Privileged Access Management Fundamentals

This privileged access management course will also explore some of the benefits of privileged access management and best practices. The course will then discuss privileged access management in the context of Active Directory (AD) and perform hands-on labs.

Prerequisites

Students should have 1-2 years of experience in IT before taking this course.

Course Goals

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

Understand what privileged access management (PAM) is and its intended use.

Learn how PAM can be used with Active Directory (AD).

What is Privileged Access Management?

Privileged access management is a combination of technology and tools that are used to secure, manage, and monitor the access to a company’s vital data and resources. Under the PAM umbrella there are various subcategories of security including access password management, vendor privileged access management, application access management, and privileged session management.

User accounts that are designated as privileged are often the target of criminal attacks because they have higher permissions, the ability to modify settings, and access to confidential data. When those accounts are compromised, the risk of damage is exponentially high, which can lead to very costly consequences for the organization.

What Does this Privileged Access Management Course Cover?

The Privileged Access Management Fundamentals course is an introduction to PAM that covers what it is and how it is intended to be used. The course also encompasses the benefits of using PAM for organizations, as well as discussion about PAM in relation to Active Directory. Students will have the opportunity to perform hands-on lab exercises to increase their knowledge and skill of PAM.

It’s expected that students who enroll in the PAM training course have one to two years of IT experience. Upon completion of this course, which is 7 hours and 15 minutes of clock time, students will earn 12 CEU/CPE and receive a Certificate of Completion.

How Does Privileged Access Management Work?

Privileged access management is used by PAM administrators to identify methods of access to privileged accounts across different applications and resources. Passwords and other credentials of privileged users are maintained in a highly secure specialized digital vault, for which the PAM administrator is responsible to protect. The PAM administrator utilizes the PAM portal to define which users can have access to the privileged accounts and in what situations they can do so.

Pam administrators are also required to make sure that passwords are changed regularly and often, sometimes this is done automatically, either at scheduled intervals or following each use. The PAM administrator is able to monitor user activities and manage live sessions in real time.

Why is Privileged Access Management Important?

In today’s technological world, organizations have to have policies and procedures in place to ensure the protection of their critical information. The increased security that a PAM system provides is the key to doing that. Having that protection is, of course, the biggest benefit of implementing a privileged access management system. Other benefits include:

* Protection against cybercrime – Personnel who have access to privileged information are challenged in the same manner as other users regarding the number of different passwords they must remember. They also tend to use the same password for multiple accounts and applications. However, privileged users are more at risk of being attacked by cyber criminals because of their level of access. PAM systems are designed to reduce the need for so many passwords and help avoid the necessity for privileged users to have to create local or direct system passwords. PAM’s session management and alerts will also help administrators to identify potential cyberattacks in real-time, providing more time to stop them before they happen. * Protection against internal attacks – Unfortunately, some cybercrime occurs in organizations internally, when an employee is a bad actor, or when permissions are not changed or deleted when employees change roles or leave the organization. A PAM system helps ensure that privileged data remains secure in those situations. * Regulatory compliance – There are various regulations that require very specific management of privileged user access and the ability to audit access. A PAM system allows the restrictions of access to sensitive systems, requirement of additional approvals, or the use multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, providing a clear audit trail.

How is it Best to Learn Privileged Access Management?

Having IT professionals who are experienced with privileged access management is vital to the ongoing operations of organizations. As a result, professionals with this skill are in-demand in the industry today. The best ways to learn about PAM is with a comprehensive training course, like the one offered here by Cybrary.

All of Cybrary’s courses are online and self-paced. That means that students can take as long as they need to fully understand the course material and concepts. It also ensures that students with busy schedules are able to access classes at the times that work best for them. Our PAM Fundamentals course is convenient and thorough, making it the perfect way to learn for students.

If you are interested in learning about PAM, its concepts, and its best practices, sign up for the PAM Fundamentals course today. Enrolling is simple, just click Register button at the top of this screen.