Top 10 PAM software features | CISO/CIO guide

Privileged access management (PAM) is now a must-have for any modern, security-first organization. As attacks increase in volume and sophistication, privileged accounts remain one of the most valuable targets for threat actors.

The scale of the threat is clear. Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report analyzed more than 31,000 security incidents (22,000+ were confirmed data breaches), the largest breach data set the report has covered so far. For CISOs, this reinforces a simple point: Access risk is no longer something security teams can manage with manual controls or an outdated identity and access management (IAM) tool.

This is why choosing the right privileged access management software is such an important decision. A PAM solution should not only protect privileged credentials. It should help enforce least privilege, protect sensitive credentials, monitor high-risk sessions, reduce standing access and support compliance.

In this guide, we will look at the top 10 PAM features CISOs should evaluate when choosing privileged access management software for their organization.

Privileged access management is a cybersecurity approach that helps organizations restrict and monitor access to high-risk accounts and systems.

In today’s AI-enabled and increasingly vulnerable threat environment, a strong PAM solution helps security teams:

• Secure privileged accounts, administrator credentials and service accounts
• Grant just-in-time access for high-risk systems and applications
• Monitor, record and audit privileged sessions
• Manage non-human identity lifecycles and privileges
• Secure agentic AI access and privileged actions
• Protect credentials through vaulting, rotation and controlled access
• Support compliance reporting and investigation requirements
• Manage access across cloud, on-premises, hybrid and OT environments
• Control third-party and vendor access to sensitive systems
• Improve security without adding unnecessary friction for IT teams

There are several established PAM solutions available for organizations that need stronger control over privileged access:

1. Safeguard by One Identity

Safeguard by One Identity is the best option for organizations that need to secure, manage, monitor and analyze privileged access from one platform. It is especially relevant for teams that want credential protection, session visibility, just-in-time access and support for hybrid IT environments.

2. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager

CyberArk is a strong fit for enterprises that need deep privileged credential management, session control, threat detection and protection across complex on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments.

3. BeyondTrust Privileged Access Management

BeyondTrust offers a broad privileged access management portfolio covering credential security, least privilege, remote access and endpoint privilege management. It is useful for organizations that need to discover privileged accounts, rightsize access and maintain strong audit trails across the enterprise.

4. Delinea Platform

Delinea focuses on identity security and privileged access controls for modern hybrid environments. It is a good fit for organizations that want credential vaulting, just-in-time access, zero standing privilege and policy-based authorization in a centralized platform.

5. Okta Privileged Access

Okta Privileged Access is well suited to organizations that already use Okta as the foundation of their identity stack. It helps extend identity governance and access controls to privileged resources.

Once you have a shortlist of potential PAM vendors, the next step is to evaluate important software features that matter most for privileged access security.

Least privilege access control[A(2.1][A(2.2] is one of the core foundations of any effective PAM solution. It ensures that users, administrators, service accounts and third-party vendors only receive the access they need to complete a specific task, and nothing more. is one of the core foundations of any effective PAM solution. It ensures that users, administrators, service accounts and third-party vendors only receive the access they need to complete a specific task, and nothing more.

For CISOs, this is important because overprivileged accounts increase the blast radius of a breach. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Role-based access control: The platform should allow teams to assign permissions based on user roles and administrative responsibilities.
• Attribute-based access control: The solution should support more detailed access decisions based on factors such as identity, device, location, resource type, risk level and business context.
• Fine-grained policy controls: Admins should be able to define who can access which systems, under what conditions and for how long.
• Least-privilege controls for humans, non-human identities and AI agents: The platform should enforce least-privilege access for service accounts, machine identities and AI agents, helping eliminate excessive permissions and reduce risk.
• Command-level restrictions: For high-risk systems, the solution should allow security teams to permit or block specific commands, scripts or actions during privileged sessions.

Just-in-time privileged access gives users temporary elevated access for a defined purpose, session or time window, then removes it automatically.

For CISOs, this is important because standing privileges create unnecessary exposure. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Request-based access workflows: Users should be able to request privileged access for a specific task or system, with clear justification captured before approval.
• Automatic privilege removal: Elevated access should be removed without manual intervention once the task is complete or the approved access period expires.
• Risk-based approvals: The solution should support different approval requirements based on the sensitivity of the system, the user’s role and the risk level of the request.

Credential vaulting is used to store privileged credentials in a centralized, secure location. Administrators or privileged users aren’t allowed to view or share passwords directly. Instead, the PAM solution controls how those credentials are used and rotated.

For CISOs, this is important because stolen or misused privileged credentials can give attackers direct access to critical systems. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Secure credential vaulting: The platform should store privileged secrets in an encrypted vault with strict access controls.
• Automated password rotation: The solution should automatically rotate privileged credentials at defined intervals (or after each use).
• Credential checkout controls: Users should only be able to check out credentials when authorized, with every checkout logged for audit and investigation.
• Service account password management: The solution should support secure management of non-human accounts, including service accounts and AI agents.

Strong authentication ensures that privileged users are properly verified before they can access high-risk systems. A PAM solution should not rely on passwords alone. It should integrate with the organization’s existing identity stack and apply additional verification based on risk context.

For CISOs, this is important because compromised credentials are still one of the easiest ways for attackers to gain privileged access. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA): The platform should require additional verification before granting access to privileged accounts or systems.
• Single sign-on (SSO) integration: The solution should integrate with SSO tools and external identity providers.
• Adaptive authentication: The solution should support stronger authentication requirements when risk signals change, such as unusual location, device, time of access or user behavior.
• Step-up authentication: The platform should allow security teams to require reauthentication before users perform especially sensitive actions or access critical systems.

Privileged session monitoring gives security teams visibility into what users do after access is granted. A PAM solution should support recording and logging activity during a privileged session.

For CISOs, this is important because privileged misuse and compromised admin accounts can be difficult to investigate without clear session records. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Real-time session monitoring: The solution should allow security teams to observe active privileged sessions as they happen.
• Detailed activity logs: The platform should capture actions such as commands entered, files accessed, systems connected to and configuration changes made.
• Searchable audit trails: Security teams should be able to search session records and logs quickly during investigations or compliance reviews.
• Session termination controls: The solution should allow security teams to pause or terminate a privileged session if suspicious activity is detected.

Privileged remote access allows technical teams and vendors to connect to sensitive systems securely without relying on traditional, system-wide VPN access and/or long-term credentials.

For CISOs, this is important because VPNs can create broad access paths, while exposed credentials increase the risk of theft and misuse. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• VPN-less privileged access: The platform should allow users to access approved privileged systems without requiring VPN access to the broader network.
• Browser-based access: The solution should support secure access through a browser or controlled interface. This reduces the need for local clients or complex setup.
• Credential-free login: Users should be able to connect to systems without getting to see or handle privileged passwords.
• Support for RDP and SSH: The platform should support secure access to Windows and Linux systems through controlled RDP and SSH sessions.
• Third-party access controls: The solution should make it easy to grant vendors temporary, limited access.

Cloud privileged access management helps organizations secure administrative access across software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, cloud infrastructure and hybrid environments.

For CISOs, this is important because privileged access is now spread across multiple environments and identity stores and types. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Cloud account discovery: The platform should identify privileged accounts and permissions across SaaS and public and private environments.
• Cloud console access controls: The solution should control administrative access to cloud consoles and management interfaces.
• Secrets management: The solution should protect API keys, tokens, certificates and other secrets used by cloud services and automation workflows.
• Cloud entitlement visibility: Security teams should be able to see where excessive permissions or risky access paths exist across the cloud environment.

Cross-platform privileged access ensures that PAM controls apply consistently across the operating systems, workloads and infrastructure types used across the organization.

For CISOs, this is important because privileged access is no longer limited to traditional servers. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Windows and Linux support: The platform should manage privileged access across both Windows and Linux systems without requiring separate workflows.
• Unix and legacy system coverage: The solution should support older or specialized systems that still hold sensitive data or critical operational functions.
• Container and Kubernetes access controls: The platform should help secure privileged access to containers, clusters and orchestration environments.
• Serverless workload support: The solution should support privileged access controls for serverless functions and cloud-native workloads.

Threat detection helps security teams identify when privileged access is being abused or controlled by an attacker.

For CISOs, this is important because compromised privileged accounts can give attackers the ability to move laterally, change configurations, disable controls or access sensitive systems. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Privileged behavior analytics: The platform should detect unusual privileged activity, such as abnormal login times or unusual administrative actions.
• Risk-based alerting: The solution should trigger alerts when privileged activity suggests compromise or policy violation.
• Non-human identity and agentic AI discovery and monitoring: The platform should detect suspicious activity involving service accounts, APIs and AI agents. As privileged access expands to autonomous systems, the ideal NHI solution should identify abnormal behavior, excessive permissions and compromised credentials, then automate response actions.
• Automated response actions: Security teams should be able to suspend access, terminate sessions, rotate credentials or disable accounts when high-risk activity is detected.
• SIEM and SOAR integration: The platform should send privileged access events and alerts into existing security operations tools for investigation and response.

Deployment flexibility determines how easily a PAM solution can fit into the organization’s existing environment and security roadmap. A strong PAM platform should support the way the enterprise actually runs today, while being able to scale as privileged access requirements grow across distributed environments.

For CISOs, this is important because PAM is not a short-term tool purchase. It is a long-term security control that needs to scale with the organization. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Flexible deployment options: The platform should support cloud, SaaS, on-premises or hybrid deployment models.
• Scalable architecture: The solution should be able to support growing numbers of users, privileged accounts, workloads, sessions and connected systems without performance or management issues.
• Enterprise integration ecosystem: The platform should integrate with IAM, SIEM, SOAR, ITSM, cloud, DevOps and endpoint security tools already used by the organization.
• Administrative manageability: Security and IT teams should be able to configure policies, onboard users, manage access and review activity without unnecessary complexity.
• Vendor maturity: The PAM vendor should have proven enterprise experience, strong product support, regular innovation and a clear roadmap for emerging privileged access risks.

In addition to the core PAM feature checklist, CISOs should also consider how privileged access risk changes by industry. The right PAM solution should align with the systems, compliance pressures, operational workflows and third-party access patterns that are most relevant to the organization.

1. Healthcare

Healthcare organizations need PAM solutions that can protect privileged access to patient data, clinical applications, medical devices and connected infrastructure.

CISOs should prioritize credential protection, session monitoring, vendor access controls and strong authentication across EHR systems, diagnostic platforms, connected medical devices and third-party clinical technology providers.

A PAM solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as HIPAA and SOC 2.

2. Finance

Financial services organizations need PAM solutions that can support strict access governance, auditability and rapid response across high-risk systems.

CISOs should prioritize granular authorization, strong authentication, detailed audit trails and incident response capabilities.

A PAM solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as PCI DSS and SOX.

3. Manufacturing

Manufacturing organizations need PAM solutions that can secure privileged access across both IT and operational technology environments.

CISOs should prioritize PAM tools that can secure remote vendor access, legacy infrastructure, industrial control systems, plant environments and hybrid IT-OT operations.

A PAM solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as ISA/IEC 62443 and NIST CSF where applicable.

A strong PAM solution can go a long way in boosting the overall security outlook of an organization. By focusing on the top 10 features highlighted above, CISOs can choose a platform that strengthens security without slowing down critical business operations.