7 Key Features to Look For in a PAM Solution

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. From automated account discovery to just-in-time access and real-time monitoring, you’ll learn what capabilities matter and how they can strengthen your security posture.

Key takeaways:

• Privileged access is a primary attack vector, and unprotected accounts can lead to massive data exfiltration and financial loss.
• Effective PAM can help you enhance organizational security, streamline admins’ workflows, improve visibility into privileged activity, and simplify IT compliance.
• Choosing a PAM solution with the right set of features is essential in order to protect your infrastructure against internal and external threats.

Why your organization needs a PAM solution

According to the X-Force 2025 Threat Intelligence Index by IBM Security, compromised credentials and the exploitation of public-facing applications are the most common ways attackers gain initial access to corporate environments.

Equipped with advanced tools, threat actors are increasingly using compromised login credentials rather than brute-force hacking.

X-Force 2025 Threat Intelligence Index by IBM Security

The dangers associated with compromised privileged account credentials are no joke, considering that the global average cost of a data breach in 2024 reached a record $4.88 million, according to the same IBM report.

The Snowflake data breach campaign exemplifies how the compromise of inadequately protected accounts can lead to devastating data exfiltration and widespread financial damage across numerous organizations. Between May 2024 and early 2025, the breaches affected over 100 Snowflake customers, including major corporations like AT&T, Ticketmaster, and Santander Bank. On top of that, hundreds of millions of end-customers of these targeted companies had their personal data exposed and even sold on the dark web.

But a privileged access management solution could have helped.

PAM tools directly address these vulnerabilities by securing, managing, and monitoring all forms of privileged access.

Gartner defines privileged access management (PAM) as tools that provide an elevated level of technical access through the management and protection of accounts, credentials, and commands, which are used to administer or configure systems and applications.

Gartner, Privileged Access Management Reviews and Ratings

According to Gartner, there are four distinct PAM tool categories:

Using PAM tools for cybersecurity can help your organization prevent credential-based attacks and unauthorized access to your internal IT infrastructure.

By implementing a PAM solution, your organization can gain these major benefits:

To fully unlock these and other benefits of PAM, you need the right PAM solution in place. With so many options out there, selecting the best one can be overwhelming. To make your decision easier, we’ve narrowed down seven essential PAM solution features.

7 key features in a PAM solution that drive success

To get the most out of your investment, you need to know which PAM features actually make a difference. Let’s explore the seven key features of PAM solutions to put on your checklist when making your choice:

1. User authentication and verification

Most effective PAM solutions enable secure user authentication, including capabilities such as two-factor authentication (2FA). By verifying user identities, 2FA supports zero trust principles and prevents exploitation of user credentials, even if they become compromised. 

On top of this, solutions with continuous adaptive trust capabilities are even more flexible and user-friendly, as they provide access based on contextual factors and cause fewer user workflow disruptions.

2. Secret vaulting and management

Password vaulting involves the secure storage and retrieval of privileged credentials in an encrypted repository. Most workforce password management solutions also support automated password rotation, which minimizes the risk of unauthorized use of privileged credentials.

3. Just-in-time access provisioning

Just-in-time (JIT) access management ensures that a user receives privileged access only for the duration needed to perform a specific task. By supporting zero standing privileges, a JIT PAM approach dramatically reduces the time during which sensitive assets are exposed.

When looking for a JIT access provisioning solution, focus on the following capabilities:

• Single-use and time-bound access provisioning
• Manual access request and approval workflows
• Password check-in and check-out
• Integration with ticketing systems for access validation
• Automatic session termination after a specific duration or when tasks are completed

4. Role-based access control

Rather than granting access for each individual request, role-based access control (RBAC) maps access rights to users based on their job responsibilities. This promotes accountability and supports the principle of least privilege, helping prevent privilege creep by ensuring users only have the permissions required for their role.

To visualize how it works, imagine that an accountant is assigned a “finance department user” role. RBAC software would then automatically grant them write-only permissions to financial software and read-only access to specific reports, while explicitly denying them access to sensitive HR records or IT infrastructure controls.

5. Account discovery

Privileged account discovery enables automatic network scanning to find unmanaged and hidden accounts that could pose security risks. By bringing all privileged identities under centralized management, account discovery helps you increase accountability and reduce cybersecurity gaps.

6. Privileged user monitoring

PAM solutions that monitor privileged user sessions allow you to oversee what users do with your sensitive data and systems, ideally through screen recording and metadata capture. Privileged activity monitoring streamlines forensic investigations, discourages privilege misuse, and strengthens accountability.

When looking for a PAM solution with monitoring capabilities, prioritize those that provide real-time session viewing and searchable metadata logs. This way, your security team can detect and put a stop to suspicious activity. Some offer automatic incident response — upon detecting a threat, your PAM solution will notify security officers and respond to suspicious actions within privileged accounts in real time.

7. Analytics and reports

Efficient PAM platforms can provide detailed reports and dashboards to help you track user access, investigate security issues, and demonstrate compliance with cybersecurity frameworks like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001.

To learn about other important criteria to consider when choosing an efficient access management solution, read our article on 9 Critical Decision Factors When Choosing a PAM Solution.

Mastering PAM with Syteca

Syteca is a comprehensive cybersecurity platform designed to protect your organization’s IT perimeter from the inside. Syteca PAM and Syteca UAM are built to address the most critical security needs in modern hybrid infrastructures. 

Here’s how the Syteca platform supports these seven essential features in privileged access management:

Syteca offers flexible deployment options for on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures, allowing you to choose the best option for your specific operational and security requirements.

Functionality matters: Choosing the right PAM platform

Privileged access management is a cornerstone of cybersecurity, not a bonus accessory. With compromised credentials among the most common attack vectors and the cost of breaches hitting record highs, protecting privileged access must be a top priority.

Selecting a PAM system with the right feature set can make all the difference. From reducing your attack surface to streamlining IT operations and supporting compliance efforts, a robust PAM platform is critical for long-term resilience.

Syteca offers a complete, ready-to-deploy PAM solution aimed at securing today’s hybrid infrastructures, giving you full control, visibility, and confidence in your cybersecurity defenses.