Topic starter
17/08/2026 4:41 pm
TL;DR: Arcon finds that Privileged Access Management is shifting from point protection for admin accounts to a broader identity governance layer for hybrid, cloud and DevSecOps environments. Standing privilege, auditability and just-in-time access are now the controls that determine whether PAM can contain identity-based attacks and compliance exposure.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Arcon: “Predictive Roles and Importance of Privileged Access Management in 2025”.
Key questions
Q: What breaks when privileged access is left standing in hybrid estates?
A: Standing privilege turns one compromised identity into a broad access path across multiple systems.
Q: Why does just-in-time privileged access reduce risk for remote workers and administrators?
A: Just-in-time privileged access reduces risk because it replaces persistent credentials with temporary authorization that exists only for the task at hand.
Q: How do security teams know if PAM is actually working?
A: Look for evidence that elevated rights are short-lived, session activity is logged, and access reviews result in real removals rather than paperwork.
Practitioner guidance
- Build a privileged account inventory Map every elevated human, contractor and service account to a named owner, business purpose and system boundary.
- Convert standing privilege to JIT access Replace always-on elevation with time-bound access for production, cloud administration and infrastructure change work.
- Record privileged sessions by default Turn on session monitoring and recording for all high-risk elevation paths, including remote admin access and contractor sessions.
Bottom line: PAM is no longer just about restricting admin accounts, because standing privilege across cloud, contractor and DevSecOps workflows is now the broader risk surface.
What's in the full article
Arcon's full blog post covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- AI-driven threat detection concepts for privileged account activity in real time
- Examples of how PAM is positioned across hybrid, cloud and DevSecOps workflows
- A fuller discussion of automated provisioning, de-provisioning and audit logging
- The article's own summary of why PAM is becoming a governance layer in 2025
👉 Read Arcon's analysis of how PAM is shifting toward identity governance in 2025 →
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17/08/2026 4:46 pm
PAM is becoming identity governance, not just access control. The article describes a category shift that many programmes have not fully absorbed: privileged access is no longer a specialist control for admin accounts, but a governance layer across hybrid, cloud and DevSecOps operations. That means the real question is no longer only who can enter a system, but how privilege is issued, observed and removed across the full lifecycle. Practitioners should treat PAM as part of identity governance architecture, not a standalone security add-on.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 97% of NHIs carry excessive privileges, increasing unauthorised access and broadening the attack surface, according to the Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How should organisations govern access when PAM does not fit cloud-native workloads?
A: Use PAM for long-lived human elevation, but add runtime authorization for ephemeral workloads, APIs, and automation identities. The right control depends on the identity’s lifecycle, the target system, and the speed of the workflow. If access must exist for minutes or be embedded in code, static ticket-based privilege is usually the wrong model.
👉 Read our full editorial: PAM in 2025 is shifting from access control to identity governance