It is used for server access. I am using the latest version. Initially, I started with 10.6, and now, I am on the latest version.
It is currently on-premises, and down the line, we will be moving to the cloud. As of now, we have physical appliances for PRA. We do have plans to move the cloud. We've added two more servers at our end, and they will be moved to the cloud.
Our client was using a different product, and they were not able to manage some critical parts. So, they started looking for a replacement, and they found BeyondTrust. As soon as they brought in this product, it was a very easy configuration. Implementing this product was very easy. It doesn't require much. It is very simple, and we can implement it in a week or two, which is what I like about BeyondTrust. It takes much longer to bring in other products. It is also very easy to bring privileged accounts into the product. It is much easier to do management and operational tasks as compared to other solutions.
It is very simple. You just open the URL, and you'll be able to see all your servers. Previously, it was a very tough task. There was either direct access or a VPN. There were a lot of restrictions for connecting to the VPN. There were also some other restrictions to access other products, such as if they want to go for SSO and other things. BeyondTrust is very easy. The users can open a URL, and they will be able to see all their servers. It is very easy for the users, and we are getting very good feedback from the users as well. Previously, there were multiple steps to connect, and now, there is only one step to connect to the servers remotely.
It is a very secure product, which is very important for us. For example, there are 5 to 10 users of an application, and everybody has access to a different machine. With this product, we can easily do segregation of duties and segregation of the server connectivity. Everybody is able to see the servers, but only those people who have access will be able to log into a server with a single click. It is a great tool, and everything has improved over here. Until now, we haven't faced any issues with this product. It is very simple and secure.
We use the vault for service account management. All the passwords and all the credentials get vaulted. In the PRA console, users can select the correct credential and log in. They don't have to know or see the actual password. Whenever a privileged account is managed by a PAM solution, there is a connector between the PRA solution and the PAM solution. This connector gets the credentials and injects them without any manual intervention. Other solutions also have this feature, but in BeyondTrust, it is very simple and different. The connector does all the work in the background.
It does good discovery. When we are trying to pull the local accounts, every local account is visible in the scanned report, and we can easily identify that this is a local account. We'll also be able to get a list of the domain accounts parallelly. There is a clear set of data indicating whether an account is a domain account or a local account. For cross verification, we also check with the application team whether these accounts are domain accounts or local accounts. The scanner works very well for us.
We can bring all kinds of accounts into the solution. Most products target privileged accounts or the accounts with privileged access. With this product, you can segregate a privileged account, a local account, and a normal account or a user account with the least privilege. All these accounts can be brought into the solution.
Through the use of PRA, there is no need to share passwords with users. There is no password sharing. Everything is vaulted. There are two types of integration in PRA. One is with the privileged accounts that are already managed by the PAM solution. The other one is with the least privileged accounts, such as a local account or a test account. Those accounts will be managed by the end-users. If I have the access to the privileged account, my password will be injected from the other solution by using the connector from PAM to PRA. If I have a local account on a test server or a development environment, the connection will be initiated from the PRA solution, and it'll be encrypted and monitored. All other features will also be there. I only have to key in the password.
We use the solution to provide access to third-party vendors. We can't create an AD account or some other account for the vendors in my organization because of some security and violation concerns. With the PRA solution, it is very easy. I can just add or create an account, and I can map this account only for the PRA solution. Whenever they log in, all the sessions are recorded. In case of any violation or issue, I have the recorded session. I can go and check what happened to the server. This way, it helps the vendors a lot, and a vendor doesn't need my intervention whenever they want to log in, even if he is in a different timezone. Previously, I had to be available for the session. I used to share the session via some other third-party platform, such as Teams or Skype, and my availability was very important. If I close the session, the session would get closed for them too.
It offers SSO authentication. We have multi-factor authentication, and we have RADIUS and other authentications. Multi-factor authentication is mandatory across any application or any URL.
In terms of session auditing and monitoring of third-party and remote work access, I have worked with another solution that was only for privileged accounts or privileged servers. PRA can be used for both privileged accounts and non-privileged accounts in the development environment. All transactions or accesses get checked and recorded. So, it is very easy for an administrator to manage the solution across the organization.
When it comes to the Privileged Remote Access (PRA) solution, instead of depending on a VPN client, from Cisco or any other vendor, we can directly use this product from the internet. It is very easy to do the implementation, and it is easy for every user to access the server from outside of their organization. They can open the URL and put their name and password, and it'll do the multi-factor authentication. They can easily access the server. Prior to this solution, the users had to log into the VPN, which is not required with BeyondTrust. Now, they can use their computer over the internet. In Privileged Access Management (PAM), the AD bridging feature where you can bring all your Linux boxes into the tool is an important feature.
I have been using this solution for close to three years.
Its scalability is very good. It makes things easier for the end-users.
I am an administrator of the PRA here. All the users in my organization are using this. There are more than 900 users, and there are some 4,000 or 5,000 servers. It is being used on a daily basis. We are in the process of increasing its usage.
Their support is very good. As soon as we log a case, their support engineers respond and help us out. The response time depends on the severity of the case. For a severity C case, they get back in a day or two. For a severity B case, they get back within 24 hours, and for severity A case, they get back immediately. They respond and resolve the issue within defined SLAs. I would rate them an eight out of ten.
I have worked on another solution previously, which is a market leader. I wanted to get into a product that was booming in the market. I was very focused on this solution because I knew this is going to be a market leader in the coming days. I was going through some articles on the internet, and suddenly, I got the opportunity in my company to work with BeyondTrust. I was very happy to get into this. It is working very well.
I was not a part of the complete deployment. When I joined this organization, deployment was already done. Some fine-tuning was happening, and I was part of that. It took about two weeks to fine-tune it based on the requirements, and that's all.
Overall, its setup is very simple. It would take us a week or two to bring other solutions into the organization, but we can bring in this solution within a week. We can easily bring 10 to 20 servers into the product.
For its implementation, probably there was someone who helped us remotely.
I have got a very good impression of BeyondTrust. It is a very good and booming product across the globe. I have been using this solution for close to three years, and I am still learning about its full capability. There is a lot to be explored.
They provide a lot of updates, and I am able to see a lot of fine-tuning happening. We can bring our own tool, and if we have an RDP tool, that can also be integrated. They are adding many features related to reporting, connectivity, and stabilization of connectivity. They are improving their product in every aspect.
BeyondTrust has many products such as PAM and PRA. AD bridging is also there. Specifically, with the PRA, you can ignore VPN. You don't have to pay for a license for the VPN. You can use this product.
All servers, with privileged activities as well as those without privileged activities, are assets of the organization. They all also should be monitored and should be in the control of the organization. PRA is helpful there because you can also onboard the least privileged servers. This helps a lot because everything is recorded and monitored. The management will have a crystal clear report about who accessed them and for what. Everything will be very clear.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. It makes the life of end-users easier.