CyberArk PAM Solutions

The CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault (EPV) is the secure, hardened repository at the heart of the CyberArk platform. It is the foundation of every CyberArk implementation GCA delivers. CyberArk EPV stores, rotates, and enforces access policies on every privileged credential in the enterprise. This covers Windows local administrator accounts, cloud root credentials, database service accounts, and network device passwords.

The answer to "what is CyberArk used for at the credential level?" starts here: a FIPS 140-2 validated vault - what many practitioners still call the CyberArk Password Vault - that eliminates the need for shared passwords, sticky notes, and insecure credential handoffs.

CyberArk EPV enforces automated password rotation on a configurable schedule. Privileged credentials change regularly without human intervention. Rotation policies can be defined per safe, per account type, or per compliance requirement. This aligns credential lifecycle management with PCI-DSS Requirement 8.2, SOX IT General Controls, and NIST SP 800-53 AC-2. The vault supports dual-control workflows where credential checkout requires manager approval. Time-limited access ensures credentials are returned and rotated after the approved window expires.

Beyond storage and rotation, CyberArk EPV provides granular access workflows that map to organizational segregation-of-duties requirements. Safe-level permissions control who can view, check out, or administer credentials. Session management features tie directly to CyberArk PSM. Every credential checkout flows through an isolated session proxy rather than exposing the password to the end user. For enterprises with Disaster Recovery Vault configurations, GCA architects active-passive or active-active replication to ensure continuous credential availability across data centers.

Whether deployed on-premises, in a private cloud, or as part of a hybrid architecture, CyberArk EPV is the credential control layer that makes every downstream PAM capability possible.

CyberArk PSM (Privileged Session Manager) proxies and records every privileged session. Credentials are never exposed to the end user, and all session activity is captured for forensic review and compliance evidence. CyberArk PSM supports RDP, SSH, web application sessions, and database connections. Session isolation prevents credential theft even if the administrator's workstation is compromised.

When users connect through PSM, they authenticate to CyberArk but never see the underlying password. This eliminates the lateral movement vector that attackers exploit after compromising a single privileged account.

Real-time session monitoring gives security operations teams visibility into active privileged sessions. Configurable alert thresholds trigger notifications when session activity exceeds normal parameters. Examples include unexpected command execution, access outside business hours, or connections to out-of-scope systems.

Session recordings are fully searchable by command content, username, timestamp, and target system. This enables rapid forensic investigation during incident response. Audit trails satisfy PCI-DSS, SOX, and HIPAA evidence requirements with timestamped metadata that maps each session to a specific user, credential, and approval workflow. GCA configures PSM recording policies, storage retention, and SIEM integration during every CyberArk deployment.

CyberArk PTA (Privileged Threat Analytics) applies behavioral analytics to privileged activity streams. It detects credential theft, lateral movement, and anomalous access patterns that evade rule-based security controls. CyberArk PTA ingests events from the Enterprise Password Vault, PSM monitoring of admin access, and external SIEM feeds. It builds a behavioral baseline for every privileged account.

When deviations occur - a service account authenticating from an unexpected IP, a database administrator accessing systems outside their normal scope, or credential usage inconsistent with historical behavior - PTA generates risk-scored alerts that prioritize the highest-severity threats for immediate investigation.

The risk-scoring engine assigns numerical risk values based on deviation severity, account sensitivity, and threat intelligence context. High-risk alerts can trigger automated response workflows: immediate credential rotation, session termination, or SOC notification through SIEM integration with Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or IBM QRadar. GCA configures PTA tuning during every CyberArk deployment to reduce false positives while maintaining detection fidelity for genuine threats.

This behavioral analytics layer transforms CyberArk from a passive credential vault into an active threat detection platform. It identifies privileged access abuse in real time, the capability that distinguishes CyberArk from legacy password management tools.

GCA's CyberArk implementation follows a four-phase methodology designed to deliver production-ready deployments on schedule and within scope. Each phase produces documented deliverables that satisfy both technical requirements and compliance evidence obligations.

GCA deploys CyberArk across the most common privileged access scenarios enterprises face today. Whether securing privileged access for system administrators, managing vendor and third-party access with time-limited credential checkout, vaulting cloud infrastructure credentials across AWS, Azure, and GCP, or injecting DevOps secrets into CI/CD pipelines through CyberArk Conjur, each use case maps to specific CyberArk components and GCA implementation patterns. Our CyberArk implementation checklist covers the 12 decisions that determine deployment success across these scenarios, and our implementation services team has delivered each one in production environments across financial services, healthcare, energy, and telecommunications.

Without PAM, privileged credentials live in spreadsheets, shared password managers, or worse - on sticky notes and in team chat channels. There's no visibility into who accessed what, no monitoring of admin access for forensic investigation, and no behavioral detection to catch compromised accounts. When an audit arrives, organizations scramble to reconstruct access evidence from fragmented logs. And when a breach occurs, the attacker's path to critical assets runs straight through an unmanaged administrator credential.

With CyberArk implemented by GCA, every privileged credential is vaulted, rotated, and access-controlled from day one. Every privileged session is proxied and recorded with searchable audit trails. Behavioral analytics detect anomalous access in real time. Auditors get evidence packages without a reconstruction effort, and your security team gains visibility into the privileged access that previously operated in the dark.