Privileged Access Management (PAM)

The PAM professional is responsible for assessing the existing privileged access landscape, performing gap analysis against security standards and best practices, gathering and translating business and technical requirements, and designing, implementing, and optimizing PAM solutions across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. The role plays a critical part in reducing cyber risk, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enabling secure privileged access.

Key Responsibilities

1. Existing Environment Assessment

• Perform detailed discovery and assessment of current privileged access usage across:

o Servers (Windows, Unix/Linux) o Databases o Network devices o Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) o Applications and DevOps pipelines

• Identify and document:

o Privileged user accounts (human and non-human) o Service and application accounts o Shared, orphaned, and unmanaged privileged credentials o Current access workflows and approval mechanisms

• Review existing controls related to:

o Identity and Access Management (IAM) o Password policies and rotation practices o Logging, monitoring, and audit mechanisms

• Analyze integration points with:

o Active Directory / LDAP o SIEM, SOAR o ITSM tools (e.g., ServiceNow) o MFA and authentication services

1. Gap Analysis

• Conduct gap analysis between the existing PAM posture and:

o Industry best practices o Zero Trust principles o Standards such as ISO 27001, NIST, CIS, SOX, GDPR (as applicable)

• Identify gaps related to:

o Excessive or standing privileged access o Lack of credential vaulting o Absence of session monitoring and recording o Manual or weak access request and approval processes o Non-compliant password and secret management

• Document risk impact, severity, and remediation recommendations
• Provide clear, prioritized gap analysis reports for technical and executive stakeholders

1. Requirement Gathering

• Engage with stakeholders including:

o IT Infrastructure and Operations o Security Operations (SOC) o Application owners o Cloud and DevOps teams o Compliance, Risk, and Audit teams

• Collect and document:

o Functional requirements (access control, session management, reporting) o Non-functional requirements (availability, scalability, performance) o Regulatory and audit requirements o Business and operational constraints

• Define:

o Privileged access use cases o User roles and responsibilities o Just-In-Time (JIT) access models o Approval workflows and lifecycle management

• Produce Business Requirement Documents (BRD) and Technical Requirement Specifications (TRS)

1. PAM Solution Design & Implementation

• Design PAM architecture aligned with enterprise security strategy
• Implement PAM solutions such as:

o CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Delinea, or equivalent platforms

• Configure:

o Privileged credential vaulting o Password rotation and secrets management o Session brokering, monitoring, and recording o Role-based access control and policy enforcement

• Integrate PAM with:

o Directory services o MFA solutions o SIEM/SOC platforms o ITSM systems for access request workflows

• Support phased onboarding of:

o Infrastructure components o Applications o Cloud workloads

• Ensure minimal business disruption during rollout

1. Testing, Validation & Go-Live Support

• Perform:

o Functional and security testing o User acceptance testing (UAT)

• Validate:

o Access control logic o Audit logs and session recordings o Failover and resilience scenarios

• Support production rollout and hypercare phases
• Troubleshoot implementation and operational issues

1. Documentation & Knowledge Transfer

• Create and maintain:

o Architecture diagrams o Configuration and build documents o Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Deliver knowledge transfer sessions to:

o Operations teams o Security teams o Application support teams

1. Governance, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure PAM controls support:

o Internal security policies o Regulatory and audit requirements

• Assist in audit responses and evidence generation
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and automation
• Support ongoing PAM maturity and optimization initiatives

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience with PAM tools (CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Delinea, Azure PIM, etc.)
• Knowledge of:

o Active Directory, LDAP o Windows, Linux/Unix systems o Networking fundamentals o Cloud security and IAM

• Familiarity with security frameworks and standards

Soft Skills

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Analytical mindset with strong documentation capabilities
• Experience leading workshops and technical discussions

Experience & Qualifications

• 5+ years in Identity & Access Management or Cybersecurity roles
• 3+ years hands-on experience in PAM projects
• Certifications (preferred):

o CISSP, CISM o CyberArk / BeyondTrust certifications