Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

CIEM vs. PAM, which one to go for? Both are cloud access management solutions, but differ in certain aspects. Where CIEM works on handling cloud entitlements, PAM focuses on securing credentials in a vault, and controlling privileged access.

Choosing a privileged access management (PAM) solution isn’t just a technical decision — it’s a strategic one. Selecting the right PAM platform is essential for securing your IT infrastructure, ensuring audit readiness, and minimizing business risks. But with so many tools claiming to offer comprehensive protection, how do you separate the truly effective ones from the rest? This article breaks down the nine most important factors to consider when choosing a PAM solution.

Looking back at the early 2024 data breach at Change Healthcare — a provider of revenue and payment cycle management that connects payers, providers, and patients within the U.S. healthcare system — one key detail stands out: Initial access into the healthcare system’s network was much easier due to a lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA).

SSH keys may be the riskiest credentials you’re not thinking about. In today’s DevOps pipelines, GitLab SSH keys silently facilitate critical operations—from pushing code to deploying infrastructure. Just because GitLab SSH keys are unassuming doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Unlike passwords, SSH keys don’t trigger alerts when reused, leaked, or silently exploited. Unfortunately, attackers know this, too. 88% of all web application attacks involved stolen credentials.

With credentials now being one of the most exploited vectors in cyberattacks, we must go beyond basic access controls and ensure every privileged session is secure, auditable, and justified. That’s why choosing a robust privileged access management (PAM) solution is a must. This post will walk you through the seven best features in PAM solutions that can effectively protect your infrastructure.

Omdia, a global analyst and advisory leader, recently released a report called “How Extended Access Management (XAM) closes the gaps in security.” This report describes how existing approaches to access management have failed to address the security, budgetary, and compliance risks posed by unmanaged identities, applications, and devices.

Machine identities have quietly become the backbone of digital infrastructure, outnumbering human users in most enterprise environments. While they don’t forget passwords or call tech support, they do introduce a unique set of security and operational risks. Unlike human users, machine identities (like service accounts, API keys, bots, and microservices) often operate with highly permissive access rights and weak or nonexistent authorization policies.

Omdia, a global analyst and advisory leader, recently released a report called “How Extended Access Management (XAM) closes the gaps in security.” The report argues that existing access management approaches have failed to adequately address the risks posed by unmanaged identities, applications, and devices.

In today’s hybrid and multi-cloud environments, piecemeal identity tools can create a messy, difficult solution set. That’s why top analysts at KuppingerCole are identifying vendors that offer more than standalone solutions—they’re recognizing those that deliver a true identity fabric. We’re proud to share that in the 2025 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Identity Fabrics, One Identity has been named an Overall Leader in this evolving space.