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reviewer2283744 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Oct 6, 2023
Fast to implement and has good pricing but lacks documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "The monitoring system is very good."
  • "There is a lack of documentation and many problems with the plugins."

What is our primary use case?

We use the on-demand version. We use the solution for monitoring and connection to the customer's server for Windows and Linux.

How has it helped my organization?

It's easier to connect to the server and it makes it more secure. We've seen about a 40% improvement in that regard.

What is most valuable?

The monitoring system is very good.

It has a very nice user interface.

The product is very fast to implement.

We use the solution's transparent mode for privileged sessions.

What needs improvement?

There is a lack of documentation and many problems with the plugins.

I did run into problems with transparent mode for privileged sessions. We didn't connect correctly to the server. It was an issue we had with the customer's server, not the product itself.

The security of the connection could be improved. 

Buyer's Guide
Safeguard by One Identity
July 2026
Learn what your peers think about Safeguard by One Identity. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2026.
905,526 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's not completely stable. Sometimes the newest version does not support an older version.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is not so scalable. 

Mabe 20 or so users are leveraging it in our organization. They are admins. 

How are customer service and support?

We use regular support. The response times are too long. Sometimes it could take days. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used CyberArk. I changed companies, and now I work with this product. I find Safeguard to be easier to implement, however, it does lack documentation.

How was the initial setup?

It is fast to implement. 

While the process is not technically complex, there was a lack of documentation and we had to figure out how to do it ourselves. The deployment took three weeks. We had two people working on the process.

What was our ROI?

We have yet to witness an ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is offered at a good price. We pay a monthly fee. I'm not sure of the exact cost we pay.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a product partner. 

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I have yet to use the cloud assistant feature, so I can't say much about that aspect of the solution. We also do not use the solution's secure remote access feature for privileged users. We don't have it integrated with DevOps or RPA.

While basic knowledge is important, there isn't much training required to start using the solution. 

I'd rate the solution six out of ten.

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. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Solution Consultant at Quest Egypt Software
Real User
Jul 12, 2023
Good support, easy to use, and helpful for security and accountability
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most important aspects is that it is very easy to use and install. It is also agentless, so all of the operations happen more smoothly than any other product."
  • "We would like to have the option of importing assets by using the CSV file. It was available in the earlier versions, but it is not available now."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to link our virtual systems. We have Windows and Linux, and we have some applications. We use One Identity Safeguard to connect to them. We also use Password Vault, and we do session monitoring.

I am one version behind the latest version. I usually wait before doing an update to make sure that there are no problems with the new release.

How has it helped my organization?

One Identity Safeguard helps with accountability. We now know which person is accessing which machine. It also helps to make sure that they are secured, and that everyone knows what changes they need.

We have used the transparent mode and non-transparent mode for privileged sessions. The transparent mode is more difficult than the normal mode, but with the help of the documentation, we figured out how to do the necessary configuration and use this mode. Generally, we use the normal mode. We do not use the transparent mode. 

We use the Secure Remote Access feature for privileged users. It was very easy to manage remote access for privileged users by using this feature. When our users cannot be physically present at our place, they can access the resources using the Starling account. It is easy.

The Secure Remote Access feature does not make use of a VPN. This is very important for us because there are some problems with using VPN, so it is easier to use something like Starling. We can be sure that our users can access the network even from home and that the sessions are secure.

I have worked with other One Identity solutions. I have used One Identity Defender, One Identity SPP, and One Identity SPS. They worked very well for our users. We also use the authentication service to control the Linux machines with Active Directory accounts. They work well with each other. I have also used Safeguard Remote Access. I tried its features with Safeguard to allow our users to connect to the sessions by using the cloud so that they do not need to log in to the company servers.

What is most valuable?

One of the most important aspects is that it is very easy to use and install. It is also agentless, so all of the operations happen more smoothly than any other product. Our end-users find it easy. They have a web application. They only need to enter the credentials, and they can access the Safeguard session. They can use it very fast without any problems. Its learning curve is very low.

What needs improvement?

We can discover Windows and Linux machines, but we would also like to discover databases. It is very important for us. I have heard that in the new version, we can discover databases, but I have not tried it yet, so I am not sure if the new version does it properly or still needs some work. 

We would like to have the option of importing assets by using the CSV file. It was available in the earlier versions, but it is not available now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. They always release new updates if there are any issues. For example, for the Log4j issue that happened a couple of months ago, they released an update to solve the issue and make sure that no user is affected by it. It is based on the Linux machine, so it is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I did not face any problems. It is very scalable, and it can be used for a small company or a big company without any problems.

Currently, there are about 20 users who are using it.

How are customer service and support?

We have used their regular support, not the premier support. When we have any problems related to it, we open a ticket. They always help us. We might have to provide them with additional things so that they are able to troubleshoot better, but they are always helpful. I would rate their support a 9 out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use any other solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We have two installation types. We have Safeguard for Privileged Passwords and Safeguard for Privileged Sessions. For Safeguard for Privileged Passwords, we just need to import and the whole organization will be done. The process for Safeguard for Privileged Sessions is also simple. There are no problems.

The deployment duration depends on the number of systems, the number of users, and the number of applications. In a small company, it might take about two weeks or three weeks.

The deployment did not affect our privileged users. We just needed some time to get used to it. We were not using any PAM product before, so it took some time to get used to using it. It is more restrictive than the Active Directory system, but it is for the best.

For managing and deploying the solution, I took technical training. It was about five-day training with One Identity. After that, I started its deployment. In case of any problem, we could check several resources. We could check the administration guide or forums. We could also open a support ticket with One Identity. For the end-users, I gave the training, and it took one or two days at the most.

What about the implementation team?

I deployed it myself.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We checked out a couple of solutions, but I was not a part of the selection process.

What other advice do I have?

It is a very easy solution. In case of any problem, you can contact the distributor or the vendor, and they will help you.

I have worked with physical and virtual appliances. We went for virtual appliances because they are easy for us. We have servers in our company, so we have the space and resources to install them.

I would rate One Identity Safeguard a 10 out of 10. I have used it for some time, and I enjoyed working with it.

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. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Safeguard by One Identity
July 2026
Learn what your peers think about Safeguard by One Identity. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2026.
905,526 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1386330 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Engineering at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Nov 13, 2022
Easy to set up and operate, amazing reporting capabilities, and helpful for compliance
Pros and Cons
  • "All the features are promising, but we love the reporting feature because we can get each and every report. That's a major compliance requirement. Its reporting is really amazing, and it has made life a lot easier."
  • "Cost-wise, it is a little bit expensive, which makes it difficult to get management approval. Its price should be reduced."

What is our primary use case?

We have more than 1,000 servers or application servers, and we have several layers of teams. We have super admins, system admins, and operations staff, and we also have application vendors using the system. In such a large environment, it was really difficult for us to do identity management on a daily basis. We had new people joining the team, and we also had people leaving. We had to put in additional manpower to monitor these activities and comply with the regulations. That was the main reason we moved to automation with the One Identity solution. We are using their Privileged Account Management solution.

We have virtual appliances. We don't have physical ones.

How has it helped my organization?

We have several data centers located all over the globe. Previously, if someone needed access or certain permissions, we had to manually go to our Active Directory, identify the user, and give permission. We had to do that one by one. When we had hundreds of new joiners, it was a time-consuming activity. Sometimes, this activity would take more than two days. One Identity has made all this easier. Monitoring has become much easier, and I can invest the energy in other things instead of monitoring which user is doing what. It has become a one-console management for us.

For my team, it has reduced the task of monitoring who did what and using which ID by 80%. They only have to do 20% of the work than before.

We are using all of the access features. It is much easier for a new user to adopt this solution. It also works perfectly fine with a VPN.

What is most valuable?

All the features are promising, but we love the reporting feature because we can get each and every report. That's a major compliance requirement. Its reporting is really amazing, and it has made life a lot easier.

Its setup is quick. It is easy to set up and operate. It doesn't matter whether you have a deep IT background or not.

What needs improvement?

Cost-wise, it is a little bit expensive, which makes it difficult to get management approval. Its price should be reduced.

In terms of features, I'm completely satisfied with it. I am not expecting any more features. Its cost is the only issue. Everything else is okay.

For how long have I used the solution?

We introduced this product in our organization in 2014.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. We recently increased the number of licenses. Previously, we had a thousand servers, but now, the number has increased. The number of users has also increased. So, we upgraded our system. 

We are using it mostly for privileged users, developers, and system administrators. In total, we have around 300 users. We have plans to increase its usage. We have some upcoming projects where we want to use it on a larger basis. We have plans to use it for DevOps users and third-party vendors, but it will take a little bit of time.

We have not integrated the solution with any other parts of the business, such as DevOps, RPA, or cloud targets. We are evolving day by day. We are upgrading our technology, and we have plans to do that in the future.

How are customer service and support?

We had premium support initially, but we don't require that now. We didn't encounter any critical issues. We are using their regular support. I would rate their support a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were not using another solution previously. Privilege management was a really tough task before the One Identity solution.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward. Of course, when you are introducing a new product, you need to do a little bit of research, but the steps were very simple. You don't need much technical knowledge, and you don't need to go so deep to do the configuration. You can just have a look at the setup start guide. Anyone should be able to do it easily.

Our deployment took around six months because we did a few PoC. We also tested it in different system environments before bringing it to the production environment. Out of these six months, we spent almost two months doing the PoC with other products, and then for two months, we put it in the UAT environment or the test environment, and then we brought it into the production environment. So, overall, it took six months for the rollout.

The deployment wasn't disruptive for our privileged users because they were working with the old method while we were implementing it. So, there was no pause during the implementation. Once we completely rolled out One Identity, they started using it.

To start using the solution, you at least need knowledge of the policies and configurations available. You require a little bit of training because one change is going to impact thousands of users.

What about the implementation team?

When we did the deployment, we had a team of about 30 people. Now, we don't have a dedicated team for its maintenance. We have a team of about 15 people doing other activities and managing various technologies, including One Identity.

What was our ROI?

I have definitely seen an ROI. It is not necessarily in terms of cost. My work has reduced, and I'm able to focus the saved energy or time working on other technologies or implementing new things in other areas of my organization.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its subscription cost is too much, and sometimes, it is very difficult to pitch the solution to the management for cost approval. If the cost is reduced a little bit, it would be easier. If its cost was less, many other organizations that currently cannot afford it would be able to use this technology. I'm sure many organizations around the globe are having issues with identity management, and it is a very difficult task for IT to manage privileged accounts.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did PoC to identify different solutions. We tried several solutions, but it didn't work out. We did a PoC with the One Identity solution, and it was easy to manage because it helped us to meet all the compliance requirements and do other things. That's why we went with this solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it if you are looking for a privilege management or identity management solution. If you are having challenges with reporting and compliance, it will certainly be helpful because you will get a lot of details for auditing and monitoring purposes.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. It is an amazing product, but its cost needs improvement.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Professional Service Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Sep 8, 2022
Offers a highly reliable VPN contact point and solves our password management issues
Pros and Cons
  • "The first feature I like about One Identity Safeguard is the live contact point for the VPNs. This has been working very well for us, as it's both highly available and reliable."
  • "By comparison, Safeguard is much better in terms of performance, networking, and server stability."
  • "We currently have a problem with the Active Directory integrations on Windows. Some of our users need to be logged with Active Directory, but we are having communication issues between One Identity and Active Directory. It seems that Active Directory is not well-integrated."

What is our primary use case?

The first time I used One Identity Safeguard was when I was the manager of the infrastructure of Ayendeh Bank, and we are currently using it now at my present company.

Our main use case is in security reviews for all of the change management and incident management services, and we also use it for the VPN connection for PAM. It allows us to review everything that goes on over the working day.

For example, our third-parties who support all of our services, including network services (e.g. Cisco) and our Linux servers, are eligible to connect via the VPN, and through One Identity Safeguard, they are able to make contact with and use the various services.

Our company works alongside various PSPs (Payment Service Providers),
and our work here is mainly to prepare the software switch for them, and
to handle the SLA for infrastructure maintenance services. Due to the nature of our work, we also use One Identity Safeguard for on-call and direct administrators whether they are in-house or external to our company. It is, in fact, the main tool for managing access for all the services. And because of that, I'm available for these companies 24/7 all year long.

At present, we have around 17 direct users of One Identity who use it on a daily basis, which includes 10 people from my own department.

What is most valuable?

The first feature I like about One Identity Safeguard is the live contact point for the VPNs. This has been working very well for us, as it's both highly available and reliable.

The second thing I like is the services that let us review all the contacts and take all the passwords from another administrator. These services are very reasonable. For instance, some of the third-parties will leave our company and support, but then fail to relinquish the usernames and passwords. With the security orchestra that One Identity Safeguard provides, this is no longer a problem.

What needs improvement?

We currently have a problem with the Active Directory integrations on Windows. Some of our users need to be logged with Active Directory, but we are having communication issues between One Identity and Active Directory. It seems that Active Directory is not well-integrated.

Apart from that, when we are using the interactive login, such as when logging in and going inside the site for support, we find that we need to repeat the username and password, sometimes even two or three times.

When it comes to suggestions for new features, I would like to see something along the lines of an automated command prevention system. To elaborate, sometimes we will have users who input unsafe commands, and we would like to prevent those commands from being processed, and to be able to identify those users who sent the commands.

I believe some kind of automation, possibly based on AI, would be appropriate for this, and it would help the administrators and managers to more easily prevent these kinds of incidents. Part of my role is to reduce the number of total incidents, and if we had an automated mechanism to prevent unsafe commands from being entered in the first place, it would help a great deal.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using One Identity Safeguard for about six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I can say that it is 100% stable because during the past two years we have not had a single problem with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In our company, the scalability is good enough for us at present. In my department, there are ten direct users, and outside my department there are another seven direct users. Perhaps when we increase our customers, we will scale up further.

How are customer service and support?

At present, because of the sanction department for technology in Iran, we cannot use the direct customer support. Instead, we use third-party support. For example, we have a contact point with a company who has branches in Turkey, and they are taking the tickets for Safeguard. Before that, with Balabit, we got responses in less than 24 hours.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Safeguard, we were using Balabit. However, Balabit has now been acquired by One Identity.

Another solution that was being used by some of the other companies I consulted for was WALLIX Bastion. Using WALLIX was a really different experience. With One Identity, we have no problems with connections or slow communications in the network, but with WALLIX there were many problems to do with the networking. Sometimes the servers would even crash or hang, but none of these issues have been found in Safeguard. By comparison, Safeguard is much better in terms of performance, networking, and server stability.

How was the initial setup?

There were no real problems with the setup. Regarding the ease of installation, if you have a professional team, then it is easy. But, for example, if it's your first time setting it up as a junior administrator, then it can be quite difficult. I would Safeguard a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of how complex the initial setup is.

What about the implementation team?

We used an in-house team for the implementation, because myself and the other companies we work with have a lot of experience in it. Thus, for us, it was no problem to implement.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license is very expensive for us, partly due to inflation and partly because of the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Iranian Rial. We purchased a perpetual license that we've been using up until now, but I believe that we are not going to update it in the future. Instead, we plan to find another third-party  to support us with the license, in the sense that we would have access to their license as a shared agreement.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate One Identity Safeguard a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2037558 - PeerSpot reviewer
SOC Analyst at a recreational facilities/services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
May 26, 2024
Works well for PSM features, but we sometimes face configuration issues
Pros and Cons
  • "In terms of the user experience, it is a pretty useful product. It works in a good way."
  • "We sometimes face issues with configuration and things like that, but we manage to solve them."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use the Privileged Session Management (PSM) features.

What is most valuable?

In terms of the user experience, it is a pretty useful product. It works in a good way. 

What needs improvement?

We sometimes face issues with configuration and things like that, but we manage to solve them. In general, it is a pretty good solution for the PSM features. 

There can be an improvement in terms of the policy that can be implemented on the SSH session.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this product for more or less 2 years.

How are customer service and support?

I have never spoken to their technical support. A colleague of mine interacts with them.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not work with any other solution previously. I have read about other products and their features, but I have not worked with them. One Identity Safeguard is probably one of the best solutions for PSM features.

How was the initial setup?

I do not work on the installation. I work on the setup. We do face some issues with configuration, but in general, we are able to troubleshoot them.

What other advice do I have?

Based on my personal experience with the PSM features, it is a good product. I know that there are some competitors, but I have not worked with them.

My colleagues worked on its integration with another tool. It seems to integrate fine, but I do not know for sure if he faced any issues.

My experience is with the PSM features, and for that, I would rate the product a six out of ten. There are some specific features that can be improved, but in general, I have had a good experience with the product.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Consultant at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jul 13, 2023
Bulk import with templates is helpful, but some competitors' products are better
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the discovery functionality and the change password feature through the check-in. I also like the bulk import with the help of templates that come with it out of the box. With the help of these few features, my tasks are made easier."
  • "The main thing that needs improvement is the slowness. Apart from that, the change password check-in feature also needs improvement because it is not working perfectly accurately."

What is our primary use case?

We use Safeguard for managing privileged passwords only, using physical appliances.

How has it helped my organization?

So far, I haven't seen any type of improvement from using this solution when compared with other products in the identity and access management space. It has been neutral.

What is most valuable?

I like the discovery functionality and the change password feature through the check-in. I also like the bulk import with the help of templates that come with it out of the box. With the help of these few features, my tasks are made easier.

We also use the Secure Remote Access feature for privileged users. Access is based on group membership and with that membership they connect to the remote machine. It's an easy process to manage. 

What needs improvement?

The main thing that needs improvement is the slowness. Apart from that, the change password check-in feature also needs improvement because it is not working perfectly accurately.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using One Identity Safeguard for the last two and a half years. I work as an implementer and provide support operations to our clients.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's not a stable solution, but it's not bad. It's neutral in terms of stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's not scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We are not using their Premier Support, but I am okay with the vendor's regular support. But if the product is running on an unsupported version, that is a very negative point. They should support unsupported versions as well so that their customers are not stuck somewhere in between.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

As an organization, we are using other PAM solutions for other projects, but I'm not sure which other solutions are in use.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Safeguard is straightforward. Because it was deployed a long time ago in our organization, before my tenure, my expertise is based on adding to clusters. If we are going to add clients within a cluster, it depends on the speed, meaning how the network connectivity is between the cluster and the target device.

In terms of the effect of deployment on users, they are provisioned, with the help of group membership, into Safeguard. Once they are assigned to a particular group, they can follow the previous sites. Based on the previous site, they can log in and check out the password of their privileged account.

As for the amount of training needed, it depends on the solution. If the solution is only for privileged passwords, about three weeks' training is required to understand the solution. And if the server for privileges is also integrated with the solution, it will take a month or as much as 45 days.

We have an implementation team and an operations team. Between them, there are a total of five or six people required for this solution to deploy and maintain it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not aware of the product cost, but if it's going to cost more, first they have to maintain and stabilize the product.

What other advice do I have?

My impression of the form factor of the Safeguard physical appliance is not good and not bad. It's neutral. Similarly, feedback about the usability and functionality is neutral.

My advice, if you have the budget, is to buy other products, like CyberArk Privileged Access Manager or BeyondTrust Endpoint Privilege Management. If you don't have that kind of budget you can use this product.

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.
PeerSpot user
Chief Information Security Officer at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Aug 9, 2020
Reduces operational costs and eliminates password sharing
Pros and Cons
  • "We use the solution’s Approval Anywhere feature which enables us to add an extra layer of security for critical passwords without adding time-consuming approval processes. By using this platform, if someone goes on a vacation, out of office, or needs urgent/planned leave, then our setup will select the functions tied to that person and automatically delegate them to the next person. That person can start performing that duty based on their access. No sharing of passwords is required."
  • "Now, once they are logged into the organization and are registered on our ERP system, their complete access will be ready within five seconds, and they will receive an SMS with their username and password so they can start working, which has increased efficiency and effectiveness of the access control function and reduced operational costs while providing services 24/7 on a platform that can be used anytime and anywhere for investigation."
  • "The multilanguage functionality does not support the Arabic language, even though this solution is deployed in an Arabic region."

What is our primary use case?

Our company is regulated by the central bank in our country. There are about 4,000 employees in our organization. 

Our main need was to reduce the operational cost of our department by increasing the window of operations to 24-hour rather than have office unemployment. 

We are now digitizing the access control function through One Identity. Whoever forgets their password can reset it on their own rather than reaching out to the security desk. Whenever we have a new employee, we found that it was taking at least two days to get them a username or access to the system. Now, once they are logged into the organization and are registered on our ERP system, their complete access will be ready within five seconds. They will receive an SMS with their username and password so they can start working. This has increased efficiency and effectiveness of the access control function. It has reduced operational costs as well as providing services 24/7 with a platform that can be used anytime and anywhere for investigation in case we have a requirement. 

We use the physical appliances, as they are more reliable. Around the world, dedicated appliances are more reliable than having a virtual version/copy. We went with the physical appliances because they are dedicated and closed like a black box. However, we haven't reported any misses with the virtual version. 

What is most valuable?

We use the solution’s Approval Anywhere feature which enables us to add an extra layer of security for critical passwords without adding time-consuming approval processes. In the past, we were having problems when a user went on vacation. There were many recalled cases of password sharing. When we received this type of incidence and started to investigate, we found out the past setup had no solution. For example, if someone with a daily duty went on vacation, they still had to do it within the office. That is why sometimes people tried to justify the sharing of passwords by the importance of their duties. Now, by using this platform, if someone goes on a vacation, out of office, or needs urgent/planned leave, then our setup will select the functions tied to that person and automatically delegate them to the next person. That person can start performing that duty based on their access. No sharing of passwords is required.

What needs improvement?

The multilanguage functionality does not support the Arabic language, even though this solution is deployed in an Arabic region. However, it matches our criteria and requirements overall.

One Identity is using a third-party to create one-time passwords. Due to our security restrictions, we needed to build our own. When we discussed this with One Identity, "Why they don't provide a technology that can be hosted on our data center and be built by One Identity," they said they are using a third-party. This was their justification, so I think it's based on their strategy and there's no harm using a third party. However, we were having an issue using a third-party.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have using this solution for about six months. The project started about one year back. We started product introduction through phases. We went full-fledged with One Identity using Cloud Access Manager, Password Manager, and Privileged Access Management along with identity and access management.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have been trying to stabilize the system until now. We haven't had the chance to revisit the deployment to find out if there are any expansion plans, as we are working to sustain the set up. We want to increase end user awareness and start building the number of reports.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I didn't have a requirement to test the scalability of the solution. We did discuss the scalability with the system integrator at the beginning, and it's on the license level. I don't think we will have an issue once we come to the point of needing to scale.

We have 3,000 end users and 10 administrators.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't had a chance to work the One Identity technical team. We work with the local partner instead.

None of my team has gone for training yet. However, they did have a handover for operation of the solution. It doesn't need that much training as long as you know the basics of access control functions. End users only need to have a tutorial to the portal. This is what we provide: a tutorial for how to use it and the know-how.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously were using a manual process. One Identity helped us to automate this process.

How was the initial setup?

We integrated One Identity with our ERP system (Oracle) and also with our security operations center (Splunk). The integration went perfectly. It was an easy connection. We built the connectivity directly through the API. What we found time consuming: the setup and connecting One Identity. E.g., Oracle takes more time than Splunk to connect because Splunk's system is ready to send the security logs to the security operations centers. With Oracle, the integration depends on the business needs and there are a number of different requirements based on those business needs. The enhancement One Identity made is the historical part related to system access control goes through our SOC to this tool.

What about the implementation team?

My team worked on the initial setup. I don't remember any critical escalations related to technicalities during their field deployments. The local system integrator helped us with any deployment challenges. There was zero disruption to privilege users during the deployment, which can be attributed to the work of the project management team. The deployment took about six months using two outsourced resources.

For the consultation services, we went with a well-known, famous system integration company (Exceed Gulf), who is local. They were cooperative, experienced, and professional. They have led many successful deployments in our region. Sometimes, they provide better advice when we are releasing an RFP to the market, e.g., when they got this RFP, they added value by doing a slight amendment to the deployment. This contributed a lot to the success of this project. Their advice comes based on their experience in the deployment for such a solution in our region. I strongly recommend working with Exceed Gulf and the same team that we worked with, as their technical skills were perfect.

What was our ROI?

We have not yet seen ROI. The benefit that we get from using One Identity is that it reduces operational costs.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have a yearly license. The cost depends on how much a company wants to invest in technology. In our organization, we believe in modern digitization and automation processes so we found it affordable. One Identity was not that much less than other solutions and it is not a cheap solution. There were number of cheaper solutions. However, it's the most effective, according to our evaluation.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

When we started thinking about approaching such a solution, there was an increased need to digitize or have a platform that helped to provided access control functions. There were a number of solutions in the market, like Oracle and Microsoft. One Identity (per our evaluation) was our selected solution. One Identity won when we match these criteria against other solutions in the market:

  • Support
  • The system integrator
  • Strength of the solution
  • Complexity of the solution (less complex than other solutions).

What other advice do I have?

Make sure to always get the support. This solution could not be successfully implemented with no support of the HR and procurement system. You will need to mature all of your HR and procurement processes to do the deployment in a secure manner. This is a security solution, not an IT solution. If you want to deploy it as a security requirement, you need to ensure that the HR and procurement processes are correctly in place. You can use it as a technology solution, because not all the technology requires security, but all security requires technology.

We haven't activated the session recordings yet. We have tested it, and while it worked successfully, we didn't apply it fully because of internal technical issues.

All the logs in the system are recorded and sent to our security operations center (SOC) for analysis. In our SOC, we have end user behavior analysis, but do not depend directly on One Identity to provide this. However, I might ask to have a report for the user behavioral analysis going forward.

I can rate the solution as an eight (out of 10).

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.
PeerSpot user
Martin Ajayiobe - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Vice President (Infrastructure Systems/Information Security) at MAXUT
Real User
Top 20
Aug 1, 2020
This product is an excellent for controlling role-based access without administrative overhead
Pros and Cons
  • "The Transparent Mode is the number one advantage of the product."
  • "It is generally easy-to-use and install."
  • "Being able to use a proxy server is an advantage."
  • "But otherwise, I think it is a good product and a good buy."
  • "The product uses a lot of resources in current sessions."
  • "The Transparent Mode could be somewhat easier to use."
  • "The only part of the Safeguard solution that I think could be a problem over time is the amount of storage it takes in the sessions."

What is our primary use case?

With Safeguard, there are two virtual appliances. There is one that helps you manage passwords and then there is another one that helps you record the sessions. You can configure it to record whatever you do when you make the remote calls.  

We use this solution for a bank. My current project is to onboard all the bank's security assets onto Safeguard. It will be used for admins to have secure access to the server.  

What is most valuable?

The part of this product that I like the most is the transparent mode. That is the number one advantage of the product. I also like the ease-of-use. That is what Quest is known for. The interface is interactive, relatively easy-to-use.  

I like the fact that we are using a proxy server. Also, I like the fact that it is integrated in such a way that I can connect to my Linux and Unix resources using my AD credentials. They map the AD credentials to Linux accounts. So, when I am connected to my AD accounts, it acts as a sort of proxy to convert it to the Unix account that it is configured for. That is quite useful.  

What needs improvement?

The only part of the Safeguard solution that I think could be a problem over time is the amount of storage it takes in the sessions. For example, because it records in real-time video it takes a lot of resources. So, it has not been a problem yet, but we are looking at a solution where we allocate the cost of that additional capacity differently. Then there will be enough resources to compensate for whatever the storage needs are. It just takes a large amount of storage for each current session.  

Another thing that I would like to see them improve is that I would like them to make the transparent board a little bit more transparent. The transparent mode is something I use often and it is the best feature of the product but that is also why I see how it can be improved. It might just be a little bit easier to use.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We are a long-time Quest partner and have only been using the product for the past five months. We just got onboarded to the One Identity product. This is my first project with One Identity.  

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

One of the things I really like about the One Identity solution is the fact that it can be configured in active-active cluster mode. It is just a little pricey because you have to purchase the additional licensing just to be able to do an active-active configuration.  

But I like it also because it is a virtual appliance. This means I can configure a high-availability cluster anyhow I want. If I have it on a VMware cluster, I can enable high-availability or any virtual cluster solution that makes sure it is highly available. I would do that using VMware storage. This makes it a more stable and flexible solution.  

The fact that I do not have to worry about other incidental things is good. I am not connected to an external database server. So all the dependencies, patching, and additional setup is something I do not have to do on the One Identity appliance. Everything is on a hardware appliance. In other words, I do not really even have to worry about securing my security device. It may not be the first thing to think about, but because you deployed a security device, now you have to worry about securing it. As it is all-in-one as a hardware appliance, I do not have to worry about all that.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not had any issues with scalability to this point and it is handling our capacity and needs. The only potential issue would be budgeting for additional licensing, which would not be a problem in our case, and handling the resource usage. These are not really limiting.  

Between the banking client and our company, not everyone has been onboarded yet to the One Identity Safeguard. But in the end, we are looking at probably about 500 servers and I think a total of about 180 admins. This seems realistic using this product.  

How are customer service and technical support?

My impression of support is that the guys there are very helpful. They are eager to jump in and to help you out. Yes, I think it is a great service.  

How was the initial setup?

I think that the initial setup was very straight forward. Pretty much a piece of cake, actually. With our implementation strategy, the deployment actually took only about two hours. That is including the discovery of the assets. It is a relatively large enterprise network, so discovery can potentially take some time. This was very reasonable.  

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The approximate cost on a yearly basis is in the ballpark of about 80 grand, $80,000. That is for about 100 servers. That is the standard license fee. There are not really any additional costs once you purchase that. Sometimes you can have professional services included with it. For example, if you take a week of professional services or if you need them to do the install. That is the only additional charge.  

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

As a long-time Quest partner, this was an easy choice to make. Because we were already partners it made sense to work with their other solutions.  

What other advice do I have?

The advice I would give to organizations considering this solution would be that before they make a commitment they need to try to find a local support resource. They will want to be able to get local support because that can be critical. But otherwise, I think it is a good product and a good buy. I would buy it again. As a partner, I would also sell it again because I am confident in it as a product and a solution.  

On a scale from one to ten, where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate the One Identity Safeguard solution as a nine-point-five out of ten. I'm very happy. If I have to choose an integer, it would have to be a nine. Ten would mean it is perfect and there are things I think can be improved.  

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
PeerSpot user
Head of Department of Technical Means of Protection at BrokerCreditService
Real User
Jul 22, 2020
Visualizes RDP sessions and logs SSH sessions
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution transparently integrates into the infrastructure and users do not notice it. I would give this feature the highest rating."
  • "Over four years of use, we have not encountered a single system crash or failure, and the product is stable."
  • "I would like to see support for RDP over HTTPS so this product can be used in conjunction with the Microsoft terminal."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution to control the access of privileged users, such as application administrators, to the internal network. This solution allows us to record and log user sessions.

We use virtual appliances on the VMware platform. The virtualization of such services allows us to flexibly scale our hardware configuration and gives significantly more opportunities for building a stable structure.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution allowed us to provide remote access to the company's internal infrastructure in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It made this access more transparent and controlled for information security departments.

We easily integrated this product with our SIEM system for collecting events. Thanks to this integration, we were able to build convenient, regular reports on privileged user connections. Therefore, our information security units can better see who is connecting to the remote infrastructure.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the logging sessions with their visualization, which is video recording. This functionality allows us to restore the actions of a user in the event of any incidents.

The solution transparently integrates into the infrastructure and users do not notice it. I would give this feature the highest rating.

While the "transparent mode" feature did not affect the monitoring in any way, it led to an increase in the convenience of connecting users.

This solution visualizes RDP sessions and logs SSH sessions.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see support for RDP over HTTPS so this product can be used in conjunction with the Microsoft terminal.

I would like to visualize SSH sessions.

I would like built-in traffic balancing mechanisms with the built-in load balancing mechanism when using several instances.

For how long have I used the solution?

About four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Over four years of use, we have not encountered a single system crash or failure. The product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

When increasing the number of users, we can rather easily add to virtual appliances processors and memory, or disks for storing records, which is more difficult to do on a hardware (physical) appliance.

We have two administrators involved in the deployment, configuration, and maintenance of this solution. During the peak of the pandemic, we had up to 3,000 users connected through the solution and able to work from home.

How are customer service and support?

We have used One Identity’s tech support. I would rate it as excellent. They answer all the questions asked of them quickly and efficiently.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The virtual appliance is deployed from the delivered image without any problems. The setup takes about 15 to 20 minutes, including initial setup and configuration. It also is available to any admin user with Unix competencies.

We use the “transparent mode” function to connect administrative users via SSH to the Unix servers. We did not encounter any problems when setting up this feature, as everything was easy. The solution is well-documented and quite understandable when setting up.

It took about one or two working days to administer the solution, read the documentation and settings, and test various configuration options. It was not very difficult. For our users, there were no special nuances since the connection is transparent. They do not understand nor see that they are connecting through the One Identity Safeguard space.

Our implementation strategy was to use this solution to control remote sessions of privileged users, first with our IT support staff. Now, we use the product for this purpose. In general, the strategy was a success.

What was our ROI?

There has been a lack of losses, since controlling the actions of privileged users is primarily to minimize risks and create an absence of losses.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing and pricing are quite straightforward. The number of recording channel licenses depends on the needs of the customer. I would suggest estimating the number of concurrent sessions per unit of time and proceed from there when purchasing a license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Safeguard and another product. We ultimately chose Safeguard.

Safeguard is an external (in relation to controlled systems) solution which allows you to record sessions. Its competitor was an agent solution that was put on target servers. With the competitor's solution, there was a risk of disconnecting of a privileged user's recording.

What other advice do I have?

Clearly assess your needs and formulate the necessary requirements, then proceed from there with the selection of an appropriate solution. In our case, One Identity Safeguard became this solution. However, this solution is not a panacea for all ills. It is possibly you’ll find that a different solution is more suitable.

I would rate the solution as a nine (out of 10). In order to rate it as a 10, it should have what I would like to see in its coming new releases.

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.
PeerSpot user
Expert Systems Architect at Tempur Sealy International, Inc.
Real User
Jul 2, 2020
Improved our security posture by making password changes easy and allowing us to make regular password changes to service accounts
Pros and Cons
  • "It has greatly helped improve our security posture. Safeguard has an option where it will reset passwords on service accounts, then go out to those servers where that service account is running as a service and update the password on it. That makes password changes very easy. We can regularly change passwords now and are planning on making it an annual activity, where all the people who own service accounts will go in and make sure all their passwords get changed, updated, and reset."
  • "Two-factor authentication has saved us from a couple of brute force attacks on a couple of our C-level executives."
  • "Transparent mode was too cumbersome, so I don't foresee us being able to use it. On paper when we were initially talking about it, it was definitely going to be the preferred method until we realized the burden it would be on our network guys. Then, we had to step back and reevaluate what we wanted to do. That's when we changed our approach to use the RD Gateway feature."
  • "Transparent mode was too cumbersome, so I don't foresee us being able to use it."

What is our primary use case?

There are two parts to Safeguard: the sessions recording part and the password management appliance. With the password management appliance, we have been using version 2.10. For the sessions recording, we started off with version 6.2. It has new additions and updates which have come out, thus we've upgraded. Currently, we are up to version 6.5.

We are doing a sessions recording for all of our UAT and production servers. Therefore, if something breaks/happens or there's a change during the day without the proper change control mechanisms, we can determine the session by pulling the last session on the box and finding out who did what. Then, for the password part, it is used to consolidate enterprise-wide all our passwords for our 2000-plus server accounts.

We have five physical alliances for the password part. Then, for the sessions recording, there are three virtual appliances. We went with these particular versions because they were the latest and greatest. I like to keep things updated instead of dragging stuff out, which is how people get stuck with legacy devices unable to upgrade or with no upgrade path available.

How has it helped my organization?

It has greatly helped improve our security posture. Safeguard has an option where it will reset passwords on service accounts, then go out to those servers where that service account is running as a service and update the password on it. That makes password changes very easy. We can regularly change passwords now and are planning on making it an annual activity, where all the people who own service accounts will go in and make sure all their passwords get changed, updated, and reset. That's a huge scary stance right there because people leave the company and memorize all their passwords. Now, they're null and void, and we're in a far more secure place.

We are still building out the Safeguard behavioral analytics feature, but so far, it's pretty good about being able to detect nonhuman input. This has increased our security posture as well. It's really easy to use. Security guys are able to identify, "Why is this person logging into spots on the weekend when historically they've never accessed it on the weekend whatsoever?" We're able to keep watch as there is a lot better visibility of our environment.

What is most valuable?

The password part is the most valuable because we were going to start vaulting certain accounts to get a lot of passwords changed. Historically, we have had really stale passwords on non-human and service accounts. E.g., on one of our service accounts, the password hasn't changed for 17 years. It was not even that complicated or good of a password in the first place. 

This solution has definitely helped us consolidate. It replicates to other appliances, so we're replicating to our DR site. Thus, if anything were to happen to our data center or personnel, whomever was trying to pick up the pieces and try to put the business back together would at least have all the passwords available to them.

The physical appliance form factors are pretty nice. They are definitely Dell inspired and easy to set up with accurate instructions. We have had no problems.

Regarding usability and functionality:

  • It has a nice, clean interface. 
  • It's pretty direct and easy to personalize. 
  • Users can set up favorites on certain things that they request. Very often, they shortcut it. So, it reduces the clicks down to three clicks. 
  • You can have a password for any account. 
  • It's auditable, which makes the security guys' happy.

What needs improvement?

We tried the solution's “transparent mode” feature for privileged sessions. It ended up making a lot of Cisco Layer 2 configurations hard and was using a lot of ACLs to control the traffic, which we identified as type of a risk. In order for it to do production that would put an unnecessary burden on our network guys to configure it because that's thousands and thousands of lines of code that they'd have to update and change. We did use this feature for the PoC and that worked out well. However, for production, we are using the Remote Desktop Gateway feature.

Transparent mode was too cumbersome, so I don't foresee us being able to use it. On paper when we were initially talking about it, it was definitely going to be the preferred method until we realized the burden it would be on our network guys. Then, we had to step back and reevaluate what we wanted to do. That's when we changed our approach to use the RD Gateway feature.

I would like their transparent mode to have an easier implementation. If there was a way that we could do transparent mode without having to use ACLs that would be incredibly beneficial. 

They could do a better discovery to find out where service accounts are being used on non-Windows Boxes, such as Linux. That would be a good benefit.

For how long have I used the solution?

Six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. There have been no problems at all so far.

We have four administrators who do maintenance. One of them is the security guy. He will go in and through the audits, looking at session recordings. We also have it locked down so that only he view these things. There are three other admins, including me, are responsible for maintaining the product. We keep things up, making sure the Gateway works, and helping users troubleshoot if they have problems with the Gateway.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. If we want to add another site or stand up another data center, we just buy a couple more appliances. Then, we set up a couple more session boxes and everything is covered.

So far, we are just using it for passwords, then passive session monitoring. Therefore, our usage is pretty minimal:

  • Trying to track down people's accounts.
  • Getting locked out because of user password changes.
  • Not closing out of RDP session right. This is sort of a pain. However, people are getting better about logging off appropriately instead of just closing out the window.

We have about 140 end users because it is really just for our IT people. So far, businesses or anybody outside the IT organization doesn't even know the solution exists.

How are customer service and technical support?

I love the tech support guys. Anytime that I have a problem, I can always put in a ticket. They get back to me right away. We have access to the product team and their Level 3 engineers. I've suggested a couple of feature requests and improvements on the product, then within six months, they were able to put those into an update which was rolled out. So, they are very efficient and quick.

I was surprised because I have dealt with Microsoft support, and we all know how it is: It's pretty terrible. I've dealt with other support companies where you will get somebody with a thick Indian accent and spend 70 percent of the conversation making sure he said what you thought he said. However, with the One Identity folks, it was easy and quick. They're a great group of guys.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

PAM is totally new to our enterprise. Safeguard was definitely a cultural shift.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward and only got complex as we added use cases. We added the complexity on ourselves, but the product itself is very straightforward. The deployment took five months.

The implementation strategy was:

  1. Setting up the sessions box. 
  2. Ensuring it was set up once we received the Gateway configurations. 
  3. Setting up policies and notifying people on how to change their Remote Desktop Client configurations. 
  4. Shifting gears and switching over to trying to input all the service accounts and getting all the passwords loaded up into Safeguard. 

After that, it was a done deal.

Our privileged users did complain and grip a bit due to the deployment. At first, they made it seem like the solution was disruptive to them. However, as time went on, complaints went down. Therefore, I think they're used to it by now. They just needed to understand the new technology and get comfortable with it.

We really did have old passwords. People hung onto their processes and certain ways of things. When you asked them to change, they got grumpy. I knew that they were going to get a little grumpy, but I didn't know they were going to be that grumpy. They are over themselves now, especially since the director stepped in, and said, "This is how it's going to be. Get used to it."

What about the implementation team?

We used One Identity Professional Services. They were great. We got the same guy who helped us roll out our Identity Manager. It was really good to work with the same guy. He was a familiar face, already very knowledgeable about the product, and very quick to get answers.

For the deployment, it took about five total people: a security guy, a network guy and a couple of infrastructure guys.

What was our ROI?

We were able to get rid of a couple products, e.g., Identity Manager replaced FIM. Safeguard was totally new. Two-factor authentication has saved us from a couple of brute force attacks on a couple of our C-level executives. That was a pretty good return on investment. We have been able to protect ourselves against a couple of major compromises.

There have been at least three instances where 2fA protected us from compromises, and probably a whole lot more. It seems like people are constantly trying to hit, attack, and penetrate a lot of the things that we have on the perimeter and are Internet exposed.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. You don't want to get anything too cheap because then you get cheap stuff and cheap support. That really never helps anybody.

There are other additional costs for some training on their other products because Identity manager can get very involved. Once we got the products and licensing setup, everything else since then has been cake. I don't think we have been spending a whole bunch of money.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't want to use a whole bunch of vendors. We had already picked One Identity for their two-factor authentication, Identity Manager, Cloud Access Manager, and Password Manager (self-service) solutions. We just sort of drank all the Kool-Aid.

We tried to look for a comprehensive product offering and One Identity was the only one who checked off all the boxes and things that we were looking at to roll down for the next five years. They are a great partner and always willing to work with us. They are awesome.

We did evaluate other vendors: Centrify, Okta, Azure AD, Azure 2FA, and Ping Identity. We were able to quickly rule them out, but these were the main competitors. 

Azure AD is a lot of hype. It sort of sucks. The One Identity product works a lot better, as it's a lot easier to use and GUI-driven with a lot of wizards in it. Azure AD is a bit more complex and doesn't seem like it works all the time. That's why we didn't choose it. It seemed pretty unreliable compared to One Identity.

What other advice do I have?

Take your time. Talk to as many different aspects of the business in the company as you can. Get a lot of input from many people. Know how to sift through good and bad input. Use Professional Services, if you can. The tech on-demand services was much cheaper than their full-blown professional services. For the tech on demand services, we never had to wait more than a few days for some type of response.

The training was pretty easy. There was a one-day training class for the admin. Then, for the users, there were a couple of Word docs that we circulated around which were good enough.

We have not integrated it with other parts of our business. It is standalone and independent.

More time is being spent because there are more steps to check out a password or if you get a password.

We have just starting to really use the product. There is a lot of design, building, and configuring involved, so we have just started to truly take advantage of some of the features it has.

We haven't set up any type of approvals. We're pretty tight on who can see and request passwords in the first place. I would imagine at some point in time we'll probably end up utilizing the Approval Anywhere feature, just not right now.

As far as privilege access management goes, I'd rate it a nine (out of 10). So far, the product has been really easy to use and set up. I'd just make the rollout and implementation of the transparent mode better.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Safeguard by One Identity Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Safeguard by One Identity Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.