IAM vs PAM vs PIM
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
What It Does: IAM manages who can access different parts of your business systems. Key Points:
User Access: Controls who can log in and what they can do.
Role Management: Sets permissions based on job roles.
Audit Trail: Tracks who accessed what and when.
Why It Matters: IAM ensures that employees have the right access to do their jobs while protecting your business from unauthorized access.
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
What It Does: PAM focuses on managing special accounts with higher-level access, like admin accounts. Key Points:
Privilege Control: Limits and monitors access to sensitive systems.
Session Recording: Keeps a record of what high-level accounts do.
Password Management: Secures and rotates passwords for these accounts.
Why It Matters: PAM protects your critical systems from misuse or attacks by monitoring and controlling access to high-level accounts.
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
What It Does: PIM is part of PAM that manages temporary or special permissions for users. Key Points:
Temporary Access: Provides elevated access for a specific time.
Role-Based Control: Manages permissions based on job roles.
Usage Tracking: Monitors how special access is used.
Why It Matters: PIM ensures that elevated permissions are granted only when necessary and used properly.
Understanding the Relationship
IAM (Identity and Access Management) is the overarching term encompassing the management of all user identities, authentication, and authorization within an organization.
PAM (Privileged Access Management) is a subset of IAM specifically focused on managing and controlling access to privileged accounts and systems.
PIM (Privileged Identity Management) is another subset of IAM that concentrates on the lifecycle management of privileged identities, including provisioning, de-provisioning, and access certification.