BeyondTrust vs Delinea: what should PAM teams weigh now?

TL;DR: Traditional PAM tools can manage privileged access, but cloud, Kubernetes, and distributed admin workflows expose limits in deployment, integration, and auditability, according to StrongDM’s comparison of BeyondTrust and Delinea. The practical question is no longer which tool has more features, but which access model can govern modern infrastructure without reintroducing credential sprawl.

NHIMG editorial — based on content published by StrongDM: BeyondTrust vs. Delinea (Thycotic): Which Solution Is Better?

Questions worth separating out

Q: How should security teams evaluate PAM for cloud and Kubernetes access?

A: Teams should test whether the PAM platform can broker access without exposing reusable credentials, log sessions centrally, and support cloud-native resources without requiring brittle per-server installation.

Q: Why do secrets vaults alone not solve privileged access risk?

A: A vault protects secrets at rest, but it does not eliminate the need for a user or workflow to retrieve and use them.

Q: What breaks when a PAM tool is built for static servers instead of modern infrastructure?

A: Onboarding slows, credential distribution becomes more manual, and cloud or container access may fall outside the platform’s strongest controls.

Practitioner guidance

• Map privileged access to environment type Separate server-bound administration, cloud control-plane access, and Kubernetes access in your inventory.
• Test whether credentials remain visible to operators Check if admins, contractors, or support teams can still retrieve reusable secrets directly during routine work.
• Validate session-level evidence for audits Confirm that the platform records who accessed which resource, from where, and what they did during the session.

What's in the full article

StrongDM's full comparison covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:

• Product-by-product feature comparison across BeyondTrust, Delinea, and StrongDM for administrators who need implementation detail
• Vendor-specific setup, pricing, and support notes that matter when procurement moves from evaluation to deployment
• Explicit side-by-side discussion of database, server, and Kubernetes support for teams validating resource coverage
• Additional product navigation details on workflows, documentation, and trial structure for buyers shortlisting a PAM platform

👉 Read StrongDM's comparison of BeyondTrust and Delinea for PAM buyers →

BeyondTrust vs Delinea: what should PAM teams weigh now?

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