Difference Between CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Host

• September 11 2024

Difference Between CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Host

A cybersecurity solution designed to protect and manage privileged accounts in an organization's IT environment, the CyberArk Privilege Cloud comes with its own distinct key features and benefits. It aims at securing privileged credentials (like administrative or root accounts), which, if compromised, can give attackers unrestricted access to critical systems and data. In brief, CyberArk Privilege Cloud offers a comprehensive, cloud-hosted solution to manage, protect, and monitor privileged accounts, helping organizations safeguard their most critical assets.

Here, we look at the key features of the CyberArk Privilege Cloud:

Privileged Access Management (PAM):

• Credential Storage & Rotation whereby credentials are securely stored in a centralized vault and automatically rotated periodically to reduce the risk of compromised accounts.
   
• Session Isolation provides a secure method to access systems, isolating, and managing privileged sessions. This prevents direct access to sensitive environments.
   
• Real-Time Monitoring & Auditing which involves monitoring and recording privileged sessions to detect and prevent suspicious activity. Here, detailed logs and session recordings are made in order to enable forensic investigations and compliance.

Cloud-Based Deployment:

In this method, the Privilege Cloud solution is hosted by CyberArk, thus making it easier to deploy and manage compared to traditional on-premise solutions. This substantially reduces infrastructure costs and speeds up deployment time.

Secure Access Anywhere:

Whereby the solution provides secure access to privileged accounts for remote employees, vendors, and third parties, enabling secure collaboration and operational efficiency without sacrificing security.

Automated Discovery & Onboarding:

This is a process that automatically discovers privileged accounts across an organization’s infrastructure and allows businesses to onboard them quickly into the PAM system.

Integration with Other Security Tools:

Every organization usually has its existing security tools or brings in others from time to time. CyberArk Privilege Cloud integrates with various IT systems and security tools such as identity management systems and SIEM solutions to enhance security and streamline workflows.

What is CyberArk Privilege Cloud Used for?

1. Compliance: Helps organizations meet regulatory requirements by enforcing strong access control policies and auditing privileged account activity.
    
2. Threat Prevention: Minimizes the risk of insider threats or external cyberattacks that target privileged accounts.
    
3. Remote Workforce: Enables secure remote access to critical systems while protecting privileged credentials.

What is CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted?

CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted is a cybersecurity solution designed to provide on-premise Privileged Access Management (PAM). This offering from CyberArk is for organizations that prefer or may be required to host and manage their own PAM solution in their data centre or private cloud environment. While it offers the same core functionalities as the cloud version, CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted gives the organization full control over deployment, customization, and management of the PAM infrastructure. In other words, CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted is a robust, customizable solution for managing privileged access, ideal for organizations that need on-premise deployment due to regulatory, security, or operational reasons.

Let us look at the Key Features of CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted

Privileged Account Security:

1. Vaulting of Privileged Credentials: CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted securely stores administrative and privileged account credentials in an encrypted digital vault, ensuring only authorized users have access.
    
2. Password Management: The solution automatically rotates and manages passwords for privileged accounts, reducing the risk of unauthorized access due to stale or weak passwords.

Privileged Session Management:

1. Session Recording and Auditing: It monitors, records, and stores privileged sessions, providing audit trails and recordings for forensic analysis and compliance reporting.
    
2. Real-Time Monitoring: CyberArk PAM Self-Hosting provides live monitoring of privileged sessions to detect suspicious activity and prevent potential security incidents.

On-Premise Control:

1. Complete Ownership: Since the solution is hosted on-premise, organizations retain full control over how the system is configured and deployed. This is often preferred by organizations in highly regulated industries or those with strict data sovereignty requirements.
    
2. Customizable Deployment: Allows for tailored integration with existing infrastructure, providing flexibility in terms of scaling and adapting the solution to the organization’s unique security and operational needs.

Automated Discovery of Privileged Accounts:

Discovers privileged accounts, credentials, and secrets across the organization’s infrastructure and automatically enrols them into the PAM system for management and monitoring.

Integration with Enterprise Systems:

Seamlessly integrates with identity management, security information and event management (SIEM), and other enterprise security tools to provide a comprehensive security solution.

Comprehensive Security Policies:

CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted enables the enforcement of strict security controls and policies, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and least privilege principles to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to critical systems.

Compliance and Governance:

1. Regulatory Compliance: Helps organizations meet regulatory requirements by providing detailed reports, session recordings, and audit trails for privileged access.
    
2. Audit Support: It simplifies audits and enhances visibility into privileged access activity.

What is CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted Used for?

1. Data Sovereignty Requirements: For companies that need to keep data within their own environment due to compliance or internal security policies.
    
2. High Regulations in Certain Industries: Financial services, healthcare, government, and others that are bound by strict regulations may prefer self-hosted PAM for greater control.
    
3. Customization and Integration: Businesses that need a high level of customization or have complex IT environments that require extensive integration with other on-premise systems.

What are the Key Differences between CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted

The major differences between CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted are -

1. Hosting: Unlike CyberArk Privilege Cloud, which is hosted and managed by CyberArk, the PAM Self-Hosted solution requires the organization to host and manage the infrastructure.
    
2. Flexibility: Offers more flexibility and control over the configuration and maintenance of the solution compared to the cloud version, but also places the responsibility for managing the infrastructure on the organization.
    
3. Cost Structure: Involves a higher upfront cost for hardware and software but may result in lower long-term costs for large enterprises that can maintain the solution internally.

Which Solution Works for Your Organization?

Choosing between the two, CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted depends on several factors as organizational needs, infrastructure preferences, compliance requirements, and available resources. 

Here’s a comparison that should help identify which solution is better suited for a certain kind of organization:

CyberArk Privilege Cloud:

This is the cloud-hosted solution managed by CyberArk. It’s typically ideal for organizations looking for rapid deployment, reduced operational overhead, and flexible scaling.

Best Suited for:

• Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that include SMEs that may lack the resources or expertise to manage their own on-premise PAM solution can benefit from a cloud-hosted solution. CyberArk Privilege Cloud simplifies deployment and management. Also, those companies with less capital investment and budgets required for hardware and maintenance. It provides flexible subscription pricing.
   
• Organizations with Limited IT Resources that include companies with small IT or security teams may prefer this solution, as CyberArk manages much of the infrastructure and maintenance in the cloud.  It reduces the need for specialized in-house expertise to maintain the platform.
   
• Businesses with a Remote Workforce that include organizations requiring secure access for remote employees, contractors, and third-party vendors often benefit from the cloud-based solution, which allows secure, scalable remote access to privileged accounts.
   
• Companies with a Preference for SaaS Solutions. In this category, we include businesses that prioritize agility and operational efficiency and have already adopted other cloud services can seamlessly integrate CyberArk Privilege Cloud into their existing cloud ecosystem.
   
• Organizations without Data Sovereignty Concerns. So, if an organization doesn’t have strict regulations around keeping sensitive data on-premise or within specific geographic regions, a cloud-hosted solution like CyberArk Privilege Cloud is often a good fit.

Here, there are certain key advantages like:

• Faster Deployment: Reduced implementation time compared to on-premise solutions.
   
• Lower Upfront Costs: No need for large capital investments in hardware.
   
• Managed Services: CyberArk handles system maintenance, upgrades, and security.
   
• Scalability: Easily scales up or down based on business needs.
   

CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted:

This is an on-premise solution where the organization retains full control over deployment, maintenance, and management. It’s designed for organizations with specific security, compliance, or customization needs.

Best Suited for:

• Large Enterprises: Large organizations with complex IT environments and numerous privileged accounts may prefer to self-host for greater customization and control over their infrastructure. Also, larger companies often have the necessary in-house expertise and resources to manage the infrastructure and ensure smooth operations.
   
• Highly Regulated Industries: Businesses in sectors which deal with considerable volume of confidential and sensitive data like financial services, healthcare, government, and defence having stringent regulatory and compliance requirements often prefer an on-premise solution.  Data Sovereignty Requirements are non-negotiable in certain businesses. If your organization needs to keep sensitive data within its own data centers for regulatory reasons, PAM Self-Hosted is ideal.
   
• Organizations Needing High Customization: Companies that require custom workflows, specialized configurations, or deep integrations with legacy systems benefit from the flexibility of an on-premise deployment. IT departments can fully control the architecture, security policies, and infrastructure setup to match their specific needs.
   
• Organizations with Strict Security Policies: Businesses that prefer to maintain full control over security, data storage, and compliance (e.g., due to internal risk management policies or regulatory mandates) will benefit from an on-premise deployment. Self-hosted solutions provide better control over system updates, data access, and privileged session monitoring.
   

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The key advantages of this solution are:

1. Complete Control: Full control over the infrastructure, security, and management of the PAM solution.
    
2. Customization: Tailored to meet specific security, operational, and compliance needs, including deep integration with existing systems.
    
3. Compliance Requirements: Better suited for organizations that need to meet strict compliance and data sovereignty regulations.
    
4. In-House Expertise: Best for organizations that have the IT expertise to maintain and manage the system.

Decision Factors:

Organizations should weigh their regulatory requirements, in-house expertise, and operational preferences to make the best decision for their environment.

1. For flexibility, lower maintenance, and quick scaling, organizations should choose CyberArk Privilege Cloud.
    
2. For maximum control, customizations, and strict compliance needs, business houses should opt for CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted.

Summing Up

Both CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted are Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions designed to secure and manage privileged accounts. However, they cater to different organizational needs and you need to make an analysis of the two against your specific organizational needs to choose one.

CyberArk Privilege Cloud is a cloud-hosted solution managed by CyberArk. It is ideal for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), businesses with limited IT resources, and organizations with a remote workforce. It offers rapid deployment, reduced operational overheads, and automatic scaling without requiring hardware or extensive maintenance. CyberArk efficiently handles updates, maintenance, and security, making it a good choice for companies that are not governed by strict data sovereignty or compliance regulations.

In contrast, CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted is an on-premise solution that offers full control and customization for large enterprises, highly regulated industries that deal with considerable confidential data like finance, healthcare, government, or businesses with stringent security requirements. In this case, organizations manage their own infrastructure, allowing for deeper integration with existing systems and compliance with data sovereignty laws. This requires more in-house resources and expertise but provides a lot of flexibility for complex environments.

Thus, CyberArk Privilege Cloud suits organizations seeking convenience and scalability while CyberArk PAM Self-Hosted is suitable for business houses needing maximum control and customization.