RPAM vs VPN: What’s the Difference?

Organizations that support remote work and third-party access face increased security risks to critical systems. While Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been the traditional answer for securing remote access, they cannot keep up with modern security and compliance needs, which can be better managed through a Remote Privileged Access Management (RPAM) solution. The main difference between RPAM and VPNs is that VPNs provide broad network access, whereas RPAM delivers highly controlled, time-limited, privileged access to specific systems for remote users.

Continue reading to learn more about the key differences between RPAM and VPNs and when it’s appropriate to use each.

What is RPAM?

Remote Privileged Access Management (RPAM) is a security solution that controls and manages privileged access to critical systems from users outside an organization’s network. RPAM allows organizations to grant remote access to servers, databases and applications without exposing credentials or increasing the attack surface. Typically built on a zero-trust security model, RPAM enforces granular access controls, logs all privileged activity and ensures that only authorized users can connect to certain resources for a set period of time.

Common use cases for RPAM include secure remote access for IT administrators, third-party vendor access and privileged access to cloud-native environments or DevOps tools. By eliminating standing access and providing full visibility into privileged sessions, RPAM significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and helps organizations with distributed workforces meet compliance standards.

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates an encrypted connection between a user’s device and a private network, allowing remote users to access internal resources securely over the internet. VPNs are most often used to mask IP addresses, protect data in transit and expand network access to employees working outside the office. Several use cases for VPNs include remote work access, connecting multiple offices to one network and enabling secure browsing on public WiFi.

Although VPNs have been a reliable solution for remote access, they are increasingly making remote access less secure. Among the benefits of VPNs are their abilities to encrypt data in transit, extend internal network access to remote users and help meet certain data protection requirements for compliance. However, VPNs also come with growing limitations as remote access requires more advanced security measures. A major concern is that VPNs can grant overly broad access to a network, increasing security risks if credentials are compromised. VPN setups can also be complex and difficult for large-scale or hybrid organizations to manage, especially with the constant need for patches and updates.

The key differences between RPAM and VPNs

While both RPAM and VPNs provide secure remote access to internal systems, they do so with different levels of control and visibility. VPNs were made for broad network connectivity, while RPAM focuses specifically on securing privileged access. Here are the main differences between RPAM and VPNs.

Access control

VPNs grant users access to an organization’s broader network once authenticated. Having this much access can unnecessarily expose critical systems. In contrast, RPAM enforces Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and adheres to the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). It grants users access only to the specific resources necessary to perform their jobs, and for a limited time, significantly reducing the attack surface and limiting lateral movement in the event of a data breach.

Credential security

With VPNs, users typically rely on static credentials that must be stored or shared, which increases the risk of credential theft and unauthorized access. RPAM eliminates the need to expose or share privileged credentials by utilizing Just-in-Time (JIT) access, secure credential vaulting and automated password rotation. This ensures credentials are never exposed, protecting them from becoming compromised and misused.

Session monitoring

VPNs don’t usually offer built-in session monitoring or recording capabilities. Once connected to a VPN, a user’s activity goes untracked, leaving organizations unable to detect malicious activity or conduct detailed audits. In contrast, RPAM provides real-time session monitoring, recording and audit logging for every privileged session. This allows security teams to detect suspicious behavior and maintain comprehensive audit trails for compliance. Next-gen RPAM solutions also leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their platform to enable automated threat detection and response during sessions.

Integrations

Generally, VPNs work as standalone network access tools with limited integrations beyond basic authentication systems. RPAM solutions go further, as they’re built to integrate with a variety of Identity Providers (IdPs) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms to create a more unified, policy-driven environment for secure access.

Compliance and reporting

Although VPNs offer basic connectivity, they fail to deliver the detailed reporting necessary for regulatory compliance standards. With a VPN, organizations often need to collect activity logs and audit them with third-party tools. To simplify compliance and reporting, RPAM solutions include automated reporting and session logs to help organizations meet strict industry standards, such as the GDPR, HIPAA and PCI-DSS, more effectively.

Feature	RPAM	VPN
Access control	Granular, time-limited access via RBAC and JIT access	Broad access to the entire network once authenticated
Credential security	No credentials are exposed due to JIT access, secure vaulting and automated credential rotation	Relies on static credentials, increasing the risk of misuse or theft
Session monitoring	Real-time session monitoring and recording	Little to no visibility into session activity
Integrations	Natively integrates with IdPs, SIEM platforms, DevOps tools and PAM solutions	Limited integrations beyond basic authentication methods
Compliance	Built-in tools for audit trails, reporting and compliance support	Often requires additional tools for compliance

When to use VPNs

While RPAM provides more secure access for privileged users, VPNs may still be appropriate for organizations where broad network access is necessary. Here are some scenarios where using a VPN makes sense:

• Allowing general remote access for non-privileged users
• Securing internet traffic on public WiFi networks
• Supporting legacy systems that require network-level access

When to use RPAM

RPAM more effectively secures remote access and grants organizations full visibility and control over privileged access, which is critical for modern IT environments. Here are several scenarios where RPAM is the better option:

• Granting temporary, time-limited access to third-party vendors
• Enabling DevOps teams to manage cloud-native environments
• Providing IT admins with secure remote access to databases and servers
• Meeting strict compliance requirements, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS and the GDPR

Secure remote access in your organization with Keeper

Choosing the right remote access solution is crucial to securing privileged access and meeting modern compliance requirements. While VPNs are useful for broad access and general-purpose connectivity, RPAM offers a more precise and secure approach, especially in environments that require third-party access and use cloud infrastructure. For organizations looking to avoid the common limitations of traditional VPNs, consider implementing a modern RPAM solution like KeeperPAM^®. Built on zero-trust architecture, KeeperPAM enables granular access controls, credential vaulting, real-time session monitoring and detailed audit logging from a unified, user-friendly interface.

Start your free trial of KeeperPAM today to meet modern compliance standards, enable secure vendor access and take full control of privileged access within your organization.