Symantec Privileged Access Manager Reviews

Name: Symantec Privileged Access Manager
Brand: Broadcom
Rating: 3.9 (52 reviews)

3.9 out of 5

52 reviews
85% willing to recommend

1,459 followers

What is Symantec Privileged Access Manager?

CA Privileged Access Manager is a simple-to-deploy, automated, proven solution for privileged access management in physical, virtual and cloud environments. It enhances security by protecting sensitive administrative credentials such as root and administrator passwords, controlling privileged user access, proactively enforcing policies and monitoring and recording privileged user activity across all IT resources. It includes CA PAM Server Control (previously CA Privileged Identity Manager) for fine-grained protection of critical servers

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Symantec Privileged Access Manager is the #21 ranked solution in top Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. PeerSpot users give Symantec Privileged Access Manager an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Symantec Privileged Access Manager is most commonly compared to CyberArk Privileged Access Manager: Symantec Privileged Access Manager vs CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. Symantec Privileged Access Manager is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 75% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 17% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Privileged Access Manager

January 2025

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Featured reviews

Krishnan Srinivasan

Senior Test Analyst at Wipro Limited

I work for a service provider company, and we implement Symantec Privileged Access Manager solutions for our clients, which include various banking and mining clients We have implemented both the remote access and credential management features. The agent-based credential management solution…

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Muhammad Baber

System Administrator at Alghanim Industries

Initial setup was very straightforward. It's basically a hardware appliance. It's a software appliance, but it's a hard-coded appliance. It's just a black and white screen, and it has everything inside. BeyondTrust is a Windows-based server, and they usually harden the machine and have their own patches on it, even though it's a Windows machine, so we can easily log into it. With the current solution, it's very difficult to log in. It's just a black and white screen, and you need a support account to log in onto it. It feels more secure. It's a shell, and the database is embedded. But with BeyondTrust, it's SQL-based and Windows-based, so it's vulnerable. When we first set up the solution, it was only a few endpoints to give access to the vendors. Now, it's around 400-500 machines. It required a lot of maintenance. There were a lot of new patches and new versions of the appliance, and then the appliances would move out of support very quickly, which is another reason we are moving to BeyondTrust. At the moment, we are using the version which is very stable, but it is out of support within six to seven months. They keep asking you to upgrade to the new version, which is challenging. Once we upgraded, we had a lot of issues that support couldn't fix.

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it_user715158

Information Security Manager at United Parcel Service

Definitely do your homework. CA PAM was the best product for us but if you are strictly a mainframe shop you might like a different solution and similarly for a Windows only shop. For us we have all platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, mainframe, databases, network devices, appliances) that need to be managed. This product was relatively simple to implement but again do your homework. Make sure you document your use cases, and I strongly recommend setting up a test environment before deploying into production. We were told to get ROI so we started with production and are now standing up a fully supported test environment. If I had the time, I would have done this the other way around.

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Symantec Privileged Access Manager mindshare

As of February 2025, the mindshare of Symantec Privileged Access Manager in the Privileged Access Management (PAM) category stands at 1.5%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Privileged Access Management (PAM)	Feb 22, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Feb 22, 2025	Download
Comparison	Symantec Privileged Access Manager vs CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	Feb 22, 2025	Download
Comparison	Symantec Privileged Access Manager vs Delinea Secret Server	Feb 22, 2025	Download
Comparison	Symantec Privileged Access Manager vs CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager	Feb 22, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	4.3	19.7%	94%	210 interviews Add to research
Delinea Secret Server	4.0	10.0%	91%	51 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Symantec Privileged Access Manager provides centralized management of administrative accounts, session recording, transparent login, automated authentication, and password management. It integrates seamlessly with Active Directory and API systems, offers high security and reliability, eases user management, and prevents credential sharing. Notable features include vaulting of credentials, network security, load balancing, and policy control to limit unauthorized access. Its ease of use and integration capabilities are appreciated by users.

"It is simple to implement and is suitable for medium to large-scale enterprises."
"The agent-based credential management solution allows clients to programmatically use the agent to collect passwords during runtime from Symantec Privileged Access Manager."
"Symantec PAM is easier to deploy compared to its competitors, such as BeyondTrust."

Room for Improvement

Symantec Privileged Access Manager's areas needing enhancement include reporting, rule management, and multi-tenancy capabilities. Users face challenges with the interface, clunky account discovery, limited integration options, and insufficient documentation. The cost increases with scaling, and licensing models need reevaluation. There are issues with session recording, live session monitoring, and support for various integration platforms. Users also experience difficulties with updates, user interface complexity, and limited logging capabilities. Improvements in support response times are required.

"Technical support was good when CA handled it. After Broadcom took over, it's not as good."
"Broadcom has neglected product development since acquiring Symantec, and nothing major has been added to PAM."
"They should include some assignments in the test environment to explore the product's features."

Pricing

Symantec Privileged Access Manager's pricing involves a mix of device and user-based licensing models, with options for monthly or yearly agreements. While not the cheapest, it is often considered cost-effective compared to competitors. Long-term planning can provide savings, and discounts may be available through negotiation. Infrastructure and training costs should be anticipated. Potential additional expenses include session recording, storage, and a Terminal Server. Enterprises should evaluate architecture needs before purchase.

"They offer per-device, per-user, or monthly and yearly licensing models."
"The version we are using is affordable compared to BeyondTrust, which is maybe three to four times as expensive, but it depends on the features."
"It is reasonably priced."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Symantec Privileged Access Manager for managing privileged access and controlling administrator accounts. It provides two-factor authentication, session management, and session recording. It's essential for managing data centers, reducing viral attacks, and securing passwords. Enterprises, particularly in financial sectors, use it for managing Linux and Windows passwords, administering privileged accounts across servers, networks, and applications, and enhancing security with CA strong authentication integration.

Service and Support

Symantec Privileged Access Manager's support receives mixed feedback. Several clients report responsive and helpful assistance, with some viewing technical support as good, while others express frustrations due to long response times and limited expertise. Support is perceived as having improved but still faces challenges. Some clients note difficulty obtaining higher-level assistance or timely responses, especially during critical issues. Transitioning from CA to Broadcom has affected clients' experiences, leading to varied ratings from users.

Deployment

Initial setup of Symantec Privileged Access Manager was generally straightforward for many. Some described simple installation, but highlighted complexities in configuration and internal processes, including networking and change control approval. Challenges arose from infrastructure intricacies or lack of familiarity, often needing assistance from CA or resellers. Virtual appliance deployment was praised as easy, but some faced issues with Java dependencies affecting accessibility. Despite occasional complexities, many found installation manageable with appropriate guidance.

Scalability

Many users find Symantec Privileged Access Manager scalable due to its architecture, supporting large organizations and multiple data centers. While some mention no issues, others encountered challenges related to active directory integration and credential management synchronization. Suggestions like breaking job groups were proposed for better handling. Easy addition and removal of appliances are noted for expanding capabilities. Some performance issues with virtual servers led to purchasing hardware to improve efficiency.

Stability

Symantec Privileged Access Manager has been largely stable for many. Users highlight its maturity and reliability, with few experiencing stability issues. Some note initial challenges or occasional problems following updates, but these are often resolved with support. Many describe it as stable, performant, and reliable, particularly in clustered environments. Despite minor concerns with certain features, a majority report no stability issues, appreciating its reliable performance and scalability in both physical and virtual deployments.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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