Is PIM just a Microsoft product?

No. Microsoft popularized the acronym with Entra ID Privileged Identity Management, but the underlying practice — eligible rather than permanent roles, activation with approval, time limits and access reviews — is a general identity security pattern implemented by many platforms and equally applicable outside the Microsoft ecosystem.

Do I need PAM if I already use PIM?

Usually yes. PIM governs role activation within a directory or cloud, but it does not vault the root and built-in admin passwords on servers, databases and network gear, nor does it record what happens inside a session. PAM supplies those controls; together they cover both who becomes privileged and what they do with it.

What does "eligible" mean in PIM?

An eligible assignment means the user is authorized to hold a role but does not currently have it. The role grants nothing until the user activates it, typically with MFA and a justification, for a bounded period. Between activations, a compromised account carries no administrative power.

Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

What is Privileged Identity Management?

Privileged identity management governs which identities hold elevated roles and when — activating admin rights on demand instead of leaving them permanently assigned.

Last updated: 14 July 2026

What PIM covers

Privileged identity management focuses on the identity side of privilege: which people and service principals are eligible for administrative roles, under what conditions those roles activate, and for how long. Instead of a user permanently sitting in the Domain Admins group or holding a Global Administrator role, PIM makes them eligible — the role stays dormant until they activate it with a justification, MFA and, if policy requires, an approval.

The term is strongly associated with Microsoft Entra ID’s PIM feature, which manages Azure and Microsoft 365 role activation, but the concept is vendor-neutral: time-bound role assignment, activation workflows, and periodic access reviews of who remains eligible.

PIM vs PAM

PIM and PAM attack the same risk — standing administrative power — from different angles. PIM governs role assignment on identities: it decides whether your own account temporarily becomes an administrator. PAM governs the privileged accounts and sessions themselves: it vaults shared credentials, brokers and records connections to servers, databases and network devices, and rotates passwords.

The two are complementary rather than competing. PIM excels inside a directory and cloud ecosystem where roles are the currency of privilege; PAM covers the vast territory PIM cannot reach — root passwords on Linux, built-in admin accounts, appliances, legacy systems and third-party access — and adds session-level evidence of what was actually done. Mature programs run both under one policy for elevation, approval and review.

PIM in practice

A typical rollout converts permanent admin role assignments to eligible ones, sets activation requirements — MFA, justification, approval for the most sensitive roles — and caps activation duration to hours. Access reviews then run quarterly or semi-annually so eligibility itself does not become the new standing privilege. Alerts on activations outside business hours or from unusual locations close the monitoring gap.

Organizations then extend the same just-in-time philosophy beyond directory roles to infrastructure access. Monopam complements PIM-style role governance with JIT approval workflows for recorded server sessions and vaulted credentials, so time-bound elevation covers both cloud roles and the systems behind them.

Frequently asked questions

Is PIM just a Microsoft product?: No. Microsoft popularized the acronym with Entra ID Privileged Identity Management, but the underlying practice — eligible rather than permanent roles, activation with approval, time limits and access reviews — is a general identity security pattern implemented by many platforms and equally applicable outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Do I need PAM if I already use PIM?: Usually yes. PIM governs role activation within a directory or cloud, but it does not vault the root and built-in admin passwords on servers, databases and network gear, nor does it record what happens inside a session. PAM supplies those controls; together they cover both who becomes privileged and what they do with it.
What does "eligible" mean in PIM?: An eligible assignment means the user is authorized to hold a role but does not currently have it. The role grants nothing until the user activates it, typically with MFA and a justification, for a bounded period. Between activations, a compromised account carries no administrative power.