One Identity Safeguard comparison against PAM alternatives

Privileged access management is a must-have security control for any organization today. It helps reduce the risk that comes from accounts with elevated access, and it also helps teams keep a closer eye on how these accounts are used on a daily basis.

This guide explains why One Identity Safeguard for PAM is the most dependable option for enterprise security. It outlines how the platform protects critical accounts while simplifying administration, and how it outshines all the other choices in the market.

Privileged access management (PAM) is an access control mechanism specifically designed to protect high-level accounts such as admin, root or system operator accounts. These accounts hold wide permissions, so PAM puts guardrails around who can use them and how.

It’s important because:

• It reduces the impact of stolen admin passwords
• It gives security teams better visibility into risky actions in real time and through audit trails
• It limits unnecessary admin rights and offers Just-In-Time (JIT) privilege assignment

One Identity Safeguard brings together password management, session control, analytics, authentication services and sudo management in one suite. It covers every core need of a modern PAM program and removes the gaps that appear when using separate tools from different vendors.

Key features

• Fast asset discovery with smooth onboarding and a workflow engine that supports approvals from any location
• A secure password vault with full REST API support and a personal vault for business users
• Complete session audit with recording, replay, real-time alerts and automatic blocking of unsafe protocol actions
• Indexed session data with text search and OCR to speed up investigations
• Pattern-free analytics that detect risky behaviors from screen content or command activity
• Risk-based alert grouping that reduces noise and helps teams respond in a focused way
• Active Directory integration for Unix, Linux and Mac systems with centralized authentication and single sign-on
• Centralized sudoers file control with keystroke logging and detailed activity reporting
• What are the cons? Since it is a full suite, the learning curve can be higher than lightweight tools
• Broad feature coverage may require more planning during deployment and more coordination across teams

Pricing model

Safeguard is offered through subscription plans or perpetual licenses. Pricing varies based on modules and environment size. Quotes can be requested directly from the One Identity website.

Customer stories

• Here’s what Abe Smith from Cavium had to say about their experience with Safeguard:

  “Safeguard allows us to grant granular access to servers. It’s essentially giving the right access to the right people for the right amount of time.”

  — Abe Smith, Cavium

• 3DS OUTSCALE, a major cloud provider, strengthened its oversight of admin activity without adding new workload for its security team. Here’s how they recount their experience:

  “The way we monitor privileged sessions is far more efficient with Safeguard. Session data is at our fingertips, so we can trace anything that raises an alarm.”

  — Edouard Camoin, Chief Information Security Officer, 3DS OUTSCALE

Reviews and awards

One Identity is named a Visionary in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for PAM.

Safeguard was named a leader in the 2023 EMA Radar report for Privileged Access Management and positioned as an overall leader in the 2024 KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Privileged Access Management (PAM).

One Identity Safeguard is also ranked as the No. 1 PAM solution in 2025 by the Cybersecurity News review team, as well as the CyberPress organization. Cloudnuro also rates Safeguard as No. 1 in PAM solutions for IT environments. and the PAM in Zero Trust models.

One Identity Safeguard continues to receive positive reviews on platforms such as Gartner Peer Insights, G2 and PeerSpot.

Next, we will look at other well-known PAM platforms and see how they compare with Safeguard. Each of these tools is capable, yet there are clear areas where Safeguard offers stronger value.

One Identity Safeguard vs. CyberArk

CyberArk is a mature PAM platform trusted in large and complex environments. It offers deep coverage across on-premises and cloud systems.

Benefits of Safeguard over CyberArk

• Safeguard is easier to deploy in segmented environments, while CyberArk often needs more infrastructure and tuning
• Safeguard’s session indexing and OCR search shorten investigations, whereas CyberArk’s replay tools can require more manual review
• Safeguard licensing is usually simpler for mid-sized teams, while CyberArk costs scale up quickly with modules and components

One Identity Safeguard vs. BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust provides a strong identity-focused PAM platform with good coverage for hybrid and cloud-native setups.

Benefits of Safeguard over BeyondTrust

• Safeguard analytics offer deeper insight into screen content or keystrokes, while BeyondTrust relies more on standard identity signals
• Safeguard session search is faster because of full indexing, while BeyondTrust reviews can take longer in large environments
• Safeguard sudo and authentication services cover Unix and Linux in a way BeyondTrust does not match

One Identity Safeguard vs. Okta

Okta offers PAM features as part of its broader identity platform.

Benefits of Safeguard over Okta

• Safeguard provides full session audit with replay and indexing, while Okta mainly records SSH and RDP sessions without deep search capability
• Safeguard covers password vaulting, session control, analytics, sudo management and cross-platform authentication in one suite, while Okta’s PAM centers mainly on server access and SaaS account workflows
• Safeguard supports broader deployment models, while Okta is better suited for cloud-only environments

One Identity Safeguard vs. Delinea

Delinea delivers a PAM suite that focuses on ease of use and smooth onboarding for cloud and hybrid environments.

Benefits of Safeguard over Delinea

• Safeguard includes deeper analytics that examine command activity or screen content, while Delinea offers simpler detection
• Safeguard indexing and OCR search allow faster investigations, while Delinea reviews usually take more manual effort
• Safeguard brings AD bridging and sudo management into the same ecosystem, while Delinea needs extra tools to match that coverage

Privileged access management is a key part of a modern, mature cybersecurity strategy. If you want a single solution for all your critical accounts and high-risk activities, One Identity Safeguard is the only option with that level of coverage.