Privileged Access Management (PAM) plays a crucial role in securing sensitive credentials, but many organizations aren’t fully leveraging the advanced capabilities built into Secret Server. While basic vaulting and access controls are essential, four powerful features can take your PAM strategy to the next level—enhancing security, streamlining management, and improving compliance.

At Cyberhill, we’ve worked with hundreds of organizations to optimize their Secret Server deployments, and we consistently see companies underutilizing these key capabilities. If you’re not taking advantage of them, you could fall behind on security and efficiency.

1. Discovery & Management of AD and Windows Accounts

One of the most underutilized features in Secret Server is its built-in discovery and management for Active Directory (AD) and Windows accounts. Many organizations still rely on manual processes to track service accounts, privileged credentials, and their rotations—introducing security gaps and inefficiencies.

With automated privileged account discovery, Secret Server can:

• Identify and onboard privileged accounts automatically
• Ensure credentials are continuously rotated
• Leverage one-time-use passwords with Check-Out to minimize exposure

Cyberhill Insight: Regularly running discovery scans helps identify unmanaged accounts before they become security risks.

2. Distributed Engine for Secure Proxying

Many organizations still use direct credential injection for remote access, leaving endpoints exposed to unnecessary risk. Secret Server’s Distributed Engine for RDP & SSH proxying allows users to connect securely to remote systems without ever exposing credentials to end-users or endpoints.

With proxy-based access, admins and contractors can securely authenticate into systems while Secret Server handles the credentials in the background. This eliminates the need to share raw passwords, reducing the attack surface and improving session control.

Cyberhill Insight: If you’re still relying on direct authentication for RDP or SSH, switching to proxy-based access can significantly enhance security and auditability.

3. Session Recording for Compliance & Security

Many organizations enable session recording but fail to use it as an active security and compliance tool. Secret Server’s session monitoring and playback features allow teams to record privileged sessions in real time, helping meet regulatory mandates and investigate security incidents.

However, simply having session recordings isn’t enough. To get the most value:

• Set up alerts for high-risk activity during sessions
• Use indexed playback to search for specific commands or actions
• Regularly review recordings as part of internal security audits

Cyberhill Insight: Enabling full video playback and keystroke-logging provides better insight into privileged activity and strengthens compliance efforts.

4. Custom Scripting for Seamless Integrations

Secret Server supports dozens of out-of-the-box integrations, but many organizations overlook the power of custom scripting to bridge gaps with their broader security ecosystem.

With PowerShell and SSH scripting, REST API, and external utilities, you can:

• Automate account onboarding and credential rotation
• Integrate with ITSM workflows for improved ticketing and change management
• Enhance security controls by enforcing custom policies
• Design development pipelines for secured credential storage and retrieval

Cyberhill Insight: Look at your manual credential management processes and identify where custom scripts can automate repetitive tasks or improve integrations with other security tools.

Unlock the Full Potential of Your Secret Server Deployment

If your team isn’t using these four capabilities, you’re likely missing opportunities to strengthen and optimize your PAM. At Cyberhill, we’ve worked with hundreds of organizations—not just to implement Secret Server, but to ensure it’s configured for long-term, strategic success.

If your organization can take the time to review how it is leveraging these features, you will undoubtedly uncover ways to optimize your PAM strategy WITHOUT adding extra complexity.

To book an Advanced Capabilities Session with a Secret Server Engineer, please click here. For additional Secret Server resources, click here.