More Than 50 Per Cent of Large Companies Will Use Software Tools to Manage Shared-Account Passwords by End of 2010

The number of organizations using software tools to manage passwords for shared accounts grew 50 per cent worldwide in 2007, according to Gartner, making it one of the fastest-growing identity and access management (IAM) markets. Analysts predict that the shared-account password management (SAPM) market will continue to exhibit strong growth and that more than half of large organizations will use SAPM tools by the end of 2010.Growth has been driven largely by regulatory compliance, especially where regulations, such as payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS), require personal accountability.

Gartner estimates that around half of organizations using SAPM tools are large (i.e. organizations with 5,000 employees or more), around two thirds are based in North America and a quarter is based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). One fifth is in banking and other financial services.

Gartner recommends that organizations use a SAPM tool to automate processes and enforce controls for shared superuser accounts and shared firecall accounts that provide higher than normal privileges for emergency access outside normal working hours.

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