PAM vs PIM
 

PIM (Privileged Identity Management) is about who can become privileged and for how long. It focuses on controlling and governing privileged roles/permissions (e.g., making someone “Global Admin” only when needed), typically with just-in-time (JIT) elevation, approvals, MFA, time limits, and audit trails. In Microsoft land, this is commonly done with Microsoft Entra ID PIM.

PAM (Privileged Access Management) is about how privileged access is actually used, especially for sessions and credentials. It focuses on protecting and brokering access to sensitive systems (servers, network devices, databases) via things like credential vaulting, session recording, command/keystroke controls, access proxies/jump boxes, and rotating secrets. It’s often implemented with “PAM vault” products (such as CyberArk, BeyondTrust, and Delinea) and/or Microsoft options, depending on the environment.
 

The quick difference

• PIM = control privileged roles in identity (JIT role activation).

• PAM = secure privileged access to systems (vault + session controls)

 

When you typically use each

• Use PIM when you want to reduce “always-on admins” in Entra/Azure/M365 and enforce approval + time-bound elevation.

• Use PAM when you need to protect admin access to servers/apps/network gear, control sessions, and eliminate shared/static admin passwords.

 

Best practice

Most mature setups use both:
PIM limits who can become an admin and when, while PAM secures what happens during admin access and protects the underlying credentials.