什么是企业密码管理程序?
- IAM 词汇表
- 什么是企业密码管理程序?
An enterprise password manager is a centralized solution organizations use to store, manage and share credentials across departments and teams. It helps enforce strong password policies, supports Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and ensures only authorized users can access privileged accounts and critical systems. Its primary role is to strengthen an organization's security posture, support compliance and streamline operations by reducing the risks associated with poor password hygiene.
The importance of enterprise password management
Enterprise password managers offer a secure, scalable way to centralize credential management, effectively reducing human error and maintaining control over access across an organization.
Protect against password-based attacks
One of the leading causes of data breaches is stolen or weak credentials. According to Keeper Security's Top Data Threats Insight Report, 52% of IT professionals say their company struggles with frequently stolen passwords. Enterprise password managers help organizations mitigate this by enforcing the use of strong, unique passwords for each account and storing them in an encrypted vault. With an enterprise password manager, employees no longer have to worry about remembering passwords, reusing them or relying on insecure storage methods.
Meet compliance regulations
Regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001 and FedRAMP require tight controls surrounding access management, data handling and auditing. Enterprise password managers help satisfy these requirements by providing centralized access control, encryption standards and full visibility over credentials through audit logs, making it easier for enterprises to meet compliance and reduce legal risks.
Reduce human error and shadow IT
Without a secure password management solution, employees may resort to bad practices like storing passwords in spreadsheets or reusing them across multiple accounts. These habits can increase the risk of compromise and contribute to shadow IT, where software or applications are used without IT's authorization. An enterprise password manager eliminates reliance on insecure workarounds by providing users with a secure way to store and share credentials.
Scale strong password hygiene across teams
Enterprise password managers allow IT teams to enforce consistent password policies at scale across all teams. They enable users to generate and store strong, unique passwords without disrupting workflows, while administrators maintain control over access. This ensures security policies are followed without slowing down productivity or compromising security.
Core features of an enterprise password manager
When considering a password manager for enterprises, it's important to evaluate security, scalability and ease of use. Here are the core features that enterprises should prioritize:
Centralized vault: A secure, centralized place to store and manage all employee credentials. It enables IT teams to oversee and manage access across the organization.
Strong encryption: Credentials should be protected with AES 256-bit, end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge architecture - ensuring that no one, not even the service provider, can access or decrypt stored data.
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Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity through additional methods, such as an authenticator app or hardware security key, before accessing their password vault.
Policy enforcement: Administrators can enforce security policies, including minimum password length and mandatory MFA, across all users and devices with an enterprise password manager.
Multi-device support: Users should be able to access their vault across mobile and desktop devices as well as web browsers, all with autofill support.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Ensures users have access only to the credentials required for their roles or teams, reducing unnecessary access.
Secure credential and file storage: In addition to passwords, an enterprise password manager should securely store passkeys, sensitive documents, API keys and SSH keys in an encrypted vault.
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Integration with SSO and IAM: Seamless support for SAML, SCIM and major Identity Providers (IdPs) streamlines provisioning and authentication.
Password sharing and auditing: Team members should be able to share credentials with their team while maintaining visibility into usage or changes through detailed audit logs.
Dark web monitoring: Continuous scans of the dark web for compromised credentials with alerts if stored credentials are found in data breaches.
Emergency access: Designated individuals should be able to access critical accounts during emergencies to maintain business continuity.
Compliance support: An enterprise password manager should meet industry standards, providing features like audit trails and reporting to support compliance requirements.
Enterprise password manager vs personal password manager
Personal password managers are sufficient for individuals, but they lack the advanced security features and administrative controls needed in enterprise environments, like RBAC, policy enforcement and auditability.
In contrast, enterprise password managers are designed specifically for IT teams and administrators to manage credentials across large organizations. If businesses rely on personal tools or insecure solutions like spreadsheets or browser-based password managers to manage their passwords, IT teams have no way to monitor password hygiene, revoke access when employees leave or investigate suspicious activity during a security breach. Without enterprise-level visibility, businesses are exposed to security risks like shadow IT, compliance violations and password-based cyber attacks.
Benefits of using an enterprise password manager
Investing in an enterprise password manager provides many security improvements, streamlined operations and compliance support for modern organizations. Here are some benefits of using an enterprise password manager.
Enhanced security posture
An enterprise password manager helps enforce strong password policies, requires MFA and supports the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). By securing both human and Non-Human Identity (NHI) credentials, organizations minimize their exposure to internal and external cyber threats.
Improved productivity
With an enterprise password manager, employees can spend less time resetting their passwords or submitting IT support tickets. Since these tools have features like secure autofill, credential sharing and SSO integration, enterprise password managers enhance everyday workflows, allowing both users and IT teams to focus on higher-priority tasks.
Centralized credential storage
An enterprise password manager offers a secure, centralized vault where organizations can store passwords, SSH keys, API tokens and sensitive documents. This ensures critical resources are protected and accessible only to authorized users, eliminating the need for insecure storage methods like spreadsheets or sticky notes.
Audit trails
Comprehensive audit logging enables organizations to track which user accessed what, when and from where. These audit trails are crucial for maintaining compliance with industry standards, investigating security incidents and ensuring accountability across the organization.
Faster onboarding and offboarding
Enterprise password managers streamline user provisioning and deprovisioning, typically via SAML and SCIM integrations. This simplifies onboarding and offboarding by automatically assigning the proper credentials to new hires and revoking access immediately when an employee leaves the company.