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Measure, Prioritise, and Advance Your PAM Maturity

The Smart Access PAM Maturity Framework enables security leaders to assess where they are today, define what good looks like, and build a phased roadmap toward Zero Trust, aligned to business risk, resources, and compliance goals.

Smart Access PAM Maturity Model

Why a PAM Maturity Framework Is Essential

Most organisations already have tools and policies in place, but lack a structured way to measure progress or communicate risk-based priorities.

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That’s where a PAM maturity model becomes critical. ​The Smart Access PAM Maturity Framework provides:

✅ A consistent method to baseline the current state

✅ Target-setting by capability, not just compliance

✅ Risk-based prioritisation of effort and investment

✅ A strategic view of how PAM evolves over time

This framework is how executive teams move beyond isolated controls to a complete, measurable PAM program.

The 5 Levels of PAM Maturity

Each of the six PAM capabilities is measured across five defined levels:

  • Level 0 (Non-Existence) - No formal controls in place; risks unmanaged or unknown

  • Level 1 (Initial) - Some awareness or manual practices, but no consistent control

  • Level 2 (Developing) - Processes are defined and in progress but may lack full coverage or ownership

  • Level 3 (Managed) - Controls are implemented, monitored, and governed across key areas

  • Level 4 (Optimized) - Capabilities are embedded, automated, and continuously improved, supporting Zero Trust objectives


This model helps answer the strategic question:
“How mature are our privileged access controls — and what’s the next step?”

 

It provides a phased approach, allowing organisations to build momentum through achievable short-term goals while progressing toward long-term maturity.​

​What’s Included in the Smart Access PAM Maturity Framework

The framework is built from the ground up with a targeted selection of 56 strategic objectives aligned to NIST CSF 2.0 sub-categories across the six core functions in the context of a modern Privileged Access Management strategy.

 

For each strategic objective, we define:

  • Strategic objective specific to PAM

  • Maturity objective at each level (0–4)

  • Maturity indicators to assess and evidence progress at each level (0-4)


Each item is mapped to:

 

This structure allows security leaders to track real progress, align to standards, and clearly answer:

 

"Where are we now, and what does good look like?"

How It Complements the Capability Framework

  • The Capability Framework defines what you must control

  • The Maturity Framework defines how well those controls are implemented

Together, they form the foundation for a risk-based, business-aligned PAM strategy.

Business Value

The Smart Access PAM Maturity Framework empowers executive teams to:

✅ Prioritise areas of underperformance based on real-world risk

✅ Justify PAM investment with clear, measurable outcomes

✅ Communicate progress to boards, auditors, and regulators

✅ Move from tactical access management to strategic access assurance

This is how modern security teams operationalise PAM at scale.

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