Best Privileged Access Management for Third-Party Access: What Traditional PAM Misses

The best privileged access management solution for third-party access protects privileged credentials and controls the vendor’s entire access path—from identity verification and approval to session oversight and termination.

A secure password vault is important. But it does not, by itself, establish whether an external technician should connect today, which systems they should reach, or when their access should end.

For organizations working with equipment vendors, maintenance contractors, system integrators, and external support teams, the buying decision should start with those access requirements.

This guide explains what a credential-focused PAM deployment can miss, where PAM and Privileged Remote Access (PRA) fit, and how to evaluate seven solutions against real vendor workflows.

What Is Privileged Access Management?

Privileged access management (PAM) is the discipline of controlling and monitoring elevated access to sensitive systems, applications, and data. PAM solutions can provide credential vaulting, password rotation, approval workflows, privileged session management, and related controls.

Third-party access is a broader use case. It includes privileged activities, such as administering a server, but can also include non-administrative activities, such as viewing a maintenance application.

The organization needs to govern both. A vendor’s permissions should reflect the approved task, whether or not that task requires a privileged account.

For the governance foundation, see What Is Access Governance? Why Third-Party Access Needs a Different Model.

What Is the Difference Between PAM and PRA?

PAM covers managing privileged access across an organization. Privileged Remote Access (PRA) focuses on how remote users reach and interact with sensitive resources.

Remote Privileged Access Management (RPAM) is another term used for managing the lifecycle of remote privileged connections. Product terminology and the boundaries between these capabilities vary.

A PAM platform may already include remote vendor access controls. Another deployment may require additional components or integrations.

The practical question, then, is not whether a product uses the PAM or PRA label. It is whether the deployed solution controls the vendor’s identity, permissions, connection, activity, and access expiry.

What Can Traditional PAM Miss in Third-Party Access?

A PAM deployment focused mainly on credential protection can leave gaps in vendor onboarding, resource access, session oversight, and timely revocation.

This does not mean modern PAM platforms lack these capabilities. Many provide dedicated vendor access functions. The risk is assuming that an existing vault or internal administrator workflow automatically covers external users.

1. Individual Accountability Beyond a Shared Account

A target system may require a shared administrator account. The organization should still be able to identify the individual vendor technician using it.

A record showing that “vendor-admin” logged in may not be enough to establish who performed the work, which supplier they represented, or who approved the session.

Evaluate whether the solution links each external user to an accountable internal owner and preserves that identity throughout the access record.

2. Access from Devices Outside Your Management

Vendors may connect from devices managed by their employer rather than by your organization. Internal administrator workflows can depend on endpoint agents, corporate directories, or device controls that are unavailable to those users.

Browser-based or agentless access can reduce installation requirements. However, it does not make an unmanaged device trustworthy or eliminate endpoint risk.

Test the access method, authentication requirements, supported protocols, and file or clipboard controls against the actual vendor device model.

3. A Controlled Path to the Required Resource

Protecting a password does not necessarily restrict what the user can reach after connecting.

If the vendor’s connection provides unnecessary network reachability, credential controls alone may still allow access to unrelated systems.

Evaluate whether the access path limits the vendor to the approved application or asset, and verify how your environment enforces that restriction.

4. Task-Based Approval and Access Duration

An active support contract does not justify unrestricted access throughout the contract term.

For intermittent work, link approval to a task, ticket, or maintenance window. Temporary permissions should expire according to policy.

Also distinguish between blocking a new connection and ending an active session. A solution should demonstrate the behavior required for both.

5. Oversight During the Session

Password checkout records show that a credential was made available. They do not necessarily show what happened on the target system.

Sensitive vendor work may require session monitoring, recording, supervision, or intervention. The appropriate controls depend on the system, access method, and operational risk.

Verify which session types are supported and whether the resulting evidence is useful to both security teams and system owners.

6. Compatibility with IT and OT Operations

Vendor support often reaches systems that differ from standard office IT: legacy applications, engineering workstations, industrial assets, and environments with restricted connectivity.

A successful RDP demonstration does not prove compatibility with every OT workflow.

Evaluate the actual access route, protocol support, authentication constraints, maintenance procedures, and recovery behavior. In isolated environments, review the approved connectivity design rather than assuming ordinary remote access will work.

Where Do PAM, PRA, ZTNA, and SASE Fit?

Secure third-party access is the use case. PAM, PRA, ZTNA, and SASE provide capabilities that may support implementation.

They overlap, and individual products can span several categories.

These approaches are not mutually exclusive. An organization may retain an existing PAM vault, use ZTNA for application access, and add PRA capabilities for sensitive vendor sessions.

The objective is to cover the workflow with clear ownership and enforceable controls.

Seven PAM and PRA Solutions to Evaluate for Third-Party Access

The following solutions offer relevant privileged access capabilities. This is a requirements-based shortlist, not a ranked assessment or the result of comparative performance testing.

Capabilities depend on product selection, edition, deployment, integration, and configuration. Validate the proposed combination rather than treating a vendor’s entire portfolio as one included package.

Safous Privileged Remote Access

Safous Privileged Remote Access focuses on controlled access to IT and OT applications. Session recording and access request/approval workflows are included as standard, alongside policy-based access, integrated MFA, credential vaulting, and privileged session supervision and termination. 

Safous also supports agentless access management for unmanaged users and devices, meeting a common third-party access requirement.

What to test: Validate the standard access request/approval and recording workflow, from vendor request through expiry and evidence retrieval. Test browser-based access, session supervision and termination, and AppGateway deployment in your IT/OT environment.

CyberArk / Idira Privileged Access Management

The PAM page linked from CyberArk’s product page highlights Idira capabilities, including credential vaulting and rotation, session isolation, and browser-based, just-in-time access for external contractors.

This illustrates why modern PAM should not be evaluated solely as password storage: vendor access and session controls can form part of a broader privileged access offering.

What to test: Confirm which modules and licenses cover vaulting, vendor access, approval, recording, and just-in-time authorization. Test the complete workflow across those components to identify integration gaps.

BeyondTrust Password Safe and Privileged Remote Access

BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access provides capabilities for controlling remote privileged sessions, including credential injection. Password Safe provides dedicated credential, secrets, and session management capabilities.

Credential injection can reduce the need for users to handle target passwords directly, but buyers should verify how the proposed products work together.

What to test: Confirm client and gateway requirements for each access method, and which capabilities require Password Safe or other products. Test credential injection, session controls, and recording/search capabilities, especially on OT targets that cannot accept agents.

Delinea Secret Server and Related Privilege Controls

Delinea Secret Server lists approval workflows, session recording, monitoring, and RDP/SSH proxying among its capabilities. Features vary by edition and additional services.

Endpoint privilege management addresses a related requirement: controlling endpoint privileges. It should be evaluated separately from the external vendor’s connection to a target system.

What to test: Confirm product, edition, and add-on requirements, particularly for advanced recording, search, and agent deployment. Test the vendor workflow across products and verify operation without cloud connectivity where required.

One Identity Safeguard

One Identity Safeguard includes privileged password and session management offerings. Safeguard Remote Access provides a remote access path and integrates with Safeguard for Privileged Sessions.

What to test: Validate integration across remote access, password management, and session management components. Confirm that identity, approval, credential use, recording, and revocation remain traceable throughout the vendor session.

ManageEngine PAM360

ManageEngine PAM360 presents a unified PAM platform with capabilities for privileged identities and remote access workflows for vendors and third parties.

What to test: Validate external vendor workflows, including gateway/directory dependencies and user-side installation requirements. Check evidence consolidation, restricted OT connectivity, and ongoing administration effort.

WALLIX PAM / Bastion

WALLIX PAM presents privileged account and session management capabilities, including credential vaulting and rotation, session recording, and agentless controls across IT and OT environments.

What to test: Confirm the components and licenses needed for remote access, approval, recording, and search, including operation at disconnected sites. Test evidence correlation and, where required, endpoint privilege controls or industrial-protocol tunneling.

PAM Solutions Comparison for Third-Party Access

Use this comparison to identify what to investigate in a proof of concept. It does not assign universal scores for cost, complexity, or security outcomes.

Sources are the official product pages linked in the solution descriptions above. Confirm current packaging and supported capabilities directly with each provider.

How to Choose the Best PAM Solution for Third-Party Access

Start with representative vendor tasks, identify the controls each task requires, and test the complete workflow before comparing commercial proposals.

A feature checklist is useful, but it should describe observable behavior rather than broad labels such as “Zero Trust” or “OT support.”

Build a Requirements Scorecard

Treat essential controls as pass/fail requirements. Use weighted scoring for differences such as usability, integration effort, and operating cost.

Test a Complete Vendor Session

A useful proof of concept follows the vendor’s work from request to closure:

1. A named technician requests access for a defined task.
2. The appropriate internal owner approves the request.
3. The technician authenticates using the intended device and identity method.
4. The solution provides the required access to the approved resource.
5. An attempt to reach an unapproved resource is denied.
6. The organization can observe and intervene in the session as required.
7. Temporary authorization expires, and active-session behavior follows policy.
8. An authorized reviewer retrieves the associated evidence.

Include scenarios such as a failed connection, an unavailable approver, and an emergency support request. For OT, agree intervention and recovery procedures with the operational owner before testing.

Compare the Full Operating Cost

Evaluate the complete deployment: licensing, required components, infrastructure, integrations, storage for recordings, support, and ongoing administration.

Avoid assuming that a broad portfolio is complex or that an agentless solution requires little integration work. The operating effort depends on your environment and the controls you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Privileged Access Management Solution for Vendors?

The best solution meets your vendor-access requirements in testing. It should protect credentials, identify individual users, restrict resource access, enforce appropriate approval and expiry, and provide the required session oversight.

Is Traditional PAM Enough for Third-Party Access?

It can be, if the deployed solution covers the complete vendor workflow. A credential vault alone is insufficient. Check the external access path, unmanaged-device support, task-based authorization, session controls, and revocation behavior.

Do You Need Both PAM and PRA?

Some PAM platforms include PRA capabilities; others use separate products or integrations. Determine whether your existing deployment already meets the requirements before adding another component.

Is ZTNA or SASE a Replacement for Vendor Access Controls?

ZTNA and SASE can provide important access and security capabilities. Whether they meet a vendor use case depends on the deployed features. Validate privileged credential handling, session oversight, task-based access, and support for the required target systems.

Does Agentless Access Eliminate Vendor Device Risk?

Agentless access reduces the need to install software for supported access methods. It does not eliminate risks such as compromised endpoints or captured screen content. Authentication, resource restrictions, and appropriate data-handling controls remain important.

Can a PAM or PRA Product Guarantee Compliance?

A product can support compliance controls and evidence collection. Compliance also depends on policies, configuration, operating procedures, and the requirements that apply to the organization.

Choose for Secure Third-Party Access

The best privileged access management decision starts with the work your vendors need to perform.

Protecting credentials remains essential. Secure third-party access also requires a controlled connection, appropriate authorization, observable activity, and a reliable end to access.

Safous Privileged Remote Access supports policy-based application access and privileged session controls for IT, OT, and external vendors. Evaluate those capabilities against your own support and maintenance workflows.