sees odd actions (like a jump from logging in locally to suddenly connecting from another continent), it raises alerts or blocks the session automatically. These measures stop intruders and malicious insiders in their tracks.
Of course, AI-based monitoring can be tricky to fine-tune. If you set thresholds too tight, your security team might drown in false positives; too loose, and real threats can hide in the noise. And building trust in automated session termination takes time—no one wants to shut down legitimate work unnecessarily.
How Can You Automate Threat Response in Privileged Sessions?
When you integrate automated threat response into privileged session monitoring, you move from chasing threats after the fact to cutting them off right away. The instant the system recognizes a red flag, it clamps down and halts malicious behavior before it can spread.
Here is how to implement automated threat response for privileged sessions.
Defining Triggers
Triggers are like digital tripwires that cause an automated response once certain conditions are met.
Start by figuring out which behaviors or anomalies should ring the alarm. You might monitor for odd command lines, unexpected geolocations, or times when a user tries to download a large volume of data at record speed.
Known attack signatures like privilege escalation attempts or credential theft fit the bill, along with suspiciously random commands (suggesting obfuscation).
To keep false positives in check, consider using machine learning models that learn regular admin habits and spot the odd one out. That way, you’re not bombarded with useless alerts but are still quick to detect genuine anomalies when they pop up.
Configuring Response Actions
Once you know what sets off the tripwire, match each trigger with the right level of response.
Here’s a threat matrix to illustrate:
Ensuring Fail-safes
Even though automated responses are powerful, you don’t want to accidentally slow down real work.
Build in manual overrides so an admin can step in when needed, or implement temporary hold times for less urgent alerts. Consider maintaining an allowlist of trusted accounts or tools to prevent routine tasks from setting off your alarm.
Integrating with Incident Response Workflows
Finally, make sure your privileged session management (PSM) isn’t working in a silo. Hook it into your existing SIEM so you can combine session data with bigger-picture threat intelligence. Tie it to SOAR systems that can auto-generate playbooks for deeper investigation and update threat feeds accordingly. Trigger your ticketing platform, like ServiceNow or Jira, to assign tasks and keep track of any follow-up.
By blending PSM into your incident response program, you handle privileged threats as just one piece of a larger security puzzle, rather than an isolated nuisance.
What Are the Benefits of Real-Time Privileged Session Management?
Upgrading from passive session logs to real-time advanced PSM yields a sweeping range of advantages:
Proactive Threat Containment: Attacks are intercepted mid-flight, not in a post-breach cleanup session.
Reduced Dwell Time: Attackers hate being exposed quickly. When suspicious behavior triggers immediate scrutiny, intruders lose their usual leeway.
Speedier Incident Response: By notifying security teams or initiating defense tactics right away, advanced PSM sets immediate containment in motion.
Stronger Compliance and Evidence: You still maintain thorough logs for audits, but now they’re paired with intelligence explaining why certain actions were flagged and how they were handled.
Use Cases: When Should You Use Advanced PSM?
Where does advanced PSM shine the most? Let’s skim a few real-world scenarios:
Insider Threat Detection: Malicious or pressured insiders who stray from their normal workflow get flagged when they run atypical commands or attempt outsize data exfiltration.
Ransomware Prevention: Many ransomware operators target privileged accounts. Advanced PSM spots mass encryption attempts in real time, sounding alarms before there’s widespread damage.
Compromised Credentials: Attackers who swipe passwords rely on the legitimate user’s access scope. If they behave differently,log in at strange hours, use unfamiliar systems, or show unusual typing patterns,AI analytics will notice.
Third-Party Access Controls: External vendors or contractors with admin privileges can pose risk if their session gets hijacked or if they maintain poor security hygiene. Advanced PSM ensures that even these outside logins are subject to immediate oversight.
How Do You Integrate Advanced PSM into Your Security Stack?
Advanced PSM works best when it’s woven into the rest of your security ecosystem.
PAM and Identity Integration: Often, advanced PSM plugs directly into a Privileged Access Management suite. This provides seamless credential vaulting, session brokering, and real-time monitoring all in one pipeline.
SIEM Feeds: Sending your PSM’s session data, threat alerts, and anomaly scores to your SIEM centralizes correlation, letting analysts see all security events in a single pane.
SOAR and IR Linkages: Automated triggers in the PSM can drive playbooks in your Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response platform,like quarantining a user’s machine if high-risk actions are detected.
Threat Intelligence: Supplement your advanced PSM with external indicators of compromise. Block known malicious domains, or sound the alarm if your privileged session attempts to contact a blacklisted IP range.
By fusing advanced PSM with your broader security toolkit, you establish a holistic defense. Attackers are forced to slip past multiple layers of detection and real-time enforcement,an increasingly difficult feat.
What’s the Future of Privileged Access Security?
The era of basic session recording is over. Modern threats require real-time visibility, AI-based behavior detection, and automated enforcement.
Segura®’s Complete Identity Security Platform delivers advanced Privileged Session Management with instant credential lockdown, AI-driven detection, and deployment in days, not months. Trusted by over 1,000 companies and top-rated on Gartner Peer Insights (4.9/5), Segura® simplifies session security without adding friction or cost.
Book a personalized demo today and see what intelligent PSM looks like…before your next audit or incident puts it to the test.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Privileged Session Management (PSM)?Privileged Session Management is a cybersecurity practice that records, monitors, and controls the activities of users with elevated access privileges. It helps detect and prevent unauthorized or risky behavior in real time.
Why isn’t basic session monitoring enough?Basic monitoring typically records sessions for later review but doesn’t stop malicious activity in progress. By the time a threat is reviewed, the damage is often already done.
How does advanced PSM work?Advanced PSM tools use real-time session analysis, AI-driven behavioral baselines, and automated responses to detect suspicious activity as it happens and interrupt sessions before harm occurs.
What features should I look for in a modern PSM solution?Key features include real-time threat detection, AI and machine learning for behavioral analysis, automated policy enforcement, command classification, session termination capabilities, and seamless integration with SIEM and SOAR tools.
How can PSM help with compliance?Advanced PSM maintains detailed audit trails, records privileged user behavior, and logs response actions, making it easier to meet requirements from standards like NIST, ISO 27001, and GDPR.
Where is PSM most useful?Advanced PSM is especially effective for preventing insider threats, ransomware attacks, misuse of stolen credentials, and risky third-party access.
About Segura® Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
How do you prepare for the kind of cyberattack that could shut down a country?
This isn’t a theoretical scenario. NATO’s Locked Shields is the world’s most advanced live-fire cyber defense exercise. In 2025, nearly 4,000 cybersecurity experts from 41 nations came together to defend against more than 9,000 simulated attacks. These weren’t simple technical challenges. Participants were tasked with defending critical infrastructure – energy grids, financial systems, military communications – while simultaneously managing legal decisions, strategic communications, and crisis leadership.
Among this year’s participants was Joseph Carson, Segura®’s new Advisory CISO and Chief Evangelist, backed by Evandro Gonçalves, our Principal Solutions Architect & Presales Technical Lead, and Yago Lissone, our Security Analyst. Joseph’s experience on the front lines of Locked Shields 2025 offers critical insights into the future of cybersecurity defense and what organizations must do today to strengthen their resilience.
Before we share his first-hand account, here’s why Locked Shields remains one of the most important exercises for global cyber defense and why leaders like Joseph play a vital role in shaping modern security strategies.
About NATO’s Locked Shields: Where Cyber Defense Meets Reality
Organized annually by NATO’sCooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), Locked Shields is the largest and most sophisticated real-time cyber defense exercise in the world.
Each year, participants face a series of highly realistic cyberattacks designed to simulate the technical, operational, and strategic complexity of a full-scale cyber crisis. In 2025, the scenario focused on defending the fictional nation of Berylia, whose government, critical infrastructure, and military networks came under sustained attack.
Over two days, Blue Teams worked around the clock to prevent catastrophic failures in essential services while navigating political pressure, disinformation campaigns, and legal response challenges. The objective: test not only their technical defenses but their ability to lead through crisis under extreme pressure.
As Mart Noorma, Director of the CCDCOE, noted:
“In a world where cyber threats cross every border, Locked Shields proves that resilience in cyberspace is built together.”
Meet Joseph Carson: A Global Leader in Cybersecurity Resilience
Joseph Carson is an award-winning cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of experience in enterprise security and critical infrastructure protection. As Segura®’s Chief Security Evangelist and Advisory CISO, he focuses on identity security and helping organizations build resilient cybersecurity strategies capable of withstanding today’s most advanced threats.
Joseph holds CISSP and OSCP certifications and actively advises governments, critical infrastructure sectors, and global enterprises on strengthening security postures against evolving cyber risks.
He is the author of the widely recognized Cybersecurity for Dummies, read by more than 50,000 professionals worldwide, and regularly contributes expert insights to leading publications including The Wall Street Journal, Dark Reading, and CSO Magazine.
With a passion for advancing cybersecurity as a people-first mission, Joseph helps organizations integrate technology, processes, and leadership strategies to drive long-term resilience. Now, at Segura®, he brings this field-tested expertise directly to organizations working to secure privileged access, protect identities, and stay ahead of the next critical threat.
Inside the Action: An Interview with Joseph Carson
We spoke with Joseph shortly after his return from Locked Shields 2025 to discuss his experience and the critical lessons every organization can apply from this global exercise.
Q: Could you describe your role and responsibilities during Locked Shields 2025?
Joseph Carson: “In Locked Shields 2025, I served as a Blue Team Defender with a specific focus as a subject matter expert on credential protection. My responsibilities included securing authentication systems, monitoring for potential credential abuse, and responding rapidly to any threats targeting user accounts. I was also on standby to provide urgent support to teammates across different domains, ensuring we could respond to critical incidents without delay.”
Q: What were some of the key challenges your team faced during the exercise?
Joseph Carson: “One of the biggest challenges was maintaining situational awareness across multiple systems while under continuous and sophisticated attack from the Red Team. Coordinating responses in real time, especially during credential-based attacks or privilege escalation attempts, tested both our technical skills and our ability to communicate under pressure. The pace was relentless, and ensuring that team members had the right support exactly when needed was critical.”
Q: How does participating in Locked Shields influence your approach to real-world cybersecurity strategies?
Joseph Carson: “Locked Shields reinforces the importance of preparation, collaboration, and agility in real-world cybersecurity. It highlights the need to build resilient systems that don’t just prevent attacks, but can recover and adapt quickly under pressure. The exercise has influenced my emphasis on incident readiness, credential hygiene, and fostering cross-team communication channels in professional environments.”
Q: In your opinion, how does Locked Shields contribute to international collaboration in cybersecurity?
Joseph Carson: “Locked Shields is one of the most effective platforms for fostering international cybersecurity cooperation. It brings together experts from around the world to tackle realistic, high-pressure scenarios, forcing participants to rely on shared knowledge, trust, and rapid information exchange. It breaks down silos and encourages a collaborative mindset that’s essential for defending against modern, transnational cyber threats.”
Q: What were your main takeaways or lessons learned from participating in Locked Shields 2025?
Joseph Carson: “My key takeaways from this year’s exercise include the power of coordinated teamwork, the need for clearly defined roles in incident response, and the critical importance of staying calm and focused during high-stress events. Holding back the Red Team was a testament to our preparation and collaboration. Each round of Locked Shields deepens my appreciation for collective defense and the importance of continuous learning in the field.”
Why This Matters for Today’s Cybersecurity Leaders
Locked Shields may be a simulation, but the risks it highlights are real. Privileged access remains the most common target for attackers in the modern threat landscape. The speed at which your organization can detect, respond to, and recover from incidents will determine whether a breach becomes a headline or a footnote.
One immediate action to prioritize? Tighten control over privileged credentials.
Review privileged accounts, eliminate unused credentials, and enforce strong authentication and rotation policies. As Locked Shields 2025 shows, even the most advanced defenses can falter if credential management is overlooked.
At Segura®, we are proud to have Joseph Carson helping shape our vision for a more secure future. His field-tested expertise directly informs how we help organizations strengthen privileged access controls, improve credential hygiene, and reduce the time it takes to detect and respond to advanced threats.
With the right controls in place, your team can move beyond constant firefighting and focus on bigger strategic initiatives, knowing your most critical accounts are protected.
Our mission is to help organizations take these critical first steps while building toward long-term resilience. Because in the next crisis, every second will count.
About Segura® Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
Discover the power of Privileged Access Management (PAM): protect your privileged credentials, enforce Least Privilege policies, and stay ahead of cyber threats.
Learn how PAM reduces attack surfaces, prevents data leaks, and strengthens your cybersecurity strategy.
Key Takeaways from this Article:
What PAM Is and Why It Matters See how PAM technology protects privileged credentials, minimizes risks, and builds a more secure IT environment.
The Risks of Unsecured Privileged Accounts Learn how poorly managed privileged credentials can lead to breaches, ransomware, and costly compliance failures.
How PAM Platforms Protect Against Cyber Threats Explore key features like encrypted vaults, real-time monitoring, and automated password rotation.
Signs Your Organization Needs PAM Understand the red flags that indicate it’s time to implement Privileged Access Management software.
PAM Best Practices for Maximum Protection Gain actionable tips on implementing least privilege policies, managing access lifecycles, and securing third-party credentials.
Imagine a large organization tasked with safeguarding millions of customer accounts, like a bank or a hospital. These systems rely on privileged credentials—high-level accounts with the power to manage critical settings and sensitive data. But with shared passwords, unchecked permissions, and little oversight, these accounts become a prime target for attackers.
A single compromised account can grant access to sensitive systems, allowing attackers to move through the network, putting customer data and operations at risk. Without strong controls, breaches can go undetected for 194 days—the average time to identify one—and cost businesses an average of $4.88 million in damages.
With Privileged Access Management (PAM), this scenario changes entirely.
PAM technology secures credentials in encrypted vaults, enforces the principle of least privilege to minimize unnecessary access, and monitors every privileged action in real time. Vulnerabilities are replaced with control, helping organizations build a safer, more resilient environment.
The example above highlights why implementing PAM is a necessity—it’s not just about managing access; it’s about defending against today’s most advanced cybersecurity threats.
In this guide, we’ll dive into what PAM is, why it’s essential, and how it safeguards your most critical assets.
What is Privileged Access Management (PAM)?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a sophisticated cybersecurity technology designed to secure, manage, and monitor privileged accounts across your IT environment.
Unlike general identity management solutions, PAM specifically focuses on privileged accounts that grant elevated permissions—the digital keys to your organization’s most critical systems.
PAM works as a centralized software platform that enforces strict access controls, stores credentials in encrypted vaults, and monitors privileged activity in real time. By leveraging advanced automation and analytics, PAM ensures that only authorized users access sensitive resources, reducing the risk of breaches and operational disruptions.
Think of PAM as the ultimate gatekeeper: not just controlling who can enter, but also watching what they do and ensuring their actions align with organizational policies.
Why Are Privileged Credentials So Critical?
Not all accounts are created equal. Privileged credentials provide elevated permissions to users, granting them the power to:
Modify system configurations that affect entire infrastructures.
Data leaks that expose sensitive information and harm customer trust.
Ransomware attacks that halt operations and result in significant financial losses.
Compliance failures that can incur heavy fines and penalties.
The power of privileged credentials is a double-edged sword—they enable critical IT functions but also pose serious risks if left unmanaged.
How Does PAM Mitigate These Risks?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) addresses the inherent risks of privileged accounts by combining robust controls with full visibility. By managing how credentials are accessed, used, and monitored, PAM minimizes opportunities for misuse and creates a secure framework for managing sensitive systems.
Here’s how PAM protects privileged credentials:
Credential Vaulting: PAM secures privileged credentials in encrypted vaults, ensuring they’re accessible only to authorized users when needed.
Session Monitoring and Auditing: Every privileged session is monitored and logged, offering IT teams the ability to track activities in real time and perform detailed audits.
Just-in-Time (JIT) Access: Rather than granting continuous access, PAM enforces temporary permissions for specific tasks, reducing potential misuse.
Automated Password Rotation: Passwords are automatically updated after each use or at regular intervals, reducing the risk of exposure.
These capabilities make PAM software a critical component for protecting privileged accounts, controlling access, and ensuring all activities are traceable.
Why is Privileged Access Management Essential?
PAM isn’t just a powerful tech tool—it can also act as a strategy that protects organizations from operational disruption, regulatory penalties, and reputational harm.
Here’s why PAM is indispensable:
Protects Privileged Credentials: Privileged credentials are a primary target for attackers, with 68% of breaches involving a human element. PAM secures these accounts by encrypting passwords, rotating them regularly, and monitoring all access attempts.
Reduces the Attack Surface: PAM enforces least privilege principles, ensuring users only access resources necessary for their roles. This limits lateral movement within networks, even if an account is compromised.
Mitigates Insider and External Threats: Insider threats, whether malicious or accidental, account for 88% of breaches. PAM detects and flags unusual activity in real time, helping organizations respond quickly.
Simplifies Compliance: Regulations like GDPR and HIPAA require detailed records of privileged activities. PAM automates session logging and audit preparation, reducing compliance burdens.
The 7 Different Types of Privileged Accounts
Privileged accounts are the backbone of any IT infrastructure, enabling critical operations like system configuration, user management, and data backups.
However, they’re also one of the biggest cybersecurity risks. These accounts, with their elevated permissions, are prime targets for attackers looking to infiltrate networks, access sensitive data, and move laterally without being detected.
What makes privileged accounts even riskier is that they’re often poorly managed.
Shared credentials, weak passwords, and a lack of monitoring are common issues, creating a perfect storm for cyber threats. While many assume privileged accounts are tied to specific people, they often belong to applications, services, or devices, which makes managing them even more complex.
To safeguard your organization, it’s critical to understand the different types of privileged accounts and their unique risks:
Local Administrator Accounts: Used for configuring devices but often share passwords across platforms, making them easy targets for attackers.
Privileged User Accounts: Regular user accounts with elevated permissions. Shared usage and poor monitoring make them vulnerable to misuse.
Emergency Accounts: Enabled during critical incidents but rarely monitored, increasing their susceptibility to exploitation.
Domain Administrator Accounts: The most powerful accounts in an IT environment. If compromised, they grant attackers unrestricted access.
Service Accounts: Used by applications to interact with operating systems. Static credentials often leave them vulnerable.
Application Accounts: Facilitate communication between applications. Poor management can expose critical data.
Domain Service Accounts: Perform essential tasks like backups and updates. Their complexity often leads to neglected security measures.
Each of these privileged account types plays a critical role in daily operations, but their risks can’t be ignored. From enabling attackers to infiltrate systems to causing compliance failures, unmanaged privileged accounts can wreak havoc on an organization.
How Does a Privileged Access Management Solution Work?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) platforms are purpose-built to secure and manage privileged accounts, ensuring that only authorized users can access and interact with sensitive systems.
PAM software operates as a central hub for protecting elevated credentials, offering critical functions like access control, monitoring, and auditing.
Credential Vaulting
At the core of PAM technology is the secure storage of privileged credentials. Encrypted vaults replace scattered spreadsheets, plaintext files, or other insecure storage methods, ensuring credentials are safe from unauthorized access.
Access Control and Least Privilege
PAM enforces the principle of least privilege by limiting user access to only what is necessary for their role or task. By implementing features like Just-in-Time (JIT) access, organizations can provide temporary permissions, reducing the risk of over-provisioning or abuse.
Session Monitoring and Auditing
Every privileged session is tracked in real time. Actions like system configuration changes, database queries, or software installations are logged, allowing security teams to investigate incidents and maintain compliance with audit requirements.
Automated Password Management
Static passwords are a security risk, but PAM platforms address this by automatically rotating passwords and SSH keys after use or at regular intervals. This ensures credentials remain secure and reduces the likelihood of reuse or exploitation.
By combining these functions, PAM software transforms privilege management into a proactive approach, securing critical accounts and ensuring operational resilience.
What Are the Main Features of a Privileged Access Management Solution?
A modern PAM platform offers a wide range of features designed to protect privileged accounts and maintain control over IT environments. These include:
Centralized Credential Repository: A secure, encrypted vault to store all privileged credentials, reducing the risk of scattered or improperly stored passwords.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Permissions are assigned based on roles, ensuring that users can only access resources relevant to their responsibilities. This reduces unnecessary privileges and supports compliance.
Real-Time Session Monitoring: Security teams can view privileged sessions live, tracking user activity for suspicious behavior. Detailed session logs enable forensic investigations and regulatory compliance.
Just-in-Time (JIT) Access: Temporary permissions are granted for specific tasks, automatically expiring after completion to minimize the risk of misuse.
Automated Credential Management: PAM solutions handle password and key rotation automatically, ensuring credentials are always secure and reducing the risk of stale or reused passwords.
Audit and Reporting Tools: Comprehensive reports and logs provide detailed insights into privileged activities, helping organizations meet compliance standards like GDPR or HIPAA.
Seamless Integration: PAM integrates with IT tools like Active Directory, ServiceNow, and SIEM solutions to enhance workflows and centralize visibility across the organization.
Scalability: Effective PAM solutions are designed to protect privileged accounts across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, accommodating growing infrastructures.
Through its architecture, senhasegura provides a centralized access point for critical systems. Its features strengthen access control by restricting user permissions to only what is necessary for their roles, fully adhering to the principle of least privilege.
Types of PAM Tools: Which Privileged Access Solution Fits Your Needs?
Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions are categorized into three primary tools, each designed to address specific aspects of managing privileged accounts.
These tools work together to secure sensitive credentials, control user permissions, and protect critical systems. Here’s a breakdown:
Privileged Account and Session Management (PASM)
PASM focuses on managing and monitoring privileged accounts and sessions in real time. Think of it as the guardian of sensitive credentials and privileged activities. Every access request is tracked, every session is logged, and credentials are securely stored and rotated.
PASM is essential for creating accountability and ensuring that privileged activities are visible and controlled across your organization.
Privileged Elevation and Delegation Management (PEDM)
PEDM takes a different approach by granting permissions based on the user’s role and the specific tasks they need to perform. Instead of giving broad, continuous access, PEDM enforces the principle of least privilege, ensuring users can only access what’s necessary for their role.
Highlights of PEDM include:
Granular Role-Based Access: Assign specific privileges to users, tailoring access to their responsibilities.
Task-Based Elevation: Grant elevated permissions temporarily to complete specific tasks, minimizing long-term risks.
Process and Application Control: Restrict which applications or processes users can interact with, adding another layer of security.
Session Control: Monitor and manage privileged activities tied to elevated permissions in real time.
By focusing on task-specific access, PEDM minimizes the attack surface and reduces the risk of privilege abuse, whether intentional or accidental.
Secrets Management
Secrets Management goes beyond user accounts to secure machine and application credentials, such as passwords, SSH keys, API tokens, and OAuth tokens. These credentials, often referred to as “secrets,” are critical for communication between systems and applications.
Centralized Storage: Securely store secrets in an encrypted repository, accessible only by authorized systems or users.
Automated Management: Rotate and manage secrets automatically to reduce the risk of exposure.
Visibility and Tracking: Monitor how secrets are used across your environment to detect misuse or anomalies.
Integration with Cloud Environments: Protect credentials used in cloud applications, ensuring compliance with security regulations.
Compliance Support: Help organizations meet standards for data protection and cybersecurity by managing secrets effectively.
Secrets Management is particularly important in DevOps environments, where automation and integration rely heavily on the secure use of machine credentials.
IAM software is designed to manage the access rights and identities of all users across an organization. It simplifies user onboarding, automates access provisioning, and enforces authentication methods like single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
PAM: Protects Privileged Access
PAM addresses the vulnerabilities inherent in IAM by offering granular control over privileged accounts. It doesn’t just grant access; it monitors and manages privileged sessions in real time, enforces the principle of least privilege, and provides detailed logs of every action taken.
Unlike IAM, PAM ensures privileged access is temporary, task-specific, and auditable, minimizing the risks.
While IAM provides a strong foundation for managing access, it doesn’t offer the comprehensive oversight needed for privileged accounts.
PAM is essential for protecting these high-risk credentials, mitigating insider and external threats, and maintaining compliance. Together, IAM and PAM create a layered security approach, but PAM is the key to safeguarding your organization’s most sensitive systems and data.
Privileged Access Management Best Practices
By implementing these best practices, IT and cybersecurity teams can minimize risk, enhance operational efficiency, and stay ahead of evolving threats:
The Principle of Least Privilege
The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) ensures users and applications access only the resources necessary for their tasks. By limiting access, PoLP mitigates internal threats, prevents data leaks, and restricts attackers’ lateral movement within systems.
For example, an employee managing invoices doesn’t need administrative access to customer databases.
How PAM Supports PoLP:
Restricting access to specific tasks and time frames.
Monitoring privileged activity for anomalies.
Notifying security teams of suspicious behavior.
This approach strengthens security and provides a clear audit trail for compliance and investigations.
The Privileged Access Lifecycle Approach
Effective privileged access management addresses the full lifecycle:
Before Access: Identify, catalog, and manage privileged accounts and devices to reduce the attack surface.
During Access: Monitor sessions, log actions, and detect suspicious behavior in real time.
After Access: Audit activity logs to identify violations, ensure accountability, and comply with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
This lifecycle approach reduces risks and improves incident response times.
DevSecOps and PAM: Building Security Into Development
PAM plays a critical role in DevSecOps by securing sensitive data and managing access during software development.
Secrets Management: Tracks and secures API keys, SSH keys, and embedded credentials.
Least Privilege Enforcement: Limits developer access to only necessary resources.
Audit Trails: Logs privileged activities for accountability and compliance.
Integrating PAM into DevSecOps enables secure, agile development without compromising efficiency.
When Should a Company Consider a PAM Solution?
In today’s complex IT environments, a lack of control over privileged access can open the door to significant security risks and operational disruptions. Without effective oversight, sensitive data can be exposed, business continuity compromised, and compliance violations become inevitable.
So, how can organizations regain control and ensure the privacy of their most critical assets? That’s where Privileged Access Management (PAM) comes in.
5 Signs That It’s Time for PAM
Here are key indicators that your organization should prioritize implementing a PAM solution:
Frequent Access Mismanagement: If your team struggles to track who has access to what, when, and why, it’s time to consider PAM. Unmanaged accounts or shared credentials increase the risk of data leaks and unauthorized activities. PAM provides the visibility and granular control needed to keep privileged access in check.
Sensitive Information at Risk: Whether it’s intellectual property, customer data, or financial records, any system storing sensitive information requires strict access controls. PAM helps protect these systems by limiting access to authorized users and monitoring their actions in real time.
Insider Threats or Human Errors: Most cybersecurity incidents are caused by either malicious insiders or simple mistakes. For example, employees sharing credentials or clicking on phishing links can give attackers a foothold. PAM minimizes these risks by enforcing least privilege policies and monitoring privileged sessions for unusual behavior.
Growing Infrastructure Complexity: As organizations expand their IT environments—adding hybrid clouds, SaaS tools, and third-party integrations—managing access becomes exponentially harder. PAM centralizes control over privileged access, making it scalable and manageable.
Compliance Requirements: If your business operates in a heavily regulated industry, such as finance, healthcare, or energy, compliance is non-negotiable. PAM supports compliance by creating an audit trail of all privileged activity, ensuring you can meet requirements for frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or SOX.
Case Study: Securing Privileged Access for a Major Retail Bank
To understand the impact of Privileged Access Management (PAM), let’s look at a real-world example. One of the largest retail banks in Latin America faced significant challenges managing privileged accounts across its sprawling IT infrastructure.
With over 30,000 privileged accounts in use, they struggled with:
Shared and static passwords, which increased vulnerabilities.
Minimal oversight of privileged sessions, leaving them exposed to insider and external threats.
Compliance concerns due to the lack of detailed activity logs and audit trails.
Without strong controls, their systems were a prime target for cyberattacks, and the risk of privilege abuse jeopardized both security and compliance.
This is where senhasegura stepped in. By implementing our PAM software, the bank:
Secured 30,000+ privileged accounts with automated password vaulting and rotation.
Achieved a 94.4% reduction in privilege abuse, minimizing insider threats.
Gained real-time visibility into privileged activities through session monitoring and audit trails, significantly improving their compliance posture.
Reduced insider threats by 40%, safeguarding sensitive customer data.
The results speak volumes: with PAM, the bank was able to strengthen its defenses, regain control over privileged access, and protect millions of customer accounts.
This example highlights the transformative power of PAM—not just as a security tool, but as a strategy that enables organizations to operate with confidence in the face of rising cyber threats.
What Are the Challenges in Implementing a PAM Platform?
Implementing Privileged Access Management (PAM) can dramatically improve security, but it comes with challenges that organizations need to address effectively.
Managing and Rotating Account Credentials
Handling a large volume of privileged credentials is often a logistical challenge. Without automated password rotation, organizations risk leaving accounts vulnerable to theft or misuse, creating unnecessary security gaps.
Monitoring Privileged Sessions
Centralized monitoring is critical, but achieving visibility across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments can be complex. PAM tools can record and monitor sessions in real-time, but integrating these systems requires careful setup and planning.
Identifying Threats
PAM generates detailed logs and alerts, but sifting through large amounts of data can overwhelm security teams. Identifying genuine threats—especially insider risks—requires a combination of PAM tools, integration with SIEM systems, and skilled analysts.
Controlling Access in Cloud Environments
Cloud and hybrid infrastructures complicate privileged access management. Resources are dynamic, and credentials embedded in code or exposed in multi-cloud setups increase vulnerabilities. PAM must adapt to enforce least privilege principles and secure these environments effectively.
Organizations can overcome these obstacles by automating credential management, integrating PAM with existing tools, and training teams to analyze privileged activity.
With a scalable, well-configured PAM solution, businesses can secure their critical systems and reduce risks across all environments.
How to Implement Effective Privileged Access Management
Deploying a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution is a critical step in fortifying your organization’s cybersecurity defenses. Here’s how to implement PAM effectively, ensuring minimal risk and maximum protection:
Isolate Privileged Access and Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication
Start by isolating all privileged accounts from standard user access. This reduces the attack surface and limits the scope of potential breaches. To add another layer of security, enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts. MFA ensures that even if credentials are compromised, unauthorized access is nearly impossible.
Regularly Rotate and Vault Passwords and SSH Keys
Privileged credentials, like passwords and SSH keys, are prime targets for attackers. By vaulting them in an encrypted repository and automating regular rotation, you minimize the risk of exposure. This approach also ensures compliance with auditing and regulatory requirements by keeping a detailed history of credential use.
Remove Local Admin Rights to Limit Lateral Movement
Granting local admin rights to employees might seem convenient, but it creates vulnerabilities for lateral movement within your network. Enforce the principle of least privilege by removing unnecessary admin rights and granting access strictly on a just-in-time basis. This containment strategy prevents attackers from gaining further access if one account is compromised.
Secure Third-Party and DevOps Credentials
Third-party vendors and DevOps teams often require access to critical systems, but these accounts can introduce significant risks. Use PAM tools to manage and monitor these credentials, ensuring that access is time-limited, monitored, and tied to specific tasks. For DevOps, vault secrets such as API keys and tokens to prevent unauthorized use during development or deployment.
Effective PAM implementation isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—it requires tailoring security practices to meet your organization’s unique needs. By isolating access, enforcing MFA, automating credential management, and securing third-party accounts, you can build a strong defense against insider and external threats.
Conclusion: Strengthen Your Security with Privileged Access Management
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is more than just a powerful cybersecurity tool—it can act as a proactive strategy that addresses one of the most critical vulnerabilities in modern IT environments: privileged accounts.
By implementing PAM software, organizations can reduce risks from insider threats, human error, and external attackers, while ensuring compliance and operational continuity.
With the average ransomware attack now costing organizations $1.85 million, and breaches taking an average of 292 days to contain, it’s clear that reactive measures are no longer enough. PAM platforms counter these risks by securing credentials in encrypted vaults, enforcing the principle of least privilege, monitoring sessions in real time, and automating password rotation.
As we’ve seen throughout this guide, PAM not only mitigates risks but also enhances efficiency and accountability, creating a foundation for stronger, more resilient cybersecurity.
By adopting a PAM solution, your organization gains the tools to defend against today’s most pressing threats and position itself for a secure future.
Why senhasegura is Your PAM Solution
When it comes to choosing the right PAM platform, senhasegura stands out as a trusted leader in the field. With rapid deployment, transparent pricing, and award-winning customer support rated 5/5 on Gartner Peer Insights, senhasegura delivers measurable results:
94.4% reduction in privilege abuse for one of the largest retail banks in LATAM.
70% lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to other PAM solutions.
90% faster Time to Value, so you can secure your critical systems without delays.
senhasegura combines world-class security features with unparalleled ease of use, helping businesses of all sizes overcome their biggest cybersecurity challenges.
About Segura® Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
Security teams face a tough challenge: strengthening authentication without making it harder to use. Passwords create two problems at once—they’re security weak points and they frustrate users with complex rules and too many credentials to remember.
Passwordless authentication addresses both problems by removing passwords completely. Instead, it uses stronger methods like cryptography, biometrics, and device verification that also improve the user experience.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to eliminate passwords and strengthen authentication with passwordless methods, practical implementation strategies, integration approaches, and real-world deployment insights.
What is Passwordless Authentication and Why Does It Matter?
Passwordless authentication replaces traditional passwords with more secure methods like fingerprints, security keys, or device-based tokens.
This shift matters because, according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 81% of hacking-related breaches involve stolen or weak passwords.
Unlike passwords (which are shared secrets), passwordless systems use cryptographic techniques that attackers can’t easily compromise.
This model has gained significant momentum—Microsoft, Google, and Apple have all committed to passwordless standards, signaling a long-term move away from passwords.
The Problem with Traditional Password-Based Authentication
Even security-conscious organizations struggle with password-based systems. Users must juggle dozens of unique passwords across work and personal accounts. That burden leads to predictable issues:
They tend to choose simple, easily guessed passwords
They store passwords in insecure locations
They often delay changing passwords—even after a known breach
Attackers are well aware of these habits. They use credential stuffing to test leaked credentials across services, or phishing to trick users into giving up passwords. Social engineering is another fallback, targeting human behavior over technical barriers.
IT teams face significant overhead. According to Gartner, password resets account for 20–50% of help desk calls. Worse still, stolen credentials allow attackers to blend in as authenticated users.
The root problem lies in the shared secret model. Since both parties must know the same information to authenticate, that secret can be stolen, guessed, or intercepted. As attacks become more advanced, traditional countermeasures like password complexity rules and scheduled resets no longer keep pace.
Evolution of Modern Authentication Methods
Core Principles of Passwordless Security
Passwordless security works by replacing shared secrets with modern cryptographic methods. Its foundation rests on several key principles:
No Shared Secrets: The private key remains on the user’s device while the server stores a public key. Since the private key never leaves the device, it’s not exposed to theft via breaches.
Device-Tied Authentication: Authentication is linked to hardware or biometrics, creating a stronger defense against remote attacks.
Built-in Multi-Factor Authentication: Most passwordless methods combine factors (something you have, something you are) into a single step, improving security without increasing effort.
Phishing Resistance: Authentication requests are cryptographically validated to prevent users from authorizing fake or malicious sites.
Passwordless Authentication Technologies
Passwordless authentication isn’t one technology—it’s an umbrella term for multiple approaches that remove the need for passwords.
These typically fall into two primary categories—possession-based and biometric authentication. A third category, often transitional, involves one-time authentication mechanisms that help bridge legacy systems to passwordless workflows.
Possession-Based Authentication Methods
This method relies on something the user physically has—typically a hardware device or mobile phone. Hardware security keys (e.g., those based on FIDO2 and WebAuthn standards) create cryptographic signatures that verify identity at login.
By removing shared secrets and using public-key cryptography, hardware keys defend against phishing, password reuse, and brute-force attacks. Mobile-based approaches like push notifications also confirm possession of a trusted device during login.
Deploying these methods requires integration with identity providers and planning for distribution, replacement, or deactivation of devices. Most organizations roll them out in phases, starting with higher-risk user groups.
Biometric Authentication Systems
Biometric methods validate users based on physical traits such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or (in some cases) iris or voice. Adoption has grown with the rise of smartphone sensors and facial recognition tools.
Security questions arise around how and where this biometric data is stored. Most modern devices use trusted hardware modules to store templates locally, preventing transmission of sensitive data to external servers. This approach helps safeguard user data. Privacy policies and testing protocols are essential, since biometric data—once compromised—can’t be changed like a password.
Transitional Methods: One-Time Authentication
One-time authentication methods provide temporary credentials using short-lived tokens, QR codes, or app-based approvals. These are not purely passwordless in every scenario, as many still rely on shared secrets (e.g., OTPs), but they serve an important transitional role.
OTP vs. Passwordless: One-time passwords (OTPs) are a type of one-time authentication, but they still depend on temporary codes that can be intercepted or phished. Passwordless methods, in contrast, eliminate these codes altogether. While OTP can act as a useful fallback or bridge during migration, it is not considered a fully passwordless solution.
These transitional methods illustrate the broader shift toward more user-friendly, context-aware authentication that doesn’t rely on static credentials.
Benefits of Passwordless Authentication
When organizations remove passwords from the login equation, they gain more than just convenience.
Passwordless authentication empowers enterprises to protect their infrastructure at a deeper level, defend user identities from modern threats, and reinforce trust across every digital interaction.
Stronger Security and Phishing Resistance
Passwords rely on secrets that can be stolen or guessed. Passwordless methods, like biometrics and security keys, remove that risk entirely. Biometrics (like fingerprints) are nearly impossible to replicate remotely, and hardware keys (e.g., YubiKeys) verify logins cryptographically, blocking phishing attempts before they start.
Without passwords, there’s no shared secret for attackers to target. This significantly reduces the likelihood of credential-based breaches and impersonation attempts.
Improved User Experience and Productivity
Relying on passwords adds friction. Users must remember credentials, change them frequently, and follow rules that often lead to weak or reused passwords.
Passwordless workflows remove these obstacles by reducing the login process to a quick biometric check or hardware token tap.
Employees, partners, and customers enjoy faster, more intuitive access. That improved experience translates into higher productivity and greater confidence in security systems. IT teams also benefit, as help desk requests drop and staff can shift attention to higher-priority projects.
Operational Efficiency and Lower Support Costs
Password management carries a cost—both in time and resources. Password resets alone can dominate support ticket volumes, draining productivity and increasing administrative workload.
Passwordless systems reduce this burden. With fewer credential-related issues, support costs decrease and teams can refocus on strategic objectives.
Additionally, passwordless authentication simplifies compliance audits by providing clearer audit trails and centralized authentication records, helping teams stay aligned with security requirements and frameworks.
Challenges in Passwordless Adoption
Moving to passwordless authentication offers clear security and usability advantages, yet organizations must address specific hurdles to protect identities effectively. Adopting modern methods requires foresight, preparation, and adaptability to new risks.
Below are four major considerations CISOs, IT managers, and security architects often encounter when shifting to a passwordless model.
How Complex is the Implementation Process?
Implementing passwordless authentication can introduce several complexities:
A mix of modern and legacy systems with varying capabilities
Integration requirements with existing identity infrastructure
Dependencies on specific hardware or software
Migration planning from password-based to passwordless workflows
The degree of difficulty depends on the organization’s scale and technology stack. Cloud-native companies often have fewer roadblocks, while organizations with older, on-premises infrastructure face greater challenges.
Many successful deployments follow a phased approach—starting with a small group of users or a specific application, gathering feedback, and gradually expanding.
How Should You Plan for Device Dependency and Availability?
Tying authentication to a specific device—such as a hardware token or smartphone—means planning for inevitable disruptions. Devices can be lost, stolen, damaged, or temporarily unavailable.
To address this, organizations must offer fallback mechanisms and account recovery options. These may include:
Issuing multiple hardware tokens per user
Providing temporary or time-limited credentials
Allowing secondary biometric methods for access
By preparing for exceptions, organizations can maintain business continuity without compromising identity security.
What Privacy Considerations Come with Biometric Data?
Biometric solutions eliminate the burden of password memorization and reset, but they introduce sensitive data management concerns.
Templates for fingerprint, face, or voice recognition must be stored and processed securely. The safest implementations store biometric data locally, using secure enclaves or trusted device modules to avoid transmitting raw data.
Privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA require organizations to handle biometric data with particular care. Policies must also offer users opt-out choices or alternate authentication methods to maintain trust and regulatory compliance.
What Happens When Authentication Fails?
Even the most advanced systems occasionally fail—whether due to user error, device malfunction, or system disruptions.
A clear recovery plan is essential to minimize downtime and avoid lockouts. This includes:
Self-service recovery options
Backup authentication factors
Administrative override protocols
Resilience comes from balancing strong security with practical access recovery. When users know there’s a clear way to regain access, they’re more likely to embrace passwordless methods confidently.
Organizational Readiness Assessment
Before implementing passwordless solutions, every enterprise should evaluate its current security posture and operational maturity.
An effective assessment highlights the necessary steps to protect user identities, support critical operations, and maintain trust during this shift.
Below are three key areas to examine when measuring organizational readiness:
Evaluation Framework for Passwordless Readiness
A readiness assessment should examine key areas:
Current Authentication Landscape: Review existing authentication tools, common user pain points, and areas where password-related issues are most frequent.
Application and Service Inventory: Identify all systems requiring authentication. Document which applications support protocols like SAML, OIDC, or FIDO2 and which will need updates or workarounds.
User Population Analysis: Understand the needs of different user groups. Make sure users have access to compatible hardware and address any accessibility or device constraints.
Security Risk Assessment: Determine where authentication-related risks are highest. Prioritize accounts with the most sensitive access or greatest exposure to external threats.
This assessment provides a roadmap for targeting high-impact, low-friction opportunities to begin the transition.
Critical Infrastructure Requirements
Passwordless authentication depends on compatibility with identity and access management (IAM) systems, endpoint controls, and centralized monitoring platforms.
Organizations should evaluate whether their current systems can support modern authentication protocols—or if upgrades are needed.
For example, legacy directories may require middleware or gateway tools to handle biometric inputs or public-key credentials. Assessing infrastructure capacity also helps verify whether systems can handle cryptographic processes at scale.
Resolving these technical issues in advance helps avoid delays during deployment.
User Preparation and Change Management
Successful adoption requires communication and support.
Users need to understand why passwordless authentication is being introduced, how it protects their accounts, and how to complete setup. Education efforts should emphasize practical benefits—such as faster logins, better protection, and fewer interruptions.
Training materials, pilot programs, and gradual rollouts help users become comfortable with new tools. By engaging users early and incorporating their feedback, organizations increase adoption and reduce friction.
Step-by-Step Implementation Guide
Strategic Planning for Passwordless Deployment
Any successful rollout begins with clear objectives and measurable outcomes. Establish a dedicated steering committee or task force comprising security architects, IT managers, and compliance officers who will shape the initiative. This core group should:
Define Scope and Goals Identify which departments, user groups, or applications will transition first. Consider starting with a pilot for high-risk or tech-savvy teams to gather early feedback.
Align Stakeholders Make sure that executive leadership, end-users, and support teams understand the rationale for passwordless adoption. Highlight the benefits—such as reduced credential risks and improved user experience—to gain support.
Set Success Metrics and Timelines Determine key performance indicators (KPIs), such as a reduction in password-related support tickets, decreased phishing incidents, or lowered breach risk. Establish milestones that track technical progress, user enrollment rates, and overall security posture improvements.
By focusing on alignment and measurable targets, organizations can create a structured foundation that defends against shifting project priorities and supports long-term commitment to a passwordless strategy.
Technical Implementation Process
The technical phase transforms strategic planning into tangible solutions. While each enterprise will have unique requirements, several core considerations apply:
Choose Your Authentication Standard Evaluate popular protocols like FIDO2/WebAuthn for hardware tokens or device-based biometrics. Make sure your identity and access management (IAM) system is compatible and capable of supporting cryptographic key exchanges.
Update Identity Infrastructure Assess whether your directory services (e.g., Active Directory, LDAP) and single sign-on (SSO) platforms require patches or enhancements. Some older systems may need additional layers or modules to support certificate-based or biometric authentication methods.
Provision Devices and Credentials Decide how users will obtain hardware keys, enroll biometrics, or receive transitional tools such as app-based approval notifications. Plan a phased rollout to control demand on the IT help desk. Define procedures for lost, stolen, or broken devices.
Deploy Supporting Services Integrate logging and monitoring solutions that track authentication events, policy enforcement, and potential anomalies. Centralized analytics help security teams respond quickly to threats or unauthorized attempts.
Prioritizing compatibility, device provisioning, and visibility helps make the passwordless infrastructure stable and effective.
Testing and Validation Methodologies
Comprehensive testing is essential to maintain user trust, detect technical issues early, and validate security controls:
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Conduct a small-scale pilot with select teams or departments. Collect feedback on device enrollment, biometric accuracy, and overall ease of use. This feedback loop helps refine training materials and fine-tune configurations.
Security Audits and Penetration Testing Enlist internal or external security teams to probe the new passwordless environment. Confirm that cryptographic protocols are properly implemented, no fallback vulnerabilities exist, and that user recovery flows are secure.
Staged Rollouts and Continuous Monitoring Implement passwordless access in waves, starting with departments most likely to adopt new technology readily. Continuously monitor key metrics—such as login success rates and help desk tickets—to measure progress. Adjust policies or enrollment procedures as needed based on real-world data.
By prioritizing structured planning, ensuring technical compatibility, and rigorously testing before and after deployment, enterprises can transition to passwordless authentication with confidence. This step-by-step approach not only protects digital identities but also supports trust among users and stakeholders.
Integration with Existing Security Infrastructure
How Does Passwordless Authentication Complement SSO?
For organizations already using Single Sign-On (SSO), adding passwordless authentication might seem like an extra step. In reality, it’s the missing piece that strengthens both security and usability.
SSO is designed to simplify access by allowing users to authenticate once and gain entry to multiple applications. However, traditional SSO often relies on a single password for that initial login—creating a potential security gap. If that password is compromised, an attacker could gain access to an entire suite of business tools.
This is where passwordless authentication fits in. By replacing passwords with more secure methods like biometrics, hardware security keys, or app-based approvals, organizations remove one of the most vulnerable entry points. It reduces the risks associated with phishing, credential stuffing, and brute-force attacks while maintaining the convenience of SSO.
Passwordless in Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust security models operate on a simple principle: never trust, always verify. Traditional authentication methods, especially passwords, contradict this approach. They’re static, vulnerable to phishing and credential stuffing, and often the weakest link in cybersecurity.
Passwordless authentication removes these risks by replacing passwords with stronger, phishing-resistant methods like biometrics, hardware security keys, and cryptographic authentication. These methods verify identity based on who the user is (biometrics) or what they have (security keys), rather than something they know—eliminating a common attack path.
In a Zero Trust environment, where authentication is continuous and context-aware, passwordless authentication supports security without adding friction. Instead of requiring complex passwords and frequent multi-factor prompts, organizations can offer fast, secure access backed by strong verification.
PAM and Passwordless: Creating a Unified Security Strategy
Privileged access management (PAM) is typically reserved for administrators or high-level users who hold the “keys to the kingdom.”
Because these accounts pose an elevated risk, passwordless adoption is particularly impactful:
Hardening High-Risk Accounts: Removing passwords from privileged accounts—often a prime target for attackers—closes a major vulnerability. Token- or biometric-based verification replaces weak or shared credentials, securing each privileged session with cryptographic proof of identity.
Streamlined Oversight and Compliance: PAM solutions configured for passwordless can record secure, verifiable logs for every administrative action. Auditors gain near real-time insight into who accessed which resources, supporting compliance and aligning with established security frameworks.
By integrating passwordless authentication into SSO portals, Zero Trust frameworks, and PAM deployments, enterprises build a stronger identity foundation that adapts to growing threats and organizational needs.
Real-World Implementation Success Stories
Accenture moves 799,000 employees to passwordless authentication
By partnering with Microsoft in 2019, they introduced Windows Hello for Business, the Microsoft Authenticator app, and FIDO2 tokens, complemented by a Temporary Access Passcode (TAP) for secure onboarding.
This device-level authentication model replaced traditional passwords and helped reduce phishing risk while minimizing login friction.
Results have been significant:
70% of Windows device sign-ins occur via passwordless methods
535,000 users enabled for Windows Hello for Business
25.4 million Azure AD authentications daily
16,500+ active passwordless applications
Accenture’s success demonstrates that careful planning, phased rollout, and dedicated user education can transform password-heavy ecosystems into strong, scalable passwordless environments.
Intuit deploys FIDO-based authentication for 100 million customers
Intuit – the global financial technology platform behind TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, and other solutions – undertook a multi-year FIDO-based authentication rollout starting in 2018 to reduce friction for over 100 million customers.
By integrating Nok Nok’s S3 Authentication Suite, Intuit enabled passwordless MFA across its mobile apps, onboarding flows, and diverse product offerings.
70% faster sign-in speeds for users opting into passwordless methods
Consistent, device-based biometric authentication across platforms
With FIDO’s asymmetric cryptography, Intuit removed password exchanges during transit, improving security while streamlining the login experience.
Over time, the company has increased adoption, improved user satisfaction, and reduced support costs associated with failed authentications.
Today, Intuit continues to explore multi-device passkey technology as the next step on its passwordless roadmap, showing how a modern approach to authentication can scale globally—even for demanding, high-volume financial services.
Security Analysis: Passwordless vs. Traditional MFA
Moving to passwordless authentication can feel like a leap—especially for organizations already invested in multi-factor authentication (MFA) solutions.
Yet the differences between MFA (often reliant on passwords plus a second factor) and a truly passwordless approach reveal why forward-thinking enterprises are accelerating adoption.
Attack Vector Reduction and Threat Mitigation
Traditional MFA, while more secure than passwords alone, still includes some form of shared secret that attackers can target. Whether it’s an SMS code intercepted through SIM swapping or a user password phished via social engineering, there is usually a static element that can be exploited.
In contrast, passwordless authentication avoids these risks by eliminating passwords entirely. Hardware keys, device biometrics, or cryptographic authentication methods reduce the risk of credential-based intrusions because there’s no reusable credential to compromise.
This reduced attack surface helps protect identities across varied environments—from on-premises systems to cloud infrastructure.
Credential Theft Prevention Capabilities
Passwords remain the most common target in data breaches. Even strong MFA setups can be bypassed if attackers obtain the user’s initial password.
Passwordless methods break this pattern by using cryptographic signatures and device-bound credentials that cannot be guessed, copied, or reused.
Instead of relying on what users know, systems verify who they are or what they physically control—making credential theft much more difficult.
Identifying and Addressing Security Limitations
No system is foolproof, and passwordless approaches require careful planning to avoid gaps. Lost hardware tokens, biometric mismatches, or incomplete device enrollment can lead to temporary access issues.
Organizations must provide fallback options and clearly defined support processes.
These include:
Secure recovery portals
Secondary authentication methods
Verification and approval procedures for unusual access attempts
Planning for these scenarios helps maintain availability without sacrificing security. Passwordless can deliver long-term value, but only with ongoing monitoring, testing, and user education.
Future of Passwordless Authentication
Passwordless solutions are poised to become the new standard for identity and access management.
Emerging technologies, shifting regulations, and advancing threats like quantum computing all point toward a future where organizations must adopt modern authentication strategies to stay protected.
Emerging Standards and Technologies
Standards like FIDO2 and WebAuthn already guide how companies integrate passwordless methods into their systems.
Biometrics continue to advance—from facial recognition and fingerprint sensors to behavioral analysis and palm vein scanning. Vendors are also refining hardware tokens to meet unique industry demands, such as compliance-heavy or high-risk environments.
These innovations allow organizations to support more users and authentication scenarios while keeping systems secure.
Industry Adoption Trends and Forecasts
Passwordless adoption is accelerating across sectors—from finance and healthcare to manufacturing and education.
As organizations work to simplify authentication, prevent breaches, and comply with growing regulations, passwordless technologies are becoming a core part of access strategies.
This growth also reflects increased investment in identity platforms and Zero Trust initiatives, signaling that passwords may soon be phased out as a mainstream security tool.
Passwordless in Post-Quantum Security Environments
Quantum computing presents a future challenge to many encryption methods used today.
While quantum threats are still theoretical, researchers are developing quantum-safe cryptography to defend long-term identity and access controls.
Passwordless solutions that rely on public key cryptography are expected to evolve in tandem with these new standards. Organizations that adopt passwordless now are better positioned to adapt to future cryptographic models when needed.
Building Your Passwordless Strategy
Implementing passwordless authentication is not just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic change that reshapes how your organization defends digital identities, secures infrastructure, and builds trust.
Key Implementation Success Factors
Executive Sponsorship: Get leadership support to align priorities, secure budgets, and integrate passwordless into broader security initiatives.
Clear User Training and Support: Provide accessible instructions on device setup and recovery. Communicate how passwordless improves both security and user experience.
Ongoing Security Monitoring: Use centralized logs and analytics to identify issues quickly and adapt to new risks.
Scalability and Adaptability: Choose tools and vendors that support evolving standards, compliance requirements, and organizational growth.
Getting Started: Your First Passwordless Project
Organizations often begin with a pilot deployment, focusing on a high-value or security-critical department.
Here’s how your organization could start:
Identify a High-Value Target: Select an authentication scenario offering clear benefits with manageable complexity, such as VPN access, employee portal login, or email authentication.
Select Appropriate Technology: Choose passwordless methods aligned with your environment, such as platform biometrics, mobile authenticators, or hardware keys.
Define Project Scope: Clearly establish which users and applications will participate and set realistic timelines.
Build a Cross-Functional Team: Include security architects, IT operations, user experience specialists, support personnel, and communications staff.
Create an Implementation Plan: Develop a structured approach with infrastructure preparation, pilot testing, feedback collection, and phased rollout.
Establish Success Criteria: Define technical, user, operational, and security metrics to evaluate outcomes.
This approach allows teams to gather feedback and refine processes, demonstrate early wins, and build momentum for broader deployment.
Resources for Ongoing Education and Support
Sustaining a passwordless program means staying ahead of regulatory changes, security threats, and technology developments.
Here are a few resources to help:
Industry Groups and Alliances: Organizations like the FIDO Alliance and relevant security consortia publish regular updates on standards and best practices.
Online Forums and Conferences: Engage with technical communities and attend events where experts share real-world challenges, solutions, and insights.
Vendor Documentation and Professional Services: Partner with solution providers for in-depth training, guided deployments, and compliance-specific support.
Conclusion
The shift to passwordless authentication marks a major step forward for enterprise security—replacing the weaknesses of shared secrets with cryptographic verification and identity-based access.
As the barriers to implementation continue to fall and the benefits become clearer, organizations are no longer asking if they should adopt passwordless authentication—but when and how.
Want to go beyond passwordless and strengthen how your team manages access? Segura® offers a complete Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution with just-in-time access, session recording, and identity-based controls that help reduce risk and improve visibility.
About Segura® Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.
About Version 2 Digital
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
