Privileged access management (PAM) consists of the cybersecurity strategies and
technologies for exerting control over the elevated (“privileged”) access and permissions
for users, accounts, processes, and systems across an IT environment. By dialing in the
appropriate level of privileged access controls, PAM helps organizations condense their
organization’s attack surface, and prevent, or at least mitigate, the damage arising from
external attacks as well as from insider malfeasance or negligence.

Endpoints – the laptops, workstations, and other devices we use on a daily basis – are a easy target for attackers. They’re everywhere, prone to security vulnerabilities, and difficult to defend. 2017’s WannaCry attack, for example, is reported to have affected more than 230,000 endpoints across the globe. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a fast-growing category of solutions that aim to provide deeper capabilities than traditional anti-virus and anti-malware solutions.

From Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) to file less malware, organizations today face a range of cyber-threats that legacy security products simply miss. Attackers have become highly adept at outmaneuvering signature-based protections like anti-virus software and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). Every device that connects to a network is a potential attack vector for cyberthreats, and the rising popularity of mobile devices and remote work erodes the effectiveness of perimeter-based defenses like firewalls.