Privileged Access vs Standard Account Management: Why Governance Matters

Standard accounts are your regular folks. The sales rep checking HubSpot. The HR assistant logging into the payroll tool. Nothing flashy, nothing scary. Their access is tied to their day-to-day job. If they mess up, it might cause a hiccup. Not a meltdown.

You still need to manage these accounts, sure. But the stakes? Much lower. A quarterly review. Maybe biannually. Just to make sure no one’s collecting extra access like it’s a hobby.

Now we’re in it. These are the accounts with serious pull. They can flip switches, reset servers, dig through sensitive databases. And attackers? They sniff them out first.

Think:

• Domain admins
• Cloud superusers
• Database engineers
• App owners with backend access

When these accounts get misused — whether by a rogue insider or some outsider who snuck in — it’s game over. That’s why privileged accounts need constant oversight. Not sometimes. Not during audits. Always.

Let’s lay it out plain:

Bottom line? Privileged accounts get a different rulebook. Or they should.

Let’s talk about what happens when no one’s watching.

A contractor gets elevated rights for a quick task… and no one ever removes them.

An admin leaves the company… but their VPN access still works.

A service account was created two years ago… and still has full access.

This is how privilege creep happens. It’s not usually malicious. It’s lazy process, bad tracking, missed steps. But the risk? Still huge.

If one of these dormant accounts gets hijacked, it’s open season on your network.

That’s where a good privileged access management platform steps in. And especially one that supports just in time privileged access management. Because when accounts only get elevated rights when they actually need them, and those rights vanish automatically… well, that’s a lot fewer fires to put out.

You’ve probably heard the term. Might’ve even nodded along in a meeting like you knew. But let’s slow it down.

What is just in time access?

Simple: it means access shows up only when it’s needed. Someone requests elevated rights, gets them for a short time, then loses them as soon as the job’s done.

That’s it.

No lingering admin rights. No permanent elevation. Just enough access. Just in time. Then it’s gone.

This is what just in time privileged access management is built on. Temporary control. Tight windows. Better tracking.

Good governance shouldn’t feel like pulling teeth. Here’s how it works when it works:

• Role-Based Access for Regular Users
  Give them what they need. No more, no less.
• JIT for the Privileged Crew
  They ask. They get. It expires. Done.
• Access Certifications
  Keep checking. Especially the high-risk accounts. Make it monthly.
• Fast Deprovisioning
  Someone leaves? Yank access immediately. Don’t wait for the helpdesk ticket.
• Audit Trails
  Everything logged. So when something breaks, you can trace it back. No mystery.

This is where tools like SecurEnds come into play. They’re not trying to reinvent access. They’re making it smarter.

• It finds both standard and privileged accounts — even the ones hiding in forgotten corners.
• Helps you run reviews without chasing spreadsheets.
• Supports just in time requests. So admins can get in, do what they need, and get out — clean.
• Flags risky accounts. The ones nobody uses but still have power.
• And when the auditors come knocking? You’ve got reports ready. No scrambling.

That’s the whole point of a solid privileged access management platform. Keep the important stuff locked down without slowing everyone else down.

Let’s bring it home.

New hire in Marketing
They need email, CMS access, Slack. Cool. Standard user. Basic review cycle.

Freelance DBA for a weekend fix
Not cool. Needs privileged access. Only for a few hours. That’s a just in time access request — nothing more.

Engineer leaving the company
Standard account access gets removed as part of the usual offboarding. But their AWS root access? That needs to go NOW. And someone should export their session logs while you’re at it.

Quarterly Review
You check the CRM access for the sales team — all good. Then you dig into the list of privileged accounts… and find one assigned to a guy who left 8 months ago. That’s a problem.

Standard accounts are everyday keys. Privileged accounts are the master set.

You don’t treat them the same.

The best approach? Don’t hand out admin rights like candy. Use just in time privileged access management. Keep sessions short. Keep logs tight. Review often. And use a privileged access management platform that doesn’t make life harder.

Because when governance works, no one notices. But when it breaks? Everyone does.