Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a cybersecurity discipline that secures, monitors, and controls access to systems and data by users with elevated privileges. PAM solutions traditionally include features such as credential vaulting, session recording, audit trails, and just-in-time (JIT) access enforcement. These controls are critical for reducing the risks posed by administrative, vendor, and service accounts across enterprise IT systems.
While PAM is widely adopted in IT environments, its application in OT, ICS, and CPS environments requires different considerations. Traditional PAM and IT-based remote PAM (RPAM) tools were designed for managing access to IT infrastructure (e.g., servers, cloud platforms, and databases) and focus on administrative efficiency for security teams.
In contrast, CPS/OT systems are operated by production engineers, asset custodians, and maintainers who prioritize safety, uptime, and productivity. Industry analysts underscore that IT-RPAM tools often lack the capabilities needed for CPS, including:
Xona addresses the limitations of traditional PAM and RPAM in critical infrastructure environments with secure access purpose-built for OT and ICS. Xona provides privileged access control through identity-based, asset-specific access and protocol-isolated sessions, without placing user endpoints directly on the OT network.
Xona complements traditional PAM and credential governance with OT-specific access controls, including:
Xona complements traditional PAM by extending identity and access controls into OT and ICS environments with protocol-isolated, asset-specific sessions. This gives organizations a controlled way to provide privileged access while reducing direct network exposure and maintaining visibility into session activity.