PTM key concepts & capabilities
Privileged Task Management is the next procreation of Privileged Access Management (PAM) technology. It provides further benefits to an organization by giving ease to execute tasks and the same time provide security to organizations critical assets. Following are the key concepts and capabilities of Privileged Task Management explained in detail.
This section covers:
Key concepts of PTM
Delegate task
PTM allows the IT team or admins to delegate a task to any 3rd parties or non-specialist staff with no trust. Complete access to the most critical asset is eliminated. Tasks not only help in securing the framework for operations but also provide optimal efficiency through its automation.
Users can run delegated tasks without having any privileged access to devices This also enables to control actions by placing limitations on what a user is allowed to do with an organization’s most critical asset. Delegating some task to another person can lower the burden of the organization. Once a task is delegated, it can be executed repetitively with just one click.
Time-saving
Once a Task is created, it can be executed repetitively with just one click also the same task can be performed on the different critical assets with ease.
There comes a point where the operator has to perform the same task on 50 different assets. This will require the operator to have the credentials of the asset, log in using those credentials, have knowledge about what commands will be used to execute the task, and then execute it. In this process, the operator would require to execute on 50 different assets.
With the help of PTM, the operator need not worry about the credentials of the account or should have device-specific knowledge, just one click and the task will be executed automatically in less consuming time.
Reduce the burden on the organization
Building and delegating tasks to replace with privileged credentials helps in automating IT processes and reduce admin's backlogs. It also gives complete access to the system by eliminating the IT team as a bottleneck.
Will help IT team to create task rather than executing it every time as and when needed. The organization will grow faster with respect to their IT unit. Automating task activities can achieve notable resource-saving as well.
No skill specialist required
Once a task is created and delegated to a user, with just one click the task will be executed. There will be no need for any specialist to look after the simple or complex task for execution.
Frequent support calls can also reduce common issues encountered on the system and can be solved easily without intimating any higher authority.
Reduce human error
Human beings are prone to making mistakes, but all too frequently organizational issues make such errors inevitable or at least more likely. The more complex the task is, the more can be chances of human error.
PTM helps in reducing human error by automating simple as well as complex tasks.
More secure
PTM provides a secure framework by controlling the actions of the users by placing limitations on what a user is allowed to do with an organization’s most critical asset. Complete access to the most critical asset is eliminated and restricted policy is maintained.
Common issues encountered on the system can be solved easily without disclosing privileged credentials. Dependency among people is removed.
Capabilities of PTM
Design Your Own Task (DYOT)
DYOT means PTM also allows you to create your task in your own way in just a few steps. These tasks will completely base on the organization’s requirement and their logic.
Basic operations
Basic operations of System Administrator like morning checks of systems/software, performing backups of data, applying operating system updates and configuration changes, installing and configuring new hardware/software, adding/deleting/creating/modifying user account information, resetting their passwords, etc., can be performed via PTM with just one click
It also helps in executing the tasks that address issues that are commonly encountered on systems, applications, or devices that have well-known solutions. With this, frequent support calls can also be reduced and can be solved easily with just one click without intimating any higher authority.
Elevated queries
Some Tasks may require to perform certain actions before their execution. Consider you’re executing this command passwd username for changing the password of your account, you will see a message like:
New Password
Re-enter Password
PTM allows you to overlook such scenarios and just focus on one-click task execution. Rest entire process will be taken care of by PTM.
Generalized task
System Administrators are supposed to perform a certain similar task on a different asset. PTM allows them to generalize those tasks i.e. the same task can be performed on different critical assets easily.
Once a task is created, it can be used multiple times on different assets as and when needed. This won’t require much effort for execution, just one-click, and the task will get execute accordingly.