Question 1

What is Privileged Access Management Software?

Accepted Answer

When managing user accounts, companies should set a clear divide between customer-generated accounts and internal ones. The benefit of doing this is twofold. First, customer accounts and internal users have vastly different needs and requirements for your business. Second, compartmentalization helps prevent cross-contamination. More simply, if something goes wrong in your customer account management system, it won’t affect your internal account management system or vice versa. 
 Thankfully, different management systems exist specifically to focus on customer account management and internal accounts. While customer identity and access management (CIAM) software is built for handling your business’ customer-facing accounts and account security, privileged access management (PAM) software focuses on managing and securing your business’ own internal user accounts. PAM solutions also differ in a drastic way from CIAM solutions by dealing with access to critical systems (e.g., databases, servers, domains, and networks) as well as handling IT admin accounts. 
 Key Benefits of Privileged Access Management Software 
 
Manage employee access privileges to key business systems
Centralize storage of employee information
Monitor employee behavior, web-based threats, and unapproved internal actors
Customize access privileges for users
Monitor employee account behavior

Question 2

Why Use Privileged Access Management Software?

Accepted Answer

There are many security benefits to PAM solutions. Older methods of key sharing and word-of-mouth communication are not sufficient in protecting information and business-critical systems. These tools will help security professionals and administrative personnel better track who in their organization has access to what and may document their actions or behaviors within privileged systems or applications. 
 Security — Privileged access management tools centralize the storage credentials and administration of access. Without IAM tools, this data can be more vulnerable to threats if it is not properly safeguarded. IAM tools are fortified with authentication features to limit viewing to only those administrators with granted access. These tools will also provide alerts for potential threats or users who have accessed sensitive data without permission. 
 Administration — Administrators can create databases, document user account histories, and view approved privileges, all of which helps to simplify the onboarding process. Administrators can quickly create new accounts and approve applications for new users to access. Some products even offer templates to have ready when adding employees to specific roles. The same goes for those no longer employed; administrators can quickly restrict their privileges or delete their account. 
 Cloud application management — Many cloud applications have the ability to connect dozens of applications, user credentials, and access privileges. Large, enterprise-sized companies will benefit greatly from having a cloud-based database that securely contains this sensitive data. Many products come with prebuilt integrations for hundreds of applications, while others may require customization or simply offer a limited variety of applications.

Question 3

Who Uses Privileged Access Management Software?

Accepted Answer

Administrative professionals — Administrators—typically security administrators—will most often be the ones using privileged access management solutions. Other system admins may find use in PAM solutions as well, since certain roles may need more or less access to different business systems, pending their role. 
 Service providers — Third-party service providers will often manage cloud services directly and may need to integrate with other business systems or networks. Privileged access management tools allow for role-based access control to limit what information and systems can be accessed by third-party services providers or other external entities requiring access to sensitive information or business-critical systems. 
 Human resources — HR professionals may use privileged access management solutions to delegate access to internal employees or new hires during the onboarding process. Many PAM tools integrate with directory services and identity servers and other identity management solutions to integrate identity information and simplify privileged account management. These accounts may be set up for access to applications, cloud services, databases, or any other IT system requiring privileged access. 
 Internal employees — These are the end users accessing applications and networks by the allowance of administrative or security staff. These individuals may only interact with the PAM solution in that they use the credentials to access information. But some tools may provide a dashboard or access portal with information about what applications, networks, services, and databases they have been approved to access.

How Many Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software Products Does G2 Track?

Category Stats (Sep 2026)

How Does G2 Rank Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software Products?

G2 Grid® for Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software

Best Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software - Page 13

How Many Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software Products Does G2 Track?

Category Stats (Sep 2026)

How Does G2 Rank Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software Products?

G2 Grid® for Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software

Zscaler Privileged Remote Access

Who Is the Company Behind Zscaler Privileged Remote Access?