PAM & PBAC: Better Together

How Policy-Based Access Control enhances Privileged Access Management

🎯 Core Concepts

PBAC

Authorization Model
What:
Dynamic access control using centrally defined policies
How:
Real-time evaluation of user, resource, and environmental attributes
Scope:
All users (standard and privileged)
Benefit:
Granular, context-aware authorization that adapts without manual changes
Example: Finance member accesses quarterly earnings only during business hours from corporate laptop on internal network

PAM

Security Solution
What:
Tools to secure, manage, and monitor privileged identities
How:
Password vaulting, session recording, credential rotation, least privilege
Scope:
High-risk privileged accounts (admins, root users, service accounts)
Benefit:
Reduces attack surface, protects critical assets, aids compliance
Example: Auto-rotate DB admin password every 24 hours; admin checks out from secure vault only when needed

⚖️ Side-by-Side Comparison

Aspect PBAC PAM
Primary Focus Authorization model - how access is determined Security solution - securing privileged identities
Mechanism Real-time policy evaluation Vaulting, monitoring, rotation, least privilege
Key Value Dynamic, context-aware decisions Reduced attack surface & compliance
🔄 Better Together PAM solutions can use PBAC policies to make smarter, context-aware decisions about privileged access

🚀 PlainID + PAM Solution

⚠️ Traditional PAM Challenges

Static
Decisions from AD groups
Manual
Maintenance required
Difficult
Scaling to thousands

✅ PlainID Policy Manager Enhancement

Smart Decisions Flexible, attribute-based policies replace static rules
Dynamic Authorization Considers roles, projects, environment, events
Centralized Control Eliminates manual AD group management
Real-Time Adaptation Automatic response to organizational changes
📋 Real-World Use Case

Scenario: Access to IT resources based on user role + project assignment

10,000s
IT Resources
100s
Projects
100s
Helpdesk Staff
Manual
AD Group Management
Result: Over-permitted users, slow access provisioning, inability to handle temporary access needs = major security risk

Results with PAM + PlainID:

One Policy Thousands of decisions → 1 simple rule
Auto Lifecycle On/off-boarding & role changes
Temp Access Based on helpdesk tickets
70% Reduction In helpdesk support time
No Excess Rights Eliminate over-permissions
Immediate Decisions Real-time, exact access

PlainID: Authorization Simplified

One point of decision • One point of control • One point of view

Standards-based platform supporting on-premise, cloud, and mobile implementations