The Challenge
Why Privileged Accounts Are a Prime Target
Administrator accounts can change anything. If they are shared, overused or unmonitored, one stolen password can be enough.
Is This Relevant?
Is This Use Case Relevant to Your Organization?
The people, moments and signals that usually bring this need to the surface.
Relevant Teams
- Security teams
- Infrastructure and administrators
- Audit and compliance
Common Triggers
- An audit finding on administrator access
- A security incident involving admin accounts
- Cyber insurance requirements
Warning Signs
- Shared administrator passwords
- Many people with permanent admin rights
- No record of privileged activity
Typical Environments
- Cloud and on-premises applications and directories
- Employees, contractors, partners and suppliers
Benefits
What Better Looks Like
Intended benefits. Actual results depend on your environment and starting point.
Our Approach
A Practical Approach
A phased rollout, starting with the applications and users that matter most. Each stage is tailored to your environment.
Assess
Review directories, applications, sign-in methods and access processes.
Prioritize
Rank what you find by business impact, effort and risk, and agree where to start.
Design
Agree the identity architecture, roles and access policies.
Implement
Connect applications, set up sign-in and MFA, and automate provisioning.
Validate and Optimize
Test sign-in, provisioning and access controls with users.
Solutions
Solutions That Can Help
The solutions that address this use case, starting with the primary one.
Services
How Signisys Can Support You
The services that deliver the approach, from the first assessment to ongoing improvement.
Technology
Technology Options
Where technology fits in the approach. Specific platforms and partner status are confirmed for each engagement.
Before You Start
What to Consider Before Getting Started
A little preparation makes the first assessment faster and its findings more reliable.
- Inventory of privileged and service accounts
- Systems that need privileged access
- Emergency access arrangements
- Impact on administrators’ daily work
- Who will own the work and act on recommendations
- Engagement model and ongoing support
Measuring Success
How to Measure Success
Illustrative measures. Agree a baseline first, and keep targets separate from measured results.
Standing Privileged Accounts
Accounts with permanent administrative access.
Vaulted Credentials
The share of privileged credentials in the vault.
Recorded Sessions
The share of privileged sessions recorded.
Privileged Access Reviews
Reviews completed on schedule.
Our Approach
How We Deliver Results
How Signisys works, from the first assessment to handover and beyond.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this use case.
How do we know privileged access is a risk for us?
Shared admin passwords, permanent administrator rights and no record of what admins do are strong signs that privileged access needs control.
Will this slow down our administrators?
Access is requested and granted quickly through a defined workflow, with emergency access for urgent situations.
What information is needed to get started?
A list of privileged and service accounts, the systems they reach, who uses them and how they are managed today.
Which environments does this apply to?
Cloud and on-premises applications and directories, for employees, contractors and suppliers.
How is progress measured?
Agree a baseline for measures such as standing privileged accounts, vaulted credentials, recorded sessions and privileged access reviews, then track them over time.
Related Content
Related Outcomes, Use Cases and Guides
Where to go next: the outcome this use case supports, nearby scenarios, technology partners and practical guides.
Business Outcome
Strengthen Cybersecurity and Reduce Business Risk
Use Case
Manage Employee Identity and Access
Use Case
Automate User Access Reviews
Problem Explainer
What Causes Privileged Account Misuse? Common Problems and Warning Signs
Coming soon
How-To Guide
How to Secure Privileged Accounts and Administrator Access: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
Coming soon
Checklist
Secure Privileged Accounts and Administrator Access Checklist: What IT Teams Should Assess
Coming soon
Decision Guide
How to Choose the Right Approach to Secure Privileged Accounts and Administrator Access: Options and Trade-Offs
Coming soon
Lock Down Admin Access
Share your current challenges and priorities with Signisys to explore an approach suited to your environment.