Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management vs IBM Security Secret Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

BeyondTrust Endpoint Privil...
Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Anti-Malware Tools (14th)
IBM Security Secret Server
Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)
28th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Privileged Access Management (PAM) category, the mindshare of BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management is 3.8%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Secret Server is 1.1%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
 

Featured Reviews

Md Abdul Hakim - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers solid performance and user adaptability but needs better pricing options and local support
BeyondTrust is a strong, compliance-driven solution with excellent market recognition (Gartner, Peers, etc.), making it appealing for Bangladeshi enterprises. However, some key improvements could accelerate adoption: Areas for Improvement: Pricing & Local Affordability While the product’s capabilities justify its value, cost remains a barrier for many Bangladeshi organizations. Competitive pricing or regional discounts would make it more accessible. Local Support & Partnerships Currently, lack of local partners or trainers creates delays in support, implementation, and pricing negotiations. Establishing a Bangladesh-based support team or authorized resellers would improve responsiveness and trust. Enhanced Onboarding & Training Offering localized training programs (in Bengali/English) and documentation would help IT teams deploy and manage the solution more efficiently. Recommendations for Next Release: Introduce tiered pricing for emerging markets like Bangladesh. Develop a partner network in Bangladesh for faster service and sales. Add simplified dashboards for easier monitoring by non-technical staff. Final Note: BeyondTrust is already a top-tier PAM solution, but addressing these gaps would solidify its leadership in Bangladesh’s growing cybersecurity market.
AsifIqbal - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to set up and manage and has good scalability and stability, but its technical support team needs to be more aggressive in solving issues
What needs improvement in IBM Security Secret Server is support. The local partner provides good support, but IBM itself doesn't. Most of the time, the IBM support team does not aggressively resolve issues reported through chat or the IBM website. In the next version of IBM Security Secret Server, I want to see more lightweight recording, architecture, or infrastructure requirements. Currently, it's heavy, so I want it reduced to make adapting IBM Security Secret Server much more effortless.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It is straightforward. It is a good technology, and it is made to do one single thing."
"The most valuable feature is the asset discovery, which makes it very easy to locate and identify assets and pull them into the manager."
"One of the valuable features is the absence of any local user in a unique system. All users are defined in the AD; communication is only between Unix and AD."
"Scalability is good. I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten."
"The privileged access management into sensitive systems is very valuable. That includes control from the endpoint all the way through to the managing of passwords and credentials that are used by the person to access the sensitive information. It's very useful, because nobody ever really maintains passwords for those endpoint systems. It's maintained in the Dropbox password file."
"It scales easily and the product is stable."
"The tool is easy to use and deploy. It has PAM capabilities like privilege access. The solution helps with the management of third parties and vendors. It is an effective solution compared to other alternatives."
"I find the comprehensive Privilege Access Management features valuable, including automation, and the ability to integrate with applications and the Windows operating system."
"What I like best about IBM Security Secret Server is its single-access console. It's also easy to manage and fulfills the requirements with the least resistance."
"Stability-wise, I think it is a very good solution."
"One of the most valuable features is scalability, and how it allows you to scale it without affecting the underlying core components."
"As a PAM solution, Secret Server performs all the use cases in our environment."
"The live recording is a very useful feature."
 

Cons

"There are three types of endpoints. If we need to use them in the solution, then we need to purchase the licenses separately. The tool needs to improve its licensing."
"The other area to improve is that they rely on MS SQL servers only. You cannot have any other database behind them. They have to be on MS SQL. If they can do something about these issues, this would be a better alternative for some customers."
"Reports to the end user."
"The initial setup was very difficult. Even if you are an expert in EPM, it is still very difficult."
"Improvements could focus on adding more AI features to automate processes that are currently manual or challenging for end users."
"What's bothering me, which is true of all of them, is that sometimes, the error codes that come up don't necessarily get reflected in the searches within their support sites or they're out of date. I would rather search by an error code than type in the text and search for it by text because the error code means that it is programmatic, and it is known. It might not be desired, but it at least is not unexpected. If you don't have an error code, you just get an anomalous error, and if it is lengthy, it can be difficult to search and find the specific instance you're looking for. This is something I would like all of them to improve. BeyondTrust, CyberArk, Centrify, and Thycotic could do some improvements in staying up to date and actually allowing you to search based on the product version. They are assuming that everybody is on their way to release. They put out a new release, but it is not reflected on the support site, which makes no sense to me, especially when they revamp all the error codes. They all have been guilty of this in some way."
"It should support XWindows Remote Desktop Access protocol for Linux/Unix."
"The help system should be improved to provide a quick help guide with each tab within the solution, which explains what each particular function does."
"The newer interface is more difficult to use than the previous one, and consequently, new users might need more training."
"The nonclustered index is working in an area with a problem that needs improvement."
"What needs improvement in IBM Security Secret Server is support. The local partner provides good support, but IBM itself doesn't. Most of the time, the IBM support team does not aggressively resolve issues reported through chat or the IBM website."
"Secret Server should have the ability to discover privileged accounts in the servers, like the administrator or users, from SQL and Oracle without having to import a script."
"It would be preferable if the full proxy was included in the IBM Security Secret Server."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"PowerBroker for a Mac client is three times the price of the Windows version."
"The solution's pricing is high."
"This solution is expensive compared to its competitors."
"It was very expensive."
"Price-wise, it is very competitive. In our area, government entities and banks don't go for the monthly payment. It is a headache even for us in terms of finance and procurement to go for monthly payments. Quarterly might be more logical and reasonable, but the minimum that we go for is one year, and sometimes, we even try to compile and give one offering for three years."
"I'm sure everyone should have the cluster environment, which means more expensive, anyway, cheaper than the other solutions."
"What BeyondTrust was providing was user-based licensing which was a great benefit from the client point of view. Recently, I don't know why, the licensing model has been changed, and that is the reason that they have lost a bit of their edge when it comes to the PAM, against our competition. The asset-based licensing, from the user's point of view, is not beneficial. The licensing should be based on the users. The greater the number of users, the greater will be the load and the greater the scalability problems. I presume that is why the licensing model has changed."
"I believe that we paid 35,000 or 40,000 US dollars for it."
"My rating for the IBM Security Secret Server pricing is seven out of ten. It could be cheaper."
"The price could be better. I think it's a good price for the on-premises environment and the high availability for enterprises the solution provides."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions are best for your needs.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Performing Arts
9%
Insurance Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Looking for recommendations and a pros/cons template for software to detect insider threats
This is an inside-out --- outside-in --- inside-in question, as an insider can be an outsider as well. There is no short answer other than a blend of a PAM tool with Behavioral Analytics and Endpo...
What do you like most about BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management?
The solution's least privilege enforcement has helped us ensure access is given to only the required people.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management?
BeyondTrust's pricing is premium but negotiable for Bangladesh. Expect 20-30% extra costs from currency/import factors. Start with modular licensing (EPM first), demand emerging market discounts, a...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

BeyondTrust PowerBroker, BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management for Windows, BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management for Mac, BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management for Linux, BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management for Unix, Avecto Defendpoint
IBM Secret Server, Secret Server, IBM Security Privileged Identity Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aera Energy LLC, Care New England, James Madison University
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management vs. IBM Security Secret Server and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.