Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager vs IBM Security Secret Server comparison

Fortra and IBM are both solutions in the Privileged Access Management (PAM) category. Fortra is ranked #37, while IBM is ranked #20 with an average rating of 8.0. Fortra holds a 0.9% mindshare in PAM, compared to IBM’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution.

Fortra's Powertech Identity...

Read 1 Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager review

461 Views
323 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

IBM Security Secret Server

Read 8 IBM Security Secret Server reviews

593 Views
593 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Fortra's Powertech Identity...

IBM Security Secret Server

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager and IBM Security Secret Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about CyberArk, One Identity, Delinea and others in Privileged Access Management (PAM).

To learn more, read our detailed Privileged Access Management (PAM) Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

January 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Fortra's Powertech Identity...

Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)

37th

Average Rating

5.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Security Secret Server

Ranking in Privileged Access Management (PAM)

20th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Privileged Access Management (PAM) category, the mindshare of Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager is 0.9%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Secret Server is 1.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Security Secret Server	1.3%
Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager	0.9%
Other	97.8%

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Featured Reviews

reviewer910470

Practice Lead at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Inexperienced support for old product, but good flexibility for use case customization

HelpSystems Powertech is scalable if you throw more servers at it. Then you can distribute the load, which is a Microsoft SQL Server backend, and as long as you allocate enough resources to those things, then it is scalable. That's good enough. It would be an entire organization that uses it. So at a hospital for example, a healthcare system, a bank, and it would be the entire workforce on it. I haven't see a lot of customer's specific use cases, but it is for the whole workforce, everyone. The CEO of the company to the janitor. In terms of maintaining it, that requires application administrators or system administrators. There is a manual process to update the product, at least with the on-premise version.

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AsifIqbal

Chief Information Security Officer at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees

Privileged access monitoring has strengthened identity control and improved security posture

I find the monitoring and recording parts of IBM Security Secret Server to be the most valuable features. Password vaulting is somewhat typical, but I rate monitoring and recording as very good features, along with ease of deployment. The reporting tools in IBM Security Secret Server have helped me identify vulnerabilities. From the monitoring part, you can somewhat cover the identity vulnerability aspect. However, for identity vulnerability, I think the best approach is to use IAM rather than PAM. It is easy to integrate IBM Security Secret Server with cybersecurity frameworks, which is a very important aspect. When we are improving our attack surface, identity is the most important thing that we need to cover, and PAM will play a very crucial role in improving our cybersecurity framework and architecture. The main benefits that IBM Security Secret Server provides for me include complete control over the privileged identities, which are the main sources that can have the privilege to make numerous changes on the system. If we protect these identities through PAM and provide elevation on their accounts when required, then we can improve our security posture and infrastructure security.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"HelpSystems Powertech's feature that I have found most valuable is its flexibility. It is able to be extended. A lot of the products these days, especially the ones on the cloud, are limited and can't handle all the use cases. Often there is not even a way to customize the application to meet uncommon use cases and HelpSystems provides an infrastructure that lends itself to the ability to be customized."

"As a PAM solution, Secret Server performs all the use cases in our environment."

"What I like best about IBM Security Secret Server is its single-access console. It's also easy to manage and fulfills the requirements with the least resistance."

"Stability-wise, I think it is a very good solution."

"The live recording is a very useful feature."

"One of the most valuable features is scalability, and how it allows you to scale it without affecting the underlying core components."

"The main benefits that IBM Security Secret Server provides for me include complete control over the privileged identities, which are the main sources that can have the privilege to make numerous changes on the system, and if we protect these identities through PAM and provide elevation on their accounts when required, then we can improve our security posture and infrastructure security."

Cons

"In terms of what could be improved, I would say the support of the product. It's hard to get support for it. I think this is emblematic of the fact that they don't have a lot of employees who have long-term experience with it."

"The nonclustered index is working in an area with a problem that needs improvement."

"Secret Server should have the ability to discover privileged accounts in the servers, like the administrator or users, from SQL and Oracle without having to import a script."

"It would be preferable if the full proxy was included in the IBM Security Secret Server."

"What needs improvement in IBM Security Secret Server is support. The local partner provides good support, but IBM itself doesn't. Most of the time, the IBM support team does not aggressively resolve issues reported through chat or the IBM website."

"I mention that password vaulting and password rotation in IBM Security Secret Server are basically the same thing, and it becomes somewhat complex when integrating a different system with them because it requires API development."

"The newer interface is more difficult to use than the previous one, and consequently, new users might need more training."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"My rating for the IBM Security Secret Server pricing is seven out of ten. It could be cheaper."

"I believe that we paid 35,000 or 40,000 US dollars for it."

"The price could be better. I think it's a good price for the on-premises environment and the high availability for enterprises the solution provides."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Insurance Company

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Performing Arts

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	2

Comparisons

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Compared 29% of the time

ManageEngine Password Manager Pro vs Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager

Compared 23% of the time

One Identity Active Roles vs Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager

Compared 23% of the time

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Delinea Secret Server vs IBM Security Secret Server

Compared 37% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs IBM Security Secret Server

Compared 23% of the time

Delinea Privileged Access Service vs IBM Security Secret Server

Compared 20% of the time

More IBM Security Secret Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

January 2026

Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager report

Download Fortra's Powertech Identity & Access Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Security Secret Server

January 2026

Download IBM Security Secret Server product report

Also Known As

HelpSystems Powertech Identity & Access Manager, Powertech Identity & Access Manager, BoKS, BoKS ServerControl, Fox Technologies ApplicationControl, ApplicationControl

IBM Secret Server, Secret Server, IBM Security Privileged Identity Manager

Overview

Powertech Identity & Access Manager (BoKS) transforms your multi-vendor Linux and UNIX server environment into one centrally managed security domain. It simplifies your organization’s ability to enforce security policies, and control access to critical systems and information. With full control over accounts, access and privilege, IT and security teams can proactively prevent internal and external attacks on critical systems before they start.

Fortra

IBM Security Secret Server protects privileged accounts from hackers and insider threats, helps ensure compliance with evolving regulations, and allows authorized employees to seamlessly gain access to the tools and information they need to drive productivity. Easily detect, manage and audit privileged accounts, and control which applications are permitted to run on endpoints and servers to prevent malicious applications from penetrating the environment. IBM Security Secret Server is fast to deploy, easy to use and scalable for the enterprise.

IBM

Sample Customers

Integris Health

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

January 2026

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