Building a Modern Privileged Access Strategy

Throughout this series we’ve explored Privileged Access Workstations from multiple perspectives.

We’ve discussed what they are, why they exist, when they’re justified and the different ways they can be implemented. We’ve looked at dedicated physical devices, virtual administrative environments, how to choose the right approach, how to harden it and how to operate it effectively over time.

Hopefully one thing has become clear.

A Privileged Access Workstation is never the objective.

Protecting privileged identities is.

A PAW is simply one component of a much broader privileged access strategy. Its role is to provide a trusted administrative environment from which privileged identities can operate, but it isn’t the only control that matters.

Modern privileged access is built through multiple layers working together.

Start with the Identity

The identity should always be the starting point.

Before selecting a workstation, deploying Conditional Access policies or assigning administrative roles, organisations should understand what the identity is capable of doing.

Can it assign administrative roles?

Can it modify Conditional Access?

Can it reset authentication methods?

Can it access business-critical data?

The greater the impact of a compromised identity, the greater the level of assurance required to protect it.

Everything else follows from that decision.

Trust Drives Assurance

Throughout this series I’ve referred to Trust Levels.

This isn’t a Microsoft framework.

It’s an architectural approach to ensuring the controls protecting an identity are proportionate to the level of trust placed in it.

Rather than applying the same security controls to every administrator, Trust Levels allow organisations to increase assurance where it’s genuinely needed.

Higher trust identities require stronger authentication, more restrictive Conditional Access policies, higher assurance administrative environments and more rigorous governance.

Lower trust identities can often be protected using simpler controls without introducing unnecessary operational complexity.

Trust becomes the foundation upon which the entire privileged access strategy is built.

Authentication Matters

Even the most secure administrative workstation can’t compensate for weak authentication.

Privileged identities should always be protected using phishing-resistant authentication wherever possible.

Technologies such as passkeys, FIDO2 Security Keys and Windows Hello for Business provide significantly greater assurance than traditional passwords or legacy multi-factor authentication methods.

Authentication Strengths help ensure privileged identities always use the appropriate authentication methods.

Temporary Access Passes provide a secure onboarding mechanism.

Together these controls establish confidence in the identity before privileged administration even begins.

The Administrative Environment

Once identity assurance has been established, the next question becomes where privileged administration should take place.

For some identities that may be a dedicated physical Privileged Access Workstation.

For others it may be a dedicated virtual administrative environment.

Some operational roles may be appropriately protected using a hardened managed device.

There isn’t a universal answer.

The administrative environment should always reflect the level of assurance required by the identity using it.

The objective isn’t consistency.

The objective is appropriate assurance.

Control Privilege

Standing administrative access should be the exception rather than the rule.

Privileged Identity Management allows organisations to provide privileged roles only when they’re genuinely required.

Combined with approval workflows, justification, time-bound activation and strong authentication, PIM significantly reduces the opportunity for privileged identities to be abused.

A Privileged Access Workstation provides the trusted environment from which those privileged roles are activated.

The two controls complement one another.

Protect the Session

Modern privileged access doesn’t end with authentication.

Conditional Access ensures privileged identities only authenticate from trusted environments using trusted authentication methods.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint continuously monitors the health of administrative devices.

Microsoft Intune ensures compliance.

Windows security features protect credentials and reduce the attack surface.

Each layer contributes towards the overall level of assurance.

No single technology delivers privileged access security on its own.

Governance Is What Makes It Sustainable

Technology is only one part of the solution.

Successful privileged access strategies require governance.

Build standards need to be maintained.

Administrative roles need to be reviewed.

Exceptions need to be documented.

Devices need to be monitored.

Risk needs to be reassessed.

Business requirements change.

Threats evolve.

Security controls must evolve alongside them.

Without governance, even the strongest technical controls gradually lose their effectiveness.

Security Is a Journey

Very few organisations begin with dedicated physical PAWs, phishing-resistant authentication and comprehensive privileged identity governance.

Most start somewhere much simpler.

That’s perfectly acceptable.

The important thing is understanding where you are today and defining where you want to be tomorrow.

Perhaps today’s objective is implementing Privileged Identity Management.

Next year it might be introducing passkeys.

After that, dedicated virtual administrative environments.

Eventually, dedicated physical PAWs for your highest assurance identities.

Security programmes mature over time.

The journey matters just as much as the destination.

Bringing It All Together

Modern privileged access isn’t built around a single technology.

It’s built around understanding trust, assessing risk and selecting security controls that provide an appropriate level of assurance.

For one organisation that may mean dedicated physical Privileged Access Workstations.

For another it may be virtual administrative environments protected by strong authentication and Conditional Access.

Both can be valid.

The important thing is that the decisions are made deliberately, consistently and with a clear understanding of the risks involved.

Key Takeaways

A Privileged Access Workstation is one of the most valuable controls available for protecting privileged identities.

It isn’t the only one.

Strong authentication, Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, endpoint security, governance and operational maturity all contribute towards protecting privileged access.

The strongest security strategies don’t rely on a single control.

They combine multiple layers to build trust and reduce risk.

Ultimately, that’s what modern privileged access is all about.

Final Thoughts

This series has explored Privileged Access Workstations in depth, but the principles extend far beyond the workstation itself.

Every privileged identity represents a level of organisational trust.

Our responsibility as architects is to ensure the controls protecting those identities provide an appropriate level of assurance.

That’s the foundation of a modern privileged access strategy.

And that’s the path towards building more secure organisations.