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IT Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Integrates with privileged threat analytics and gives alerts on login risks, risky behaviors, and other risk signs
Pros and Cons
  • "I found it valuable that CyberArk Privileged Access Manager can be integrated with PTA (privileged threat analytics), and this means that it will tell you if there's a risk to the logins and signs of risk and if risky behavior is observed. It's a good feature. Another good feature is the CPM (central password manager) because it helps you rotate the passwords automatically without involving the admins. It can go and update the scheduled tasks and the services. At the same time, if there's an application where it cannot do all of these, CPM will trigger an automatic email to the application owners, telling them that they should go ahead and change the password. This allows you to manage the account password that CyberArk cannot manage, which helps mitigate the risk of old passwords, where the password gets compromised, and also allows you to manage the security of the domain."
  • "What could be improved in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the licensing model. It should be more flexible in terms of the users. Currently, it's based on the number of users, but many users only log in once in four months or once in five months. It would be great if the licensing model could be modified based on user needs. We even have users who have not logged in even once."

What is our primary use case?

Our main use cases for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager are privileged access management and privileged session management. Another use case of the solution is password rotation.

How has it helped my organization?

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager improved our organization by identifying the owners of the service accounts. Each service account should be associated with an owner because without an owner, that account becomes an orphan account that nobody can take ownership of, so this means nobody would know what that account is doing. When we brought in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it helped us have a roadmap that allowed account ownership and account onboarding. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager gave us a roadmap, a plan to follow, and a guide on how to manage privileged access, and this is very important because we don't want privileged access to be compromised or breached.

Realizing the benefits of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager was a long journey. It was not an easy journey. It was a long journey to put things in place and get them onboarded because not all applications were compatible. It took six months to a year at least, to start the process properly.

The applications which were in Active Directory were easy, for example, it was easy to onboard the accounts and rotate the passwords because that meant only running scheduled tasks. There were a few accounts, however, where the applications weren't compatible with password rotation, particularly old applications or legacy applications that would break if the passwords were changed. To get all those sorted and to get all those in place, and explain what those changes were, took a lot of time, but for accounts that were just running scheduled tasks or services, those were onboarded easily and had their passwords rotated, particularly those which had identified owners.

What is most valuable?

One of the features I found valuable in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is privileged session management. It's a feature that allows you to record the session, so if there's a risk, that risk can be highlighted.

I also found it valuable that CyberArk Privileged Access Manager can be integrated with PTA, and this means that it will tell you if there's a risk to the logins and signs of risk and if risky behavior is observed. It's a good feature.

Another good feature is the CPM because it helps you rotate the passwords automatically without involving the admins. It can go and update the scheduled tasks and the services. At the same time, if there's an application where it cannot do all of these, CPM will trigger an automatic email to the application owners, telling them that they should go ahead and change the password. This allows you to manage the account password that CyberArk cannot manage, which helps mitigate the risk of old passwords, where the password gets compromised, and also allows you to manage the security of the domain.

Integration is also a valuable feature of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. It has an application access module function that allows you to integrate and manage applications, including BOT accounts. It also allows you to manage ServiceNow and many other applications.

What needs improvement?

What could be improved in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the licensing model. It should be more flexible in terms of the users. Currently, it's based on the number of users, but many users only log in once in four months or once in five months. It would be great if the licensing model could be modified based on user needs. We even have users who have not logged in even once.

Another area for improvement in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the release of vulnerability patches because they don't release it for all versions. They would say: "Okay, you should upgrade it to this point. The patches are available", but sometimes it is not feasible to do an upgrade instantly for any environment, because it has to go through the change management process and also have other application dependencies. If that can be sorted out, that would be nice.

Buyer's Guide
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for around seven years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is deployed on-premises in the company, so I'm unable to comment on scalability, but they do have a software as a service model, so that's scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is responsive. As for their timelines for completing tickets, it would depend on the process. Sometimes it takes them less time to respond, and sometimes it takes them longer. They have different levels of support, so if level one is not able to resolve it, they escalate the issue in due time to the next level of support. They're mostly able to help.

On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best, I'm giving their support an eight. There's always room for improvement, and in their case, in terms of support, what they could improve is their response time, especially their response to business-critical activities or issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

The company was probably using LockBox before using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, but I'm not sure about that.

How was the initial setup?

Installing CyberArk Privileged Access Manager was easy. It's only the firewall you need to introduce into the environment that takes time, particularly if you're doing an on-premises model.

What was our ROI?

I saw a return on investment from using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. It's a good privilege access management solution and identity and access management solution as a whole. It's a really good product.

The solution was definitely implemented because it saves you time and money, for example, access management and privileged access management are now automated when in the past, those processes were done manually. The new feature CyberArk DNA was also given free of charge, so that DNA tool can scan the environment for all the vulnerable accounts for password hash attacks, for accounts where the passwords were not changed. That definitely saves time, because that type of scanning would be very difficult for someone to do manually, and the report that comes out of that scan is very objective.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not involved in the purchase of the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager licenses, so I'm unable to comment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was not part of the evaluation process.

What other advice do I have?

I recently switched jobs, so I was working with CyberArk Privileged Access Manager in my previous organization, and also using it in my current organization. I'm using version 12.2 of the solution.

In terms of maintenance, it can be monitored through SCOM Monitoring, but the vault is standalone. CyberArk Privileged Access Manager can enable SNMP Traps so that the vault can be monitored automatically and it can trigger an incident to the ticketing tool the teams are using. It has the ability for automated monitoring.

My advice to others looking into implementing CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is to know their network properly. If they're doing an on-premises deployment, they should know their network properly, and they should first audit their environment in terms of the accounts they're going to manage on CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. They should also assign the owners and assign everything beforehand to help make implementation faster.

I'm rating CyberArk Privileged Access Manager nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Founder at GoTab IT Risk Services
Real User
Provides simplicity and ease of implementation for the right level of security controls
Pros and Cons
  • "CyberArk is a very stable product and it's a stable product because it has a simple design and a simple architecture that allows you to leverage the economies of scale across the base of your infrastructure that you already have implemented. It doesn't really introduce any new complex pieces of infrastructure that would make it that much more difficult to scale."
  • "CyberArk has to continue to evolve with that threat landscape to make sure that they're still protecting those credentials that are owned by those that have privileged accounts in the firms."

How has it helped my organization?

From an industry perspective, you continue to see the headlines in the media about how bad actors have been able to take advantage of weak policies and security controls around access management within companies.  In these cases, the focus has been around employees that can access the most sensitive information, or have access to the very controls that operate and protect the firm.  Products like CyberArk, that provide controls for privileged access, have helped mitigate the threat of taking over those accounts that have the greatest amount of risk to an organization, particularly for those who are system administrators and have the highest powers in being able to access all levels of the technology infrastructure.

When it comes to the product's ability to standardize security and reduce risk across the entire enterprise, standardization is all about simplifying the complexity of IT threats and risks and it's all about the standardization of the controls that you have in place. If you have a product set that enables you to provide security, and it is consistently applied across a specific user base, then you have standardization which drives both enhanced security through the privileged access controls, and efficiency through the standardization of your operating model.

Availability is an interesting challenge, but it is part of an IT Risk Strategy.  When it comes to Cybersecurity, Privileged Access control is the ability to manage IT risk associated with the most powerful access to your infrastructure services.  This IT Risk can manifest itself as compromised information, manipulated data, or disruption of your IT based services. A Privileged Access Security product reduces the threat of stolen credentials and account takeovers of those profiles that would have the power to take down your enterprise.   Therefore, it not only reduces the risk to your firm, but also drastically improves availability. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are its simplicity and the ease of implementation. When you think about privileged access management and the complexity of solving privileged access for those system administrators in your organization, CyberArk is a product that helps you simplify that problem and implement a standard set of security controls to protect the enterprise.  

In terms of the products ability to manage Privileged Access control requirements at scale; scale is really a function of two influences, which would either be the size of your infrastructure, or the complexity of your organizations operating model for those that have privileged access to your infrastructure services.  CyberArk scales quite readily across a large organization and through proper design and engineering is capable of expanding across a variety of use cases.  Like any technology control implementation however, it is always important to ensure you review and optimize the organizations support operating model, in order to ensure that you have the most optimal design and implementation of CyberArk.  

What needs improvement?

CyberArk has captured the individual privileged access space well. They've captured the application-to-application and DEVOPS space quite well.. They should continue to invest in optimizing the services, and help companies drive down risk associated with application based passwords, as this is an industry that is being closely watched by external regulators. 

CyberArk continues to stay close to the industry and are always looking for ways to improve  their products and service offerings accordingly.  There are 3 areas that I would call out, that CyberArk should continue to focus on:

1) Continue to help organizations understand how they align their strategies and roadmaps to industry trends and the overall cybersecurity threat landscape. 

2) Continue to help the industry innovate on talent , and position customers to be more successful in supporting their CyberArk implementations. 

3) Continue to help customers understand the Risk reduction capabilities and scorecards associated with their deployments.  Initiatives like the CyberArk Blueprint will help enable enable informed customers. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The perceived stability of CyberArk is quite dependent on the complexity of the environment it is implemented in, and the overall design of the infrastructure, including both PSM and Vault technologies.  As an infrastructure it is quite stable; however, in complex network infrastructure environments, sporadic network disruptions could create issues accessing the various CyberArk network devices.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is a function of both technology growth, and integration capability.  CyberArk has not only continued to advance the infrastructure robustness of their software solutions, but through the C3 alliance they have also created integration opportunities with other IT Security and Access Mgmt products that allow companies to provide a full ecosystem of IT controls within their organizations.    This also provides an opportunity for companies to consider best of breed products, like CyberArk, and not have to restrict their decisions to a small set of technology tools that do not provide comprehensive Privileged Access Services.

How are customer service and technical support?

CyberArk is a growing company and their technical support has continued to grow and mature across the organization. The one thing I'll say that CyberArk has been able to do is to continue to keep in touch with its customers and look into areas where there's opportunity to continue improving their technical support across the organization. CyberArk works with an integrated model: They have integrators within firms that will implement the product. But at some point, you always need to refer back to the software owners of the product to make sure that you're comfortable that what you've designed and implemented is in keeping with what their blueprint would have recommended in the first place. In addition, their technical support has continued to mature and grow to help customers become successful in their deployments.

How was the initial setup?

What is complex is privileged access management. When companies look at implementing a software solution for privileged access management, if they actually haven't looked at the complexities of privileged access within their own organization — and I'm speaking more in terms of the business processes for that type of access across the organization — then any software tool is going to look complex because it's not going to solve the problem.

If a firm focuses on understanding their existing Privileged Access operating model, the inherent business processes, and the risk & pervasiveness of Privileged Access across their enterprise, then they will be better positioned to understand the business problem they need to solve.  CyberArk will then become a capability that enables them to solve their IT Risk issues with privileged access, and capitalize on the efficiencies with their new operating model.  The complexity seldom ever lies in the technology. It always lies in how well it integrates with the business processes that the firm is trying to solve as part of its deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Privileged Access Management is a business transformation program.  It forces business to look at their overall operating model for system administrative and application based access, and develop a strategy that reduces risk overall to the enterprise. Once this strategy is completed, and a new operating model is conceived, CyberArk software and services becomes a very effective series of controls that enable the business to secure the most sensitive access to services, and allows the organization to operate within their risk tolerance. 

Far too often companies will treat the CyberArk product set as a software implementation, that becomes overly complex and evolves into a multi-year program. This is due in part to the legacies of technology programs, where the implementation will force business to rethink their operating model, and therefore delays, scope changes and cost of overall program becomes associated with the software implementation initiative. This is a consequence of positioning a Privileged Access program as a security software implementation, and not a true business transformation initiative. 

While CyberArk continues to adjust its licensing costs and continues to look at the comparisons in the industry and the ability to effectively and affordably help companies and firms solve their privileged access problems, companies also have to look at the overall cost of what a privileged access program means to their firm, and what shareholder value they gain as a result of implementing those types of products or services or business processes. In that context, they should start to look at what the comparison is against the software that they're using to enable those very controls they're trying to implement.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I've spent some time with BeyondTrust. I've spent some time with Centrify. I've had their products in for different instances and different purposes. They play an interesting concentric role in some of the areas that they focus on, but I wouldn't say I have one-to-one experience in other product sets.

What other advice do I have?

CyberArk continues to innovate, as they refine strategies based on industry research and trends in the cyber security landscape, and incorporate the necessary updates to both their roadmaps as well as their product sets. The creation of the customer implementation roadmap, acquisition of Conjur for DEVOPS and the development of  Alero to address 3rd party secured access, are examples of product innovation to address  emerging risks within the  industry.  

I would rate CyberArk 8 our of 10;  although I do remain impressed with their existing set of product offerings, their cyber security roadmap & strategy, and their overall corporate philosophy, I do feel it is necessary for them to ensure they remain vigilant and maintain pace with an evolving cyber industry.  Significant disruption in the technology industry brought on by advancements in Machine Learning / AI, commoditization of cyber attack tools, and rapid deployment of IoT based technologies, summon the need to ensure companies do not become complacent in the agility of their security tools.

I have several passions. One of the passions I've always had is in organizational transformation and leadership. A second is really around the space for identity and access management. CyberArk has allowed me to continue, even after I've retired from the industry after 35 years, to still live that passion through their customers. I've been given the opportunity to provide some keynotes around organizational transformation. It's an exciting industry to be in and CyberArk has allowed me the benefit of still continuing to enjoy that experience.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
ABHILASH TH - PeerSpot reviewer
ABHILASH THManaging Director at FOX DATA
Reseller

Valuable review

Buyer's Guide
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer907214 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, CyberSecurity at Ashburn Consulting LLC
User
Top 20
Great credential rotation automation and privileged session management with helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to develop and deploy applications with no stored secrets is very valuable."
  • "The greatest area of improvement is with the user interface of the Password Vault Web Access component."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for the full automation of tens of thousands of credentials across hundreds of different integrations. Our use case includes Windows, Linux, networks, security, storage, mainframe, and cloud (both Software as a Service and Azure platform based). In addition to the credential rotation, we use credential providers and privileged session management to greatly reduce the use of passwords in the environment. Users authenticate using MFA, Multi-Factor Authentication, and are able to access systems based on Role Bases authentication rules. 

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has improved security posture while greatly reducing administrative burden. We leverage CyberArk to deploy applications without the use of secrets.  

Applications authenticate securely to CyberArk using a combination of certificates and other extended application-identifying parameters to promote a secure DevSecOps environment.   

The extensibility of CyberArk has enabled us to develop custom integrations into Microsoft Azure leveraging KeyVault to synchronize on-premise and cloud secrets in a consistent hybrid credential management architecture.

What is most valuable?

Credential rotation automation combined with privileged session management are great aspects of the solution. It enables highly complex passwords that the end user never knows or sees. We have some use cases where administrative users will log in to highly privileged systems using a one-time use secret and immediately following their administrative session the password is rotated

The ability to develop and deploy applications with no stored secrets is very valuable. This keeps code repositories free of secrets and application authentication is centrally controlled and monitored.

What needs improvement?

The greatest area of improvement is with the user interface of the Password Vault Web Access component. The latest long-term support version of CyberArk (12.x)  still includes and still leverages the version 9.x UI in order to maintain some of the administrative functionality.   

The performance of the 9.x UI leaves much to be desired and there are still some administrative tasks that require the use of a thick "PrivateArk" client.   

Many improvements have been made over time, however, there is still work needed.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has been quite stable for many years and includes the functionality for clustering the multiple site replication, both of which we leverage for a high level of uptime.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable, however, with scale, there are certainly performance considerations.

How are customer service and support?

Support has been a mixed bag. First-level support has been extremely time-consuming to get to an escalation resource that can help us resolve our reported issue. In all fairness, we have a very experienced staff and generally only contact support for more complex issues. There have been improvements made over the years and the commitment to improving support. Still, there is work needed in that department.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not previously use a different solution. 

How was the initial setup?

Setup depends on the complexity of the solution. A simple configuration could be up and running in a day.

What about the implementation team?

Our environment is run in-house by a contract team with expertise in CyberArk.  However, we do leverage the vendor for major upgrades and have used their technical account manager services in the past

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at BCBS of MI
User
Top 20
Good notifications, solid support, and agentless architecture
Pros and Cons
  • "I find value in notifications from CyberArk when passwords fail verification and have other issues."
  • "The current interface is not very intuitive."

What is our primary use case?

CyberArk PAM is used to secure passwords and remediate audit findings. CyberArk PAM is used to manage access to passwords, rotating these after use or on a regular basis, and verifying the passwords on the system match what is in the vault on a regular basis. Passwords are managed in this manner on both Linux and Windows servers.

How has it helped my organization?

CyberArk PAM ensures that passwords on Linux servers are highly secure, regularly changed, and completely auditable. This saves enormous amounts of time when responding to audits and security concerns. And the scheduled verification of passwords ensures that passwords remain available when needed and stay secure. CyberArk has become the standard tool for password management.

What is most valuable?

I find value in notifications from CyberArk when passwords fail verification and have other issues. Investigation of these issues often uncovers other issues. The way safe security is handled is outstanding and makes it easy to provide safe access to those who need it and deny safe access to those who should not have it.  

Another valuable feature is the agentless architecture of the product. Using native processes to manage passwords and not having to install and update agents is a huge plus.

What needs improvement?

A more friendly and functionally complete user interface would be nice to have. The current interface is not very intuitive. It is somewhat clunky and difficult to navigate, and many times have to toggle between the somewhat underdeveloped new interface and the older classic UI. This state of basically having two interfaces is a prime opportunity for CyberArk to improve its product.

Also, it would be nice if the vaults could run on Linux instead of Windows.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with CyberArk for more than ten years in various capacities ranging from end user to safe/vault administrator to application administrator.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is incredibly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not run into any scaling issues.

How are customer service and support?

CyberArk support is pretty solid.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is more complex than simple, however, not daunting.

What about the implementation team?

We worked with the vendor team who were very knowledgeable during the implementation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The PAM product isn't low-cost, however, it is worth it. Go with a longer-term agreement to realize lower costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

CyberArk PAM was chosen before I got involved so I am not aware of which other products were evaluated. However, we have never had to go back and review the decision to use CyberArk.

What other advice do I have?

Use CyberArk professional services when needed. They are very knowledgeable and experienced which means engagements have a high success rate.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Salif Bereh - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Remote desktop manager can register connections, making it easy to connect to machines through the virtual IP
Pros and Cons
  • "All the features of CyberArk are useful for me, but the biggest one is that CyberArk has logs for all the features. That is important when there is a problem. You know where to look and you have the information. In cyber security, the most important aspect is information."
  • "The PTA could be improved. Currently, companies often have multiple domains and sometimes it's difficult to implement CyberArk in this kind of infrastructure. For example, you can add CPM (Central Policy Manager) and PSM (Privileged Session Manager and PVWA (Password Vault Web Access) for access, but if you want to add PTA (Privileged Threat Analysis) to scan Vault logs, it is difficult because this component may be adding multiple domain environments."

What is our primary use case?

There are many possible use cases, but in general, CyberArk permits users to target machines and rotate their passwords, and to record decisions. It is used to create security through PTA and to forward Vault logs and investigate events. It also enables users to access passwords in dev code without actually knowing the passwords. There are a lot of advantages to CyberArk.

As a consultant, I have seen a lot of CyberArk configurations. Sometimes we use the CyberArk Cluster Vaults with one DR. I also worked for a company that used only one vault, without a cluster, but they switched data centers when there was an incident.

How has it helped my organization?

I used to be a Windows and Linux administrator before I used CyberArk. The difference is that now it is simple for me to connect to my target machines. I can add them to my favorites, making access to the servers simple. 

CyberArk enables confidentiality. The passwords are stored in a fully secured Vault. If you want, you can access target machines without using PVWA. If you act as a remote desktop manager, you can register your connections and connect your target machines through the virtual IP and easily connect to your machines. Your connections and commands would all be registered to the Vault.

What is most valuable?

All the features of CyberArk are useful for me, but the biggest one is that CyberArk has logs for all the features. That is important when there is a problem. You know where to look and you have the information. In cyber security, the most important aspect is information.

Another valuable feature is that if you don't have access to a machine, you can see the machine in CyberArk. It's the management capabilities that CyberArk enables for a company that are very useful.

Other useful features are optional, such as recording decisions or rotating passwords.

What needs improvement?

The PTA could be improved. Currently, companies often have multiple domains and sometimes it's difficult to implement CyberArk in this kind of infrastructure. For example, you can add CPM (Central Policy Manager) and PSM (Privileged Session Manager and PVWA (Password Vault Web Access) for access, but if you want to add PTA (Privileged Threat Analysis) to scan Vault logs, it is difficult because this component may be adding multiple domain environments. 

CyberArk, as a solution, can easily adapt to a lot of environments, and you can add a lot of components to different zones, and that will work with the Vault. But not all the components, such as the PTA, can do so.

Also, it would be helpful if CyberArk added some features for monitoring machines when we access them. For example, they need to improve the PVWA. In general, when we don't use the PVWA, we don't have a lot of problems. For me, the PVWA is not perfect. I would like to see more features in the PVWA to administer our machines and to improve the transfer of data.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for more than three years.

I have implemented and maintained CyberArk solutions for clients, including creating administration functionality, such as platforms and support for users, so that everybody has 24/7 access to the account. 

I have also been involved in enhancing the solution by installing useful components and testing them. I would help analyze if a component could be of interest to the client and then implement it in production.

In general, I would help maintain the solutions and make sure that everybody can access the accounts, and that password rotation works.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate WALLIX support at six out of ten, while CyberArk's support is a seven. The reason it's a seven is that we always have to send them the logs. Of course, we do get some response and they work on things, but sometimes we lose time on little tickets.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

If you have some experience, it is not complex to implement CyberArk. For me, the preparation is more difficult than the installation. Because CyberArk uses binaries, if you add good information, it will work. But if you miss something at the preparation stage, like the opening of the flows that you need, of course, it will be difficult. I know how the solution works, so it's not difficult.

First, you have to install the Vaults, and after installing them you can add PVWA to access the information. After that, you can install the PSM and then the CPM for the rotation, and that's it.

The time it takes to implement depends on the environment. Sometimes we work with complex environments and we have to adapt and collect all the information that we will need. We need to look out how the machines should be set up for the installation. It really depends on the size of CyberArk you want to install, including how many computers will be onboarded to CyberArk. There are technical and functional variables.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

CyberArk is one of the best PAM solutions and one of the most expensive, but it works better than the others, so the pricing is fair.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I used to work on WALLIX Bastion, but CyberArk works better than WALLIX. WALLIX is a PAM solution, a French version, but when I was at another job I was a consultant on both WALLIX and CyberArk at the same time. That's when I saw that CyberArk is better.

It is simpler to upgrade the CyberArk environment and components than WALLIX. CyberArk has a user interface but WALLIX does not because WALLIX is installed on Linux while CyberArk is installed on Windows, making it user-friendly. Connecting is also simple with CyberArk. When a user connects to the PVWA, there aren't a lot of buttons. When users see the icon, they click "Connect" and connect. It is simple for them.

CyberArk can adapt easily to environments. For example, when we talk about connectors, CyberArk can easily connect to all the target machines these days. CyberArk can onboard network machines, Windows Servers, Linux servers, and Oracle Databases.

Web application passwords can be rotated. With its PSM and Selenium features, it enables the connection of a web application to CyberArk and rotation of passwords, so that it's not system accounts all the time. We can manage the web application accounts as well. CyberArk can also connect to the cloud.

What other advice do I have?

When you work on CyberArk, you have to have more than one skill set. You are not just a PAM consultant because you manage passwords for all kinds of systems. You have to have skills in Windows, Linux, databases, and security because you manage those kinds of accounts. If you don't have those kinds of prerequisites, you can't work with CyberArk.

I started working on CyberArk when it was version 10.x and at this moment it is at 12 and more. The interface has changed and a lot of features have been added over that time. It's a good solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Team Lead at Flash.co
Real User
Provides centralized management, AI capabilities, and advanced threat detection
Pros and Cons
  • "The AI capabilities, including advanced threat detection features, are very helpful for us. They reduce human effort and errors, allowing us to quickly identify and respond to threats."
  • "Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten."
  • "Pricing is a concern for me because it is not very user-friendly for startups, new users, or very small organizations."
  • "Pricing is a concern for me because it is not very user-friendly for startups, new users, or very small organizations."

What is our primary use case?

We use CyberArk Privileged Access Manager to manage our privileged accounts because it protects against cyberattacks and prevents unnecessary or illegal access. 

How has it helped my organization?

It provides a centralized management system, making it easier for us to enforce policies and monitor access across our organization. Additionally, we can monitor sessions and record and detect suspicious activities that are harmful to our systems and organization.

What is most valuable?

The AI capabilities, including advanced threat detection features, are very helpful for us. They reduce human effort and errors, allowing us to quickly identify and respond to threats. This solution scales up our IT environment and resolves almost every issue that poses a threat to our organization.

What needs improvement?

Pricing is a concern for me because it is not very user-friendly for startups, new users, or very small organizations. It might be better if the price was reduced. Sometimes, the maintenance cost can also be high.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager for the last one and a half to two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Every application has downtime. However, it remains stable overall. I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. I would rate it a ten out of ten for scalability.

How are customer service and support?

Sometimes, when I face issues or want to understand some features, or it is difficult to identify activities in our system, I contact the support team. They are very helpful, always available, and try to resolve our issues as soon as possible.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This is the first PAM solution that I implemented in our organization.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very easy, nor very difficult. It is moderate to deploy.

It does not require any maintenance from our side.

What about the implementation team?

We have a team of three to five members, and they deployed it in a minimum of one week.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its price can be reduced.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I researched some solutions and found CyberArk Privileged Access Manager to be one of the good solutions. I am very happy with the product.

What other advice do I have?

I am happy with this product. If someone is looking for a PAM solution, I recommend it because it has a large developer community and good customer support. It is more stable than the others, and I am very happy with it. 

Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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PeerSpot user
Meo Ist - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Product Manager and Technology Consultant at Barikat
Reseller
Greta digital vault, very robust, and offers great integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a robust product."
  • "It is very complex and difficult to set up the solution."

What is our primary use case?

I use CyberArk as a password vault and session recordings and to connect the server sites. I use some critical systems if I can access them, including workflows and mechanisms. 

What is most valuable?

It's really good. 

The digital vault is great. It protects our passwords and manages those passwords and changing periods.

There is some third-party access to our system's recording process. It's very, very important for us and we're glad they allow it.

It is a robust product. It's very stable and reliable.

The solution can scale well. 

What needs improvement?

The interface could be updated a bit. Right now, it's not very good. 

It is very complex and difficult to set up the solution. 

Maybe some customers have a lot of systems. For example, we have 1000 Windows systems and 500 Linux systems. I need a remote desktop management solution for the CyberArk. I'd like to be able to change desktops with one click. We'd like the next release to have remote desktop management tools. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for the last five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

We no have had no performance issues; it's a really robust product. If I need more performance, I use another server, install another server, and improve our performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very easily scalable. 

We have 50 admins on this solution. 

We are using the solution to 70% capacity. We do plan to increase usage. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did use Delinea, formally Thycotic. That solution is really good, however, not fully secure. CyberArk is a more secure product - much better than Thycotic. Thycotic may be better in terms of its admin-friendly interface and integration, however, CyberArk offers more than vendor integration. It has massive integration capabilities.

How was the initial setup?

The implementation and integration process is very, very complex. It is a robust product, however. I don't have to do a lot of setups, luckily. However, when you first set it up, it's very difficult as you don't really know what you're doing. 

The first 27% of the implementation took us maybe three months, however, for more than 95% of installation, it took us over one year. We had all the features up and running, however. 

We started with connection and session recording features, however, items such as password changing and other integrations, for example, firewall connection and switch interface connection were rolled out over the year.

You only need one person to maintain the solution. 

What about the implementation team?

We had a third party help us with the implementation process. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's a yearly license that we pay. It is more expensive than other options. There are competitive products that are cheaper. 

I can't speak to the exact price. On a scale of one to five, with one being the most expensive, I would rate it a one. The license covers five servers. If you need more servers, you pay more. The same is true with disaster sites. If you need a disaster site, you are fine. It is included. If you need more, you need to pay for it. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look at multi-factor authentification options and zero-trust network access. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. It's likely the latest version.

This is a fully secure product and integrates with a lot of different systems. I'd recommend the product to others. 

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: ex-partner, changed companies a month ago
PeerSpot user
Information Security Analyst III at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
We can make a policy that affects everybody instantly
Pros and Cons
  • "We can make a policy that affects everybody instantly."
  • "We have accomplished our security goals. We have two-factor authenticated and vaulted our important accounts, so people can't just steal stuff from us."
  • "One of our current issues is a publishing issue. If we whitelist Google Chrome, all the events of Google Chrome should be gone. It is not happening."

What is our primary use case?

It is used to manage the policies on our endpoint because we want to takeaway admin rights to protect our computers.

We have had our implementation issues. However, the software is light years ahead of its competitors. We have seen massive progress with the updates of the software. We have been doing pretty well with it in the time that we have been implementing it.

We are trying to manage the endpoints, but our company has been a long-time customer. We want to integrate the other products because EPM is not the only one. We do have PAS and AIM, but now it looks like CyberArk is moving towards integrating all of them into one thing, so they can all work together in one console. We would like to get there eventually. I can't wait to upgrade.

How has it helped my organization?

We are stripping administrative rights, and we have implemented a special ID to help folks that lose administrative rights. Maybe it broke something, so while we design policies and try to get them where they need to be, they will have this ID in the meantime. CyberArk is able to protect both of these things while we move forward in this.

The software is insanely robust. You can do whatever you want. If you want to put your own logo on the pop-up, then you can do it. You want to change the color to pink, yellow or brown, then you can do it. You can do whatever you want with this thing. This leads to people getting lost on what they want to do, but for those who have a great plan with a clear, concise idea of where their organization is going and what they want to accomplish, it is there to help you.

Where a lot of people might struggle is with the actual environment, and where to begin. The software builds on top of that. You have to have a solid foundation. You will learn that as you work through the product, but you will also see how great and powerful the product is.

With computer security, administrative rights is probably the number one thing that comes to mind. This is a software that will allow people to still use their Google Chrome, Adobe, and Facebook. They can do what they need to do, but it still keeps them protected. That is what is so great about the product, we can sell it to people as, "We are not trying to stop you. We want to enable you, but we want to be safe too. It's there to do that." 

What is most valuable?

  • I love the interface because it is colorful, easy to read, easy to see, and how easy it is to make policies. 
  • I love how we can make a policy that affects everybody instantly, which is great. 
  • I love the reporting features, so it is easy to see what we did.

I love the product overall, because it is great.

What needs improvement?

I want some of the things which are glitching out there for me to be fixed. I have heard that there is something in the works, that they will be putting a feature in the help desk where they will have a message board now. So, I could communicate with other people who are having the same problems and pull their issues, this way I don't have to bother support all the time. Also, people can vote. They can vote on the most important issues, and CyberArk will prioritize them next, really listening to the customer. That is pretty cool.

One of our current issues is a publishing issue. If we whitelist Google Chrome, all the events of Google Chrome should be gone. It is not happening. However, they are coming close to a solution. It has been an issue for a while. I heard that this is one of the top priorities that they're working on.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is where we have had some woes with this software. Part of it is in our environment, and what we built it in as far as our database server. We met the requirements and it had some issues. The software is still growing and getting better. It is not 100 percent there yet, but even so, there is nothing in comparison to the product. It is too robust. It offers too many features that nothing else does. You might as well deal with it. You are going to deal with implementation and memory issues regardless that we had on the SQL Server, etc.

Part of this will come from your personal environment, but CyberArk has done a great job with it. However, they still have a ways to go. One thing I really like with every upgrade, they listen to the people. If you are saying this needs to be fixed, they listen. They usually put it in the upgrade, so that is cool.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are growing pains from integrating a software which allows you to do anything, and you could do anything but it is based on your environment. The software can do whatever it wants, but it is going to be reactive to your environment. Everyone will have a different experience. 

If this was a perfect world, you had a clean active directory environment, your SCCM solution was fantastic, and there were no firewall issues, the product would deploy. No problem. Read everything, and you are good to go.

I could definitely understand. It is like designing the program for how it should work, then dealing with real life scenarios. You talk to any company here, and everyone's active directory is a mess. That is where you are trying to get your data from. That is where you struggle sometimes. However, the software is great. The Dev guys are on it as far as upgrades, etc.

If they keep upgrading the software, they are going to be around for a long-time. We are a long-time customer. We have multiple products, and they are going towards the right direction because if we own three or four of their products, then we can meld them all into one and they all work together, which is great.

How are customer service and technical support?

In the beginning (early 2017), we had some issues. We would have a discrepancy in what user support was telling us. From mid-last year until now, it has been absolutely spectacular. They have key people who are very good, and I speak extremely highly of them. They are excellent, very professional with a lot of knowledge.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not have a previous solution, because we have always had admin rights. In fact, we did a proof of concept in CyberArk, version 1.

We needed something to manage the endpoint and to be able to empower the user. By far from not only a user's perspective on what they would be able to accomplish, but from the person who has to design the policies, it was the best. It was like working in MS-DOS compared to Windows 10. 

How was the initial setup?

We had an educational and technical guide for the entire setup process. I also had CyberArk with me on the phone.

What about the implementation team?

I designed the solution. Because they knew that this is a solution that no one had really seen before, they made sure they had somebody onsite throughout the entire implementation.

What was our ROI?

We have accomplished our security goals. We have two-factor authenticated and vaulted our important accounts, so people can't just steal stuff from us. That is pretty important. We are protecting ourselves the right way.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Avecto was the competitor. They integrated with McAfee ePO, which was our endpoint solution at the time. Unfortunately, it was not as robust as I thought it would be. I didn't like it. I felt like the product relied too much on McAfee to do what it needed to do. Whereas, CyberArk was a standalone client which was way more robust.

The competition was utilizing a product that we are getting rid of in two weeks.

What other advice do I have?

Get on implementing it today. Be patient. Test a lot. Deploy slowly.

It has places to go. I see the potential. It is getting there, but it has room to grow. If you compare this product with anything else as far as an endpoint solution, there is nothing which even compares.

We have implemented the new plugin generator utility already. I trained the help desk. It is really easy. Instead of having to fix it myself, the service desk will receive a one-time code to help the customer immediately, so they do not have to wait. I will receive a ticket to make a long-term policy. It is a perfect system.

Most important criteria when selecting a vendor: communication.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CyberArk Privileged Access Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CyberArk Privileged Access Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.