Delinea

What Delinea actually does

Secret Server is the core product — a privileged credential vault that stores, rotates, and controls access to passwords, SSH keys, and service accounts. It’s the product that put Thycotic on the map, and it remains the most deployed component. Available as cloud (Secret Server Cloud) or on-prem.

Server PAM (formerly Centrify Server Suite) handles privilege elevation on Linux and Unix servers, enforcing least-privilege access without shared root credentials. Privilege Manager removes local admin rights on Windows and Mac endpoints and manages application control.

Connection Manager provides a session management interface for launching and recording privileged sessions. Account Lifecycle Manager automates service account governance. The Delinea Platform is the overarching cloud console intended to unify the portfolio, though individual products still maintain separate management experiences in many deployments.

Who it’s best for

• Mid-market organizations with 100-5,000 privileged accounts needing a vault
• Teams that evaluated CyberArk and found it too expensive or complex for their needs
• Organizations starting their PAM journey and wanting fast time to value
• Windows-heavy environments where Secret Server’s AD integration is a strong fit
• Security teams needing endpoint privilege management alongside credential vaulting

Pricing reality check

Delinea is typically 30-50% less expensive than CyberArk for comparable scope. Secret Server Cloud pricing starts around $20-30/user/month depending on tier and features. On-prem perpetual licenses are still available. Privilege Manager and Server PAM are priced separately.

Deployment is significantly faster than CyberArk. Secret Server can be operational in 2-4 weeks for a basic vault deployment. The trade-off is less customization and fewer out-of-the-box integrations for niche systems. Professional services are available but not always mandatory — many organizations self-deploy Secret Server successfully.

Alternatives to consider

• CyberArk — The market leader. More depth, more integrations, more complexity, more cost.
• BeyondTrust — Strong PAM plus remote access. Better if secure vendor access is a primary use case.
• HashiCorp Vault — Secrets management for DevOps. Not a full PAM suite but covers machine identity well.
• Keeper Security — PAM for SMBs. Lower cost, simpler. Limited at enterprise scale.

The Charting Cyber take

Delinea is the pragmatist’s PAM choice. Secret Server does what most organizations actually need — store credentials, rotate them, audit access — without a 12-month implementation project. For mid-market organizations or enterprises with straightforward PAM requirements, it delivers real value quickly.

The post-merger product consolidation is the concern. Thycotic and Centrify products were built independently and the unification under the Delinea Platform is ongoing. Some product overlaps remain. During evaluation, be specific about which products you need and how they integrate today, not on the roadmap. If your PAM needs are complex — multi-cloud secrets management, deep session analytics, granular Unix privilege elevation — CyberArk may justify the premium. For everything else, Delinea gets the job done.