The password vault and session monitoring are useful.
IEM tower manager at Capgemini
Useful session monitoring and password vault features
Pros and Cons
- "The password vault and session monitoring are useful."
- "The password vault and session monitoring are useful."
- "The turnaround time for technical support is lengthy."
- "The solution is stable, but some features in BeyondTrust are unavailable in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager."
What is most valuable?
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution since 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable, but some features in BeyondTrust are unavailable in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. For example, there is a PMUL feature in BeyondTrust where you can do a deeper dive with the keys for login, but it is not available in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good, and they fix any issues we have. However, the turnaround time for technical support is lengthy.
Buyer's Guide
Idira Privileged Access Manager
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Idira Privileged Access Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.
How was the initial setup?
We set up huge environments.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding pricing, we have an APAC sheet and a contact person from CyberArk Singapore that provides a pricing sheet when we need one.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I would recommend having a proper plan before implementing this solution. It will be a smoother process if you jot down the granular execution level and get senior resources with hands-on experience.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Security Architect at AutoCont CZ a. s.
Protects accounts and has a password rotation feature that thwarts hackers; technical support was good
Pros and Cons
- "What I found most valuable in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the Session Manager as it allows you to split the connection between the administrator site and the target site. I also found the Password Manager valuable as it lets you rotate the passwords of privileged users."
- "For me, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the best product, and even Gartner says the same."
- "In the beginning, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager didn't have a multifactor authentication feature, so that was an area for improvement, but now it's part of the solution. Having just one console for two CyberArk products would be good, particularly for the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager, with the latter being a product for endpoint management that supports the workstations and allows you to manage workstations. In the next update of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it would be good to have a local agent where you can manage all users and processes, and have an agent on the servers such as Linux and Windows."
- "In the beginning, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager didn't have a multifactor authentication feature, so that was an area for improvement, but now it's part of the solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for our customers who want to monitor and protect the access from the vendor side or the partner side. These customers want to cover external users who want to gain access.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the Session Manager as it allows you to split the connection between the administrator site and the target site. I also found the Password Manager valuable as it lets you rotate the passwords of privileged users.
What needs improvement?
In the beginning, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager didn't have a multifactor authentication feature, so that was an area for improvement, but now it's part of the solution.
Having just one console for two CyberArk products would be good, particularly for the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager, with the latter being a product for endpoint management that supports the workstations and allows you to manage workstations.
In the next update of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it would be good to have a local agent where you can manage all users and processes, and have an agent on the servers such as Linux and Windows.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is easy to scale. You can divide the solution into different parts and connect them, then you can add a new feature, a new appliance, or a new system. The solution works.
How are customer service and support?
In terms of the technical support for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, I sometimes contact the service engineer in this region. I also have access to the support portal which I use in some issues, but it's not so often. I found the technical support team very professional and I would rate support for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager five out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager was complex because, in the beginning, you must get the information from the customer such as how he wants to install it, how he wants to protect privileged accounts, how password rotation would work, etc., before you can install the solution.
The time it takes to deploy CyberArk Privileged Access Manager depends on several factors such as how many admins a customer has, how many devices, and the types of devices, for example, does the customer have servers such as Windows or Linux, some other network solution, or some applications, etc.? It could take between ten, fifteen, or one hundred days. My company needs to analyze at the beginning to define how long the process will take.
On a scale of one to five, with one being complex and five being very easy, I would rate the initial setup for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager four out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm a technician so I don't handle the licensing for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, but I know that the price for the core license is about €140 per year. There's another type of license, the external vendor license, and that's about €600 and you can manage twenty devices. From what I know, the price for one device in a subscription is about €65 per year.
You can buy the CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager too, or you can buy some other application or application license with CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, but all other features, such as the Analytics Server is included in the basic CyberArk license. With WALLIX, you need to buy separate licenses for the features.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've evaluated WALLIX, apart from CyberArk Privileged Access Manager.
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is a global solution that applies to all customers, from small scale to enterprise businesses, but the solution has a little bit more servers that you need for the installation. WALLIX, on the other hand, is just one appliance that focuses on small-scale customers. Its deployment is much easier because you just install one appliance with all the features inside. Deployment is easier with WALLIX versus CyberArk Privileged Access Manager which has a complex deployment. In the end, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager has more features that you can define or set up, while WALLIX has some limitations.
What other advice do I have?
I'm working for a company that sells privileged access management solutions, including CyberArk Privileged Access Manager.
The version of the solution which I'm dealing with is an old version. Most of the deployment is on-premises, but my company will start cloud deployment for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager as well.
My company resells, implements, and also provides support for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for the customers.
The solution requires upgrading regularly, and if there's a new system or application, you need to set it up for privileged access management on CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, so maintenance is important. Currently, in my company, five people work with the solution where there are about two hundred devices with fifty administrators. In the beginning, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager was for large-sized businesses. Nowadays, it's also used by medium-sized businesses.
I would recommend CyberArk Privileged Access Manager to others looking into implementing it because it's very important to protect privileged accounts in the company and do password rotation, so the hackers won't have a chance to detect and find the real passwords in the system. You can also use CyberArk Privileged Access Manager to protect external users and the admins from the direct connection to the server and after that, you can see what the users and admins do because the system makes video recordings and session logs. It's important to see what the admins do from time to time.
For me, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the best product, and even Gartner says the same, so I would rate it a ten out of ten.
My company is a partner and reseller of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Idira Privileged Access Manager
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Idira Privileged Access Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant at a recruiting/HR firm with 10,001+ employees
Reliable and great for securing environments but could be more user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is scalable."
- "The main, most valuable aspect is its capability to secure our environment."
- "It can be made user-friendly, in the sense of the console is pretty outdated."
- "It can be made user-friendly, in the sense of the console is pretty outdated."
What is our primary use case?
CyberArk is for Privileged Access Management, so we secure our privileged accounts using CyberArk.
What is most valuable?
The main, most valuable aspect is its capability to secure our environment. That's the main reason why we are using it.
What needs improvement?
It can be made user-friendly, in the sense of the console is pretty outdated. They could add more enhancements, et cetera.
They could add more built-in connection components to support various other application platforms. The built-in connection components available are mostly not fit for our purpose. We need to do additional customization to make it work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I’ve used the solution for almost two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is fine so far, other than a couple of phishes every once in a while.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
25 people are using the solution.
The solution is scalable. It’s on the cloud, which makes it simple.
How are customer service and support?
We have enterprise support from the vendors.
The response time could be a bit better. Some people don’t have the access to be able to jump in right away. Sometimes we need someone from the development team who has access to help.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I’ve never had experience with any other vendors.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not that straightforward. However, we had vendor support, and we were able to fix all the issues.
It took us almost a month to deploy the solution.
I’d rate the solution a three out of five in terms of ease of setup.
In terms of maintenance, some of the components are not in the cloud, so we handle these aspects ourselves. We have a dedicated team for it.
What about the implementation team?
We initiated the setup with the help of the vendor.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don’t deal with the licensing. That said, my understanding is that it is on the higher side.
When we need enhancements, we do have to pay more.
What other advice do I have?
We are CyberArk partners. I’m a consultant.
We’re always using the most up-to-date solution version, as we are utilizing the cloud.
We use it mostly to secure our privileged accounts. We don't actively use any other products of CyberArk.
I’d recommend the solution. It’s ideal for smaller organizations.
I would rate it seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Identity and Access Management Engineer at Wiley Global Technology Pvt. Ltd.
Is user-friendly and easy to deploy, and integrates well with other products
Pros and Cons
- "Creating policies and the password rotation feature have been valuable. We don't have to memorize our password for the ADM account."
- "If you can afford CyberArk Privileged Access Manager or you are looking 5 to 10 years in the future, it's a good investment."
- "Report creation could be improved. The policies could be more customized."
- "Report creation could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for the user ADM account onboarding process within our company. If they need server access, we create ADM accounts, and we onboard to CyberArk.
We use it also for the password protection process with other products. We can use this as a password wallet, and we create the password rotation in CyberArk.
We can grant access, check the system's health, and create policies for users.
What is most valuable?
Creating policies and the password rotation feature have been valuable. We don't have to memorize our password for the ADM account.
Security wise, it's really safe. The password expires within six to eight hours, so no one can get that password from us. Other users can't log in without our credentials, and also, the ADM account password will automatically rotate.
It's really user-friendly as well.
What needs improvement?
Report creation could be improved.
The policies could be more customized.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this solution for almost nine months. It's deployed on the cloud.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is really good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have more than 2000 users, and it's really easy to scale.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have worked with Thycotic before. It is not user-friendly, although it has changed a lot.
Implementation was really hard, and the reporting was not as good as the users expected. In comparison to CyberArk, Thycotic was not better.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment process is really easy, and I would give it a four out of five.
What about the implementation team?
We got support from the CyberArk team but deployed it ourselves. It was easy to follow the documentation and user guide.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CyberArk is an expensive product.
What other advice do I have?
If you can afford CyberArk Privileged Access Manager or you are looking 5 to 10 years in the future, it's a good investment. You will gain experience handling all these pieces using the one product. You can easily integrate with other products also.
You would have maintenance with other PAM products, and you won't with CyberArk. You can save that money by investing in a high quality product from the beginning itself.
Overall, I would rate CyberArk Privileged Access Manager at eight on a scale from one to ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager Engineering at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Once you complete the setup, you have everything at the click of a button.
Pros and Cons
- "The logs and reporting features are impressive."
- "With CyberArk, everything is a click away for us."
- "CyberArk's license is too expensive. I rate it seven out of 10 for affordability."
- "CyberArk's license is too expensive. I rate it seven out of 10 for affordability."
What is our primary use case?
We Enterprise Password Vault to manage privileged credentials as well as some server and activity logging.
How has it helped my organization?
Before we implemented CyberArk, we had no password vault, so it was challenging to keep a record of who made changes and had access. With CyberArk, everything is a click away for us. We don't need to worry about reporting and other things. We can on our server to check who had access and the changes they made.
What is most valuable?
The logs and reporting features are impressive.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using CyberArk for about five years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CyberArk is stable, and the performance is awesome.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CyberArk is highly scalable. You don't need to worry about being dependent on only one server because you can deploy to multiple ones and manage it with all of them. If one fails, you can still use your access, so I think it's scalable.
We aren't using the solution extensively, but we plan to expand, and we'll definitely we'll continue with the same solution.
How are customer service and support?
I rate CyberArk support 10 out of 10. We have contacted tech support a few times for help with some of the cases, and the support was perfect.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't have a password vault solution before CyberArk.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward for us, but it depends on how you want to use it. It will become a little complex, and you need to gain some knowledge to customize it how you want. That applies to any product. I'll rate CyberArk 10 out of 10 for ease of setup.
It took us around five or six months to deploy because we were also testing out some other products at the same time. And after testing for a few months, we decided to go with CyberArk for the final production rollout. Once you complete the setup, you don't need much maintenance, but we have around 40 system administrators managing the CyberArk server.
What about the implementation team?
We did the deployment with our in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CyberArk's license is too expensive. I rate it seven out of 10 for affordability.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We tried a couple of solutions before selecting CyberArk. Some of them are highly secure, but the reporting functions were tricky. A few were highly scalable, but they required a lot of resources to manage. We preferred CybeArk because it's easy to use and set up. Once you complete the setup, you have everything at the click of a button.
What other advice do I have?
I rate CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault nine out of 10. If you're worried about privileged ID management, security, and scalability, you should go with CyberArk.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Remote desktop manager can register connections, making it easy to connect to machines through the virtual IP
Pros and Cons
- "All the features of CyberArk are useful for me, but the biggest one is that CyberArk has logs for all the features. That is important when there is a problem. You know where to look and you have the information. In cyber security, the most important aspect is information."
- "CyberArk is one of the best PAM solutions and one of the most expensive, but it works better than the others, so the pricing is fair."
- "The PTA could be improved. Currently, companies often have multiple domains and sometimes it's difficult to implement CyberArk in this kind of infrastructure. For example, you can add CPM (Central Policy Manager) and PSM (Privileged Session Manager and PVWA (Password Vault Web Access) for access, but if you want to add PTA (Privileged Threat Analysis) to scan Vault logs, it is difficult because this component may be adding multiple domain environments."
- "The PTA could be improved. Currently, companies often have multiple domains and sometimes it's difficult to implement CyberArk in this kind of infrastructure."
What is our primary use case?
There are many possible use cases, but in general, CyberArk permits users to target machines and rotate their passwords, and to record decisions. It is used to create security through PTA and to forward Vault logs and investigate events. It also enables users to access passwords in dev code without actually knowing the passwords. There are a lot of advantages to CyberArk.
As a consultant, I have seen a lot of CyberArk configurations. Sometimes we use the CyberArk Cluster Vaults with one DR. I also worked for a company that used only one vault, without a cluster, but they switched data centers when there was an incident.
How has it helped my organization?
I used to be a Windows and Linux administrator before I used CyberArk. The difference is that now it is simple for me to connect to my target machines. I can add them to my favorites, making access to the servers simple.
CyberArk enables confidentiality. The passwords are stored in a fully secured Vault. If you want, you can access target machines without using PVWA. If you act as a remote desktop manager, you can register your connections and connect your target machines through the virtual IP and easily connect to your machines. Your connections and commands would all be registered to the Vault.
What is most valuable?
All the features of CyberArk are useful for me, but the biggest one is that CyberArk has logs for all the features. That is important when there is a problem. You know where to look and you have the information. In cyber security, the most important aspect is information.
Another valuable feature is that if you don't have access to a machine, you can see the machine in CyberArk. It's the management capabilities that CyberArk enables for a company that are very useful.
Other useful features are optional, such as recording decisions or rotating passwords.
What needs improvement?
The PTA could be improved. Currently, companies often have multiple domains and sometimes it's difficult to implement CyberArk in this kind of infrastructure. For example, you can add CPM (Central Policy Manager) and PSM (Privileged Session Manager and PVWA (Password Vault Web Access) for access, but if you want to add PTA (Privileged Threat Analysis) to scan Vault logs, it is difficult because this component may be adding multiple domain environments.
CyberArk, as a solution, can easily adapt to a lot of environments, and you can add a lot of components to different zones, and that will work with the Vault. But not all the components, such as the PTA, can do so.
Also, it would be helpful if CyberArk added some features for monitoring machines when we access them. For example, they need to improve the PVWA. In general, when we don't use the PVWA, we don't have a lot of problems. For me, the PVWA is not perfect. I would like to see more features in the PVWA to administer our machines and to improve the transfer of data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for more than three years.
I have implemented and maintained CyberArk solutions for clients, including creating administration functionality, such as platforms and support for users, so that everybody has 24/7 access to the account.
I have also been involved in enhancing the solution by installing useful components and testing them. I would help analyze if a component could be of interest to the client and then implement it in production.
In general, I would help maintain the solutions and make sure that everybody can access the accounts, and that password rotation works.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate WALLIX support at six out of ten, while CyberArk's support is a seven. The reason it's a seven is that we always have to send them the logs. Of course, we do get some response and they work on things, but sometimes we lose time on little tickets.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
If you have some experience, it is not complex to implement CyberArk. For me, the preparation is more difficult than the installation. Because CyberArk uses binaries, if you add good information, it will work. But if you miss something at the preparation stage, like the opening of the flows that you need, of course, it will be difficult. I know how the solution works, so it's not difficult.
First, you have to install the Vaults, and after installing them you can add PVWA to access the information. After that, you can install the PSM and then the CPM for the rotation, and that's it.
The time it takes to implement depends on the environment. Sometimes we work with complex environments and we have to adapt and collect all the information that we will need. We need to look out how the machines should be set up for the installation. It really depends on the size of CyberArk you want to install, including how many computers will be onboarded to CyberArk. There are technical and functional variables.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CyberArk is one of the best PAM solutions and one of the most expensive, but it works better than the others, so the pricing is fair.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I used to work on WALLIX Bastion, but CyberArk works better than WALLIX. WALLIX is a PAM solution, a French version, but when I was at another job I was a consultant on both WALLIX and CyberArk at the same time. That's when I saw that CyberArk is better.
It is simpler to upgrade the CyberArk environment and components than WALLIX. CyberArk has a user interface but WALLIX does not because WALLIX is installed on Linux while CyberArk is installed on Windows, making it user-friendly. Connecting is also simple with CyberArk. When a user connects to the PVWA, there aren't a lot of buttons. When users see the icon, they click "Connect" and connect. It is simple for them.
CyberArk can adapt easily to environments. For example, when we talk about connectors, CyberArk can easily connect to all the target machines these days. CyberArk can onboard network machines, Windows Servers, Linux servers, and Oracle Databases.
Web application passwords can be rotated. With its PSM and Selenium features, it enables the connection of a web application to CyberArk and rotation of passwords, so that it's not system accounts all the time. We can manage the web application accounts as well. CyberArk can also connect to the cloud.
What other advice do I have?
When you work on CyberArk, you have to have more than one skill set. You are not just a PAM consultant because you manage passwords for all kinds of systems. You have to have skills in Windows, Linux, databases, and security because you manage those kinds of accounts. If you don't have those kinds of prerequisites, you can't work with CyberArk.
I started working on CyberArk when it was version 10.x and at this moment it is at 12 and more. The interface has changed and a lot of features have been added over that time. It's a good solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Security Consultant at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Removes security threats and vulnerabilities from an organization in a secure way
Pros and Cons
- "It is a central repository. Therefore, if someone needs to access a server, then they go through CyberArk PAM. It provides a secure way to do this and CyberArk PAM records everything. For example, if you are connecting to a Linux server, then once you get into the Linux server and if it is integrated with CyberArk, it will automatically start recording everything that is being done. In most banks, seeing the recordings is very useful. If there are any gaps or something has happened which shouldn't have happened, then we can check the logs and videos. So, it gives security, in a robust manner, to the organization."
- "CyberArk is a solution to problems being faced by multiple companies and organizations, as it removes security threats and vulnerabilities from an organization in a secure way, and your credentials are handled in a secure way, so it solves this pain area in a company, and that is why I think they are one of the top tools."
- "If you are an administrator or architect, then the solution is kind of complicated, as it is mostly focused on the end user. So, they need to also focus on the people who are implementing it."
- "If you are an administrator or architect, then the solution is kind of complicated, as it is mostly focused on the end user."
What is our primary use case?
It is nothing but privileged access management. Most companies have servers, and for each server, they identify a generic ID to login. For example, if someone is an administrator, they will be using that ID to log in. So, we need to manage those IDs in a common repository, and that is why we have CyberArk PAM. CyberArk PAM is nothing but a common repository used to store passwords and manage them.
Managing passwords is a pain area in any organization. By using this tool, we have a set of policies and emerging technology where we manage these passwords.
How has it helped my organization?
It is a central repository. Therefore, if someone needs to access a server, then they go through CyberArk PAM. It provides a secure way to do this and CyberArk PAM records everything. For example, if you are connecting to a Linux server, then once you get into the Linux server and if it is integrated with CyberArk, it will automatically start recording everything that is being done. In most banks, seeing the recordings is very useful. If there are any gaps or something has happened which shouldn't have happened, then we can check the logs and videos. So, it gives security, in a robust manner, to the organization.
We have connected all the endpoints in our organization's servers. This has been an improvement. We are trying to connect any new servers being added into the organization to CyberArk PAM.
What is most valuable?
When it comes to PAM, it is always about compliance. It has a feature that enables you to access the password in a very secure way using encryption. You also need multiple approvals. For example, if you have access to CyberArk, it doesn't mean that you have access to the server. So, whenever you try to access that server, a request will go to your manager. Once he approves the request, only then will you be able to access the server. These are a few of the features that I like about this solution.
CyberArk PAM provides ease of access based on how they have designed it. It is clearly defined where you have to go and what you have to do. If you are an end user, it is very easy to use and provides a comfort level.
What needs improvement?
CyberArk PAM is able to find all pending servers that can be integrated, but we cannot get this as a report. We can only see the list of servers on CyberArk PAM. This is a problem that could be improved.
If you are an administrator or architect, then the solution is kind of complicated, as it is mostly focused on the end user. So, they need to also focus on the people who are implementing it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started using CyberArk PAM in 2016, so it has been almost six to seven years. I started with version 9, and now it is currently on version 12. So, I have used multiple versions of CyberArk.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is good. It is available on-premise and they started having a cloud three or four years back.
Our environment is very small. We are managing around 2,000 users. Whereas, I have seen it managing users of 10,000 to 15,000 servers. We have around 30,000 users, and I have seen that kind of environment, though what I am currently managing is much less. When it comes to the Middle East, it is always regionally focused, it is not international. Our organization is specific to one country and not international.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is from the US. The only problem is that they reply during their own time zone. It has been a bit difficult to reach them, but we get the answers, they are just a bit delayed.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously had Hitachi ID PAM. We switched to CyberArk because of the features and interface, where there is a bit of distinct difference between the two solutions. Though, the architecture is the same.
How was the initial setup?
When you do an implementation, it is always challenging internally. While the setup is very easy because they give you tools for installation, you have certain things that you need to keep in mind when you implement it in an organization. These things become a kind of a roadblock. Every time that something comes up that you need to enable from the organization's side, e.g., if you have to unlock a few things on the organization's side, you must go through a process and some teams might not allow you to go ahead with it.
The deployment took three to six months.
What about the implementation team?
For the deployment, we needed a solution architect, two consultants, and two people to work on the BAU. While it depends on your organization's size, we needed around five to 10 people to implement it.
What was our ROI?
The ROI depends upon a company's capability to maximize the usage of this application. If you buy something, it is your responsibility to use it at an optimal level.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Previously, the pricing was very meager. They started publicizing and advertising the solution, growing CyberArk, as an organization. They also changed their pricing with that growth, e.g., the pricier the product, the more people who will purchase it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Bomgar was one of its competitors, now it is called BeyondTrust. Another competitor was Thycotic.
While CyberArk PAM has survived, it needs to be more flexible. They are currently focusing on the solution's GUI, but rather than the GUI, they need to focus on the solution's internal aspects, e.g., making the steps a bit easier. There are too many things to focus on and be aware of. So, they need to streamline it in a way where it is more compact.
What other advice do I have?
You need to know the sizing of your company and not randomly use it, thinking you may need to use this solution in the future. You need to use most of the features, e.g., if you have 10 features, then your company should use at least seven features of CyberArk. If you are not going to use seven or more features, i.e., if it is below seven, you should not go for this tool.
We were using Secrets Manager for managing a few SSH files, but we are not using it anymore.
I would rate this solution as eight out of 10. CyberArk is a solution to problems being faced by multiple companies and organizations. It removes security threats and vulnerabilities from an organization in a secure way, and your credentials are handled in a secure way. Therefore, it solves this pain area in a company, and that is why I think they are one of the top tools.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Security Advisory Services (SAS) Business Growth Lead for Iberia at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Protects servers from inappropriate access and ransomware
Pros and Cons
- "It is a single tool that isolates possible kinds of malware. You get lateral movement blocking and auditing information, e.g., you know who is doing what. You are getting protections from the service as well as a useful environment. All your admins can easily go in and out of your company while accessing your servers in a secure way, even if they are working abroad."
- "It provides the broadest point of view for privileged access management solutions in the market."
- "They are sometimes not flexible with things. For instance, from one day to another, there might be something that had been done years ago by CyberArk, then they say, "We do not support that." You then have to initiate a complaint and start working with them. Things might become complicated and months pass while you are working with them. Usually, they are good and fast, but sometimes they seem to be blocked with problems, e.g., you will suddenly be working with another team instead of the team that you were working with the day before."
- "They are sometimes not flexible with things. For instance, from one day to another, there might be something that had been done years ago by CyberArk, then they say, "We do not support that.""
What is our primary use case?
We mainly use it to protect servers from inappropriate access and ransomware.
We started with on-prem solutions years ago. Our most recent implementations were done in data centers and the cloud. However, we are not in the cloud for CyberArk.
How has it helped my organization?
It is a really valuable tool. From the very beginning of my career in cybersecurity, I found that CyberArk is one of the best solutions that I could recommend to our customers. While it is usually seen as an access and identity management solution, it is a cybersecurity and cyber defense tool from my colleague's and my point of view.
It is a single tool that isolates possible kinds of malware. You get lateral movement blocking and auditing information, e.g., you know who is doing what. You are getting protections from the service as well as a useful environment. All your admins can easily go in and out of your company while accessing your servers in a secure way, even if they are working abroad.
What is most valuable?
One of the best points is that it gives you full control for all the use cases in your infrastructure, in terms of servers, applications, social networks, batch processes, etc.
It gives you the ability to know what is happening, who is executing everything, and recover that information over time. Everything is recorded there. This is useful, not only for auditing proposes, but for admins and users. This also helps with troubleshooting. For instance, an application or system starts failing at 4:30 in the morning on a Sunday. Usually, the first questions that you ask yourself is, "What changed at 4:30? What has happened? Who was touching that server?" WIth CyberArk, you have the ability to search for that information and find it in minutes. It is really useful for troubleshooting.
The PPA from CyberArk provides a lot of information about access and allows for possible detection of fraudulent use or different tries of accessing, even for family Internet users. Thus, it gives you another source of information regarding risk.
We are using Secrets Manager with some of our customers. We are using it mainly for containers and DevOps. This secure access is really important, and becoming more important every day. We are constantly moving customers to the cloud. Every day, containers are more important for our customers as they extend into microservices, etc.
The possibility to integrate with the DevOps cycle is vital right now. Sometimes, containers are deployed while some clients have them very protected. They have a lot of things with Panorama, Microsoft, etc. That is a risk because you are deploying things quickly, along with errors and other things that you are developing. So, having to use hard-coded passwords here would be a big mistake.
Secrets Manager accelerates a lot of the possibilities and simplifies the process, since development teams just need to use credentials. When they arrive on a project, there are new people or resources in their development teams. Thanks to CyberArk, they just need to manage their identities to have access to everything. They don't need to receive credentials nor search for them. They have everything the day that they start working.
We find it easy to use CyberArk PAM to implement least privilege entitlements. We usually do some interviews at the very beginning with different teams to understand their real needs. We define saves and different AV groups for the kind of users that we are going to prepare. Then, the process to assign permissions to different groups is really easy and straightforward. If you want to change or reduce access, that can be easily changed at any moment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In the last year, it has been a very stable platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fantastic. It has been really easy to scale. In fact, most of our customers who start, or have doubts about how to start, we propose to them, "Well, if you are not sure or don't have the budget right now, you can start with a small deployment, then we will grow." It easily grows and you can add components.
Other customers have started with a small CPD deployment, then replicated. We put high availability on another CPD. It is really good for public clouds.
We have some customer environments that are over 10,000 servers as well as some environments with more than 50,000 managed identities.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate their technical support as eight out of 10. They are usually really good and quick about answering any questions that you raise. However, they are sometimes not flexible with things. For instance, from one day to another, there might be something that had been done years ago by CyberArk, then they say, "We do not support that." You then have to initiate a complaint and start working with them. Things might become complicated and months pass while you are working with them. Usually, they are good and fast, but sometimes they seem to be blocked with problems, e.g., you will suddenly be working with another team instead of the team that you were working with the day before.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have been working with CyberArk and with the CyberArk teams for years. They have been able to adapt the solutions that they have developed or bought. They have grown a lot with the acquisition of different companies. They have been able to adapt them, make them valuable, and helpful.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward because we have a lot of experience with it. While there are a lot of components, I don't find it difficult.
A deployment can typically be done in less than a week, but it does depend on the environment.
We have developed our own methodology for the implementation and deployment of CyberArk. We put the final users at the center of their strategy. One of the things that we have found that fails when deploying a PAM solution is that everyone focuses on the tool. CyberArk works and we know the tool is there, so we just focus on how the different groups are working with their servers, applications, etc. We focus on adapting the deployment in a way that does not disrupt their jobs. We try to be non-disruptive and not change the way users work.
We adapt the solution to already existing workflow processes, tools, accesses, etc. This is one of the best parts of CyberArk. It provides a lot of flexibility to adapt.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The main problem for the tool is its licensing. I work for a really big company. When you try to develop this as a service, usually you work with leverage teams who are formed with dozens of members. You might dedicate one FTE, or less, for something, e.g., an antivirus administrator. You might have half an FTE's effort dedicated to administering the antivirus, but then you have a team of about 30 users who might access that ticket. The problem is that CyberArk eliminated the possibility of concurrent users years ago. This is a big problem for companies who work with leverage teams.
You need to pay for everyone. 40 licenses are used by 20 or 30 people. This is a big problem because licenses are not precisely cheap.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
It provides the broadest point of view for privileged access management solutions in the market. We have tested several other proposals and tools for our customers and ourselves. There is a huge difference with using CyberArk.
We evaluated CA PAM and another solution. The main difference is that they cover just a part of the solution. They promise the solution will be very simple to deploy because they only have a simple appliance. However, they are actually really difficult to deploy for an entire project as well as give you value. We have experienced a lot of support and integration problems. You need to do a lot of things by yourself. Whereas, in CyberArk, you have plenty of plugins and developed material in the marketplace.
This is the big difference at the moment. When you are deploying, it seems like a very simple project, and the other solutions will tell you, "Well, it's just an appliance," and then it becomes a nightmare. Whereas, CyberArk does what it does. You need to deploy several servers, but it works.
From time to time, people in the market are like, "Wow, it was born as a cloud-native solution." Sometimes, this is real and means something, but usually it is mostly a marketing thing. Why would we ignore all a solution's previous experience just for something born in the cloud? Most of the IT solutions that we use in the cybersecurity market are not born in the cloud. For instance, if you go with Securonix or Sentinel, there is a huge difference in the way they were conceived and the way they were born. Just because something is cloud-native or new doesn't mean that it is good. I wouldn't go for something that is cloud-native, just because it is.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate CyberArk as nine out of 10. I won't give the 10 because I have my problems with the licensing. However, the solution is completely recommendable and a must-have in every environment.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Updated: May 2026
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