Stolen credentials are the top vector
Most breaches involve compromised credentials. PAM removes standing privileged passwords from circulation, so a leaked credential is far less useful to an attacker.
Privileged access management
Privileged access management
Privileged access management (PAM) is the practice of securing, controlling and recording access to the privileged accounts that run your infrastructure, so a stolen or misused admin credential cannot quietly become a breach.
CloudKey vaults privileged credentials, records every privileged session, and grants access just-in-time, with a full trace of who touched which server and when, mapped to the controls your ISO 27001 and SOC 2 auditors read. Available as a managed service.
- Credential vaulting
- Session recording
- Just-in-time access
- ISO 27001 and SOC 2 mapped
At a glance
One managed service, four controls
Overview
Privileged accounts are the keys to the kingdom
The accounts that can change configurations, read every database and reach every server are the ones attackers want most. The majority of serious breaches involve compromised or stolen credentials, and privileged ones do the most damage. Privileged access management exists to make those accounts hard to steal and impossible to use unseen.
CloudKey PAM puts privileged credentials in a vault instead of in scripts, spreadsheets and people's heads. Access is granted just-in-time for a specific task and revoked when it ends, so standing privilege shrinks toward zero. Every privileged session is recorded, giving you and your auditors a complete trace of who did what, where, and when.
We deliver PAM as a managed service that plugs into the directory and identity provider you already run, so you get the control without standing up and babysitting yet another platform.
Capabilities
What does CloudKey privileged access management do?
Four controls that together close the privileged-access gap.
Credential vaulting
Privileged credentials are stored in a vault, rotated, and never exposed in scripts or shared spreadsheets. People get access to a session, not to the password itself.
- Credentials rotated, never shared in plaintext
- Users get a session, not the password
Session recording
Every privileged session is recorded, so there is a complete, reviewable trace of what was done on each system, for both incident response and audit.
- 10:02:14 connect db-prod-01 vaulted
- 10:02:19 query orders table logged
- 10:03:01 config change flagged
- 10:05:44 session closed recorded
Illustration of a recorded session, not real data.
Just-in-time access
Access is granted for a specific task and time window, then revoked automatically, driving standing privilege toward zero so there is less to steal.
3 Active grants
0 Standing admin
- platform-eng / web-tier 22m left
- dba-oncall / db-prod-01 8m left
- break-glass / core-vault 4m left
Illustration. Access expires when the task ends.
Full traceability
Who touched which server and when, mapped to a named identity, so accountability is built in rather than reconstructed after the fact.
- platform-eng db-prod-01 10:02
- dba-oncall k8s-core 09:41
- deploy-bot web-tier 09:12
- break-glass core-vault 08:55
Illustrative audit trail.
Why it matters
Why is privileged access management important?
It targets the access path attackers rely on most.
Contain the blast radius
Just-in-time access means a compromised account usually has no standing privilege to abuse, limiting how far an intruder can move.
Prove control to auditors
Session recording and full traceability give your ISO 27001 and SOC 2 auditors the evidence they ask for around privileged access, without a manual scramble.
How it works
How does CloudKey deliver PAM?
A managed rollout that fits your existing identity stack.
- 01
Discover
We map the privileged accounts and the systems they reach, so nothing privileged is left outside the program.
- 02
Integrate
PAM connects to your existing directory and identity provider, so access decisions follow the identities you already manage.
- 03
Enforce
Credentials move into the vault, just-in-time access is switched on, and session recording begins across privileged systems.
- 04
Operate and report
As a managed service we keep it running and give you the access trail and recordings your audits require.
FAQ
Privileged access management, answered
Privileged access management, or PAM, is the set of controls that secure the accounts with elevated rights over your systems. It vaults their credentials, grants access just-in-time, and records privileged sessions, so those high-power accounts cannot be stolen or misused without a trace.
IAM manages identity and access for all users across your organization. PAM is a specialized subset focused on the privileged accounts, the admins and service accounts that can do the most damage. PAM adds vaulting, session recording and just-in-time access that general IAM does not.
Just-in-time access grants a privileged permission only for a specific task and time window, then revokes it automatically. It replaces always-on admin rights, so there is little standing privilege for an attacker to find and abuse.
Privileged session recording captures what happens during a privileged session so it can be reviewed later. It supports incident investigation and gives auditors evidence that privileged activity is monitored and accountable.
PAM as a service delivers privileged access management as a managed offering rather than software you deploy and run yourself. CloudKey operates the PAM controls for you, integrated with your identity stack, so you get the security outcomes without the operational overhead.
Next step
Lock down privileged access
Tell us how privileged access works today. We map the accounts, show how vaulting, just-in-time access and session recording would fit your identity stack, and scope a managed rollout.