Privileged Access Management
2025-01-01

Overview#

Controls that secure and monitor high-risk administrative accounts. Includes vaulting credentials, session recording, and just-in-time elevation.

Core objectives#

  • Establish shared definitions of Privileged Access Management for security, engineering, and leadership teams.
  • Connect Privileged Access Management activities to measurable risk reduction and resilience goals.
  • Provide onboarding notes so new team members can quickly understand how Privileged Access Management works here.

Implementation notes#

  • Identify the primary owner for Privileged Access Management, the data sources involved, and the systems affected.
  • Document the minimum viable process, tooling, and runbooks that keep Privileged Access Management healthy.
  • Map Privileged Access Management practices to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls.

Operational signals#

  • Leading indicators: early warnings that Privileged Access Management might degrade (e.g., backlog growth, noisy alerts, or missed SLAs).
  • Lagging indicators: realized impact that shows Privileged Access Management failed or needs investment (e.g., incidents, audit findings).
  • Feedback loops: retrospectives and metrics reviews that tune Privileged Access Management continuously.
  • Align Privileged Access Management with defense-in-depth planning, threat modeling, and disaster recovery tests.
  • Communicate updates to stakeholders through concise briefs, dashboards, and internal FAQs.
  • Pair Privileged Access Management improvements with tabletop exercises to validate expectations.