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IBM Resource Access Control Facility vs Idira Privileged Access Manager comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 2, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Resource Access Control...
Ranking in Mainframe Security
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Idira Privileged Access Man...
Ranking in Mainframe Security
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
231
Ranking in other categories
User Activity Monitoring (1st), Enterprise Password Managers (2nd), Privileged Access Management (PAM) (1st), Operational Technology (OT) Security (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Mainframe Security category, the mindshare of IBM Resource Access Control Facility is 11.0%, down from 15.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Idira Privileged Access Manager is 5.5%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Mainframe Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Idira Privileged Access Manager5.5%
IBM Resource Access Control Facility11.0%
Other83.5%
Mainframe Security
 

Featured Reviews

KC
Senior systems engineer at Unum
We're able to do role-based security so when new people join the company we're able to quickly add them to the proper security through role-based security groups.
It's completely secure. That's the best answer I can give you. We're able to do role-based security so when new people join the company we're able to quickly add them to the proper security through role-based security groups. Our resources are secured with this product I would welcome something…
Singaravelu C - PeerSpot reviewer
CyberArk Engineer at Tata Consultancy
Provides full visibility into user activity and ensures secure end-to-end access across critical systems
In CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, I see room for improvement as I am working in the on-premises networks, and now we are also having the cloud-based PAM. So there, everything is maintained by the CyberArk Privileged Access Manager team, and we are only maintaining the PSM servers. So it is already upgraded from the on-premises network to the cloud network. If you ask me what we can implement beyond that, I just need a few minutes to think about what new things, because it is already an end-to-end security on-premises itself. Now, when it comes to PCloud, Privileged Cloud, it is more secure than the on-premises networks because most of the things are handled using the cloud itself. So it is an already upgraded version; we do not need to implement something new. But if you think in that way, we can have a chance to implement our things. If anything could be improved in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, I think we could build a small agent AI in my team, we could give access to these logs—the Vault logs, PSM logs, and CPM logs. Whenever the system is going down, the AI will automatically check. If we actually implement agent AI in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it will check the logs, and if any errors are coming, it automatically triggers alerts and gives the solution. That is the best improvement I can think of because these days, most things are done by agent AI. So if we also implement this agent AI in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, we can add more features.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Perfectly integrated with the z/OS operating system and all the other products in the IBM z/OS family."
"It's completely secure."
"Technical support is exceptional."
"One of the benefits of using CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is we have an audit trail that fits the requirements of our organization and we are more secure using the features of the solution, such as investigating and tracking."
"CyberArk PAM can be easily automated."
"The implementation of the PSM proxy has reduced the specific risk of "insider attacks" on our domain controllers and SLDAP servers by eliminating direct user login by an open secure connection on the user's behalf without ever revealing the privileged credentials."
"The key aspects of privileged access management are being able rotate passwords, make sure someone is accountable, and tie it back to a user (when the system is being used)."
"The solution helps our developers access internal systems. It also helps us in Privilege Access Management."
"Security is the solution's most valuable feature."
"Within the solution, I love the fact that everything is recorded. The configuration capabilities are great, too."
"For me, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is the best product, and even Gartner says the same."
 

Cons

"The way to pull security logs could be better."
"I would welcome something that is more easily integrated with distributor platforms."
"I would like the generation of RACF on-screen listings and reports to be more flexible."
"It is very complex and difficult to set up the solution."
"The initial setup can get complex."
"Its pricing is a big challenge here. When it started, the product came in at a very low cost. Now, they are the leaders in the market, so the cost has grown and is quite huge."
"They are sometimes not flexible with things. For instance, from one day to another, there might be something that had been done years ago by CyberArk, then they say, "We do not support that." You then have to initiate a complaint and start working with them. Things might become complicated and months pass while you are working with them. Usually, they are good and fast, but sometimes they seem to be blocked with problems, e.g., you will suddenly be working with another team instead of the team that you were working with the day before."
"If we actually implement agent AI in CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, it will check the logs, and if any errors are coming, it automatically triggers alerts and gives the solution."
"The solution could improve by adding more connectors."
"The installation is not straightforward. It's complex."
"Functionality to enable drive mappings to platforms and default connectors without the need to use AutoIt."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is perceived to be somewhat overpriced compared to similar market products. It is a little bit overvalued. It could come down a little bit for my liking. However, the industry-leading reputation and the quality of service justify the high price point to some extent."
"CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is on the expensive side. It is very expensive."
"I believe that this solution is priced well. It's the market leader and I think that it's the best solution."
"In comparison to other products on the market, CyberArk is a more costly product."
"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."
"It is in line with its competitors, but all such solutions cost too much money."
"Generally, I don't get involved in the licensing or the purchasing side of it, but I do know that the licenses are expensive."
"I'm aware that the organization had purchased licensing for almost all of CyberArk's solutions including licensing for PTA, EPM, and the Application Identity Manager. But when it comes to PSM, this is one of the components where there's an additional charge for any extra PSMs that you want to deploy. I believe that there's some rider where the vendor has a bit of leeway to, at times, charge a premium on whatever additional services you may require above the board."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business59
Midsize Enterprise43
Large Enterprise175
 

Questions from the Community

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How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?
The pricing is reasonable compared to other software options we evaluated, and it is straightforward. However, overall costs depend on deployment size and licensing requirements.
What needs improvement with CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?
While the access control capabilities are useful, streamlining some configuration and policy management workflows could enhance the user experience for administrators. A simpler interface for creat...
 

Also Known As

IBM RACF
CyberArk Privileged Access Security, CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rockwell Automation
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Resource Access Control Facility vs. Idira Privileged Access Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
917,433 professionals have used our research since 2012.