Bitwarden Research Reveals Gap Between Privileged Access Risk and PAM Adoption

84% of respondents rate securing privileged access as extremely or very important, yet 55% report no PAM solution in place, and 20% report an incident tied to overprivileged access

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bitwarden, the trusted leader in passkey, password, and secrets management, today released new research in the Bitwarden Privileged Access Management (PAM) report, revealing a gap between the importance respondents place on privileged access security and reported adoption of PAM solutions.

In a survey of Bitwarden customers, 84% of respondents rated securing privileged account access as extremely or very important, yet 55% reported that their organizations had no PAM solution in place. The survey also found that 20% of respondents reported that their organization had experienced a security incident tied to overprivileged access, while 11% were unsure whether one had occurred.

Among respondents without PAM, cost was the most frequently cited adoption barrier, selected by 40%. Another 30% said management did not see a need, while 20% cited the IT resources required for implementation. According to those already using PAM, 25% identified cost as the most significant challenge with their current solution, followed by complexity and slow deployment, each cited by 16%.

Procurement considerations also shaped PAM selection. Most respondents already using PAM selected a solution because it was included or bundled with another solution, or because it was offered by a trusted security vendor. Together, these findings show that cost, available IT resources, operational priorities, existing purchasing arrangements, and trusted vendor relationships influence PAM adoption and selection.

Compliance and auditability shape PAM decisions

Compliance requirements were the leading factor influencing PAM adoption decisions, cited by 65% of respondents. That priority carried into the features respondents valued most. Compliance-ready audit logs were rated extremely or very valuable by 71%, while 67% placed similar value on credential access rules, and 65% on credential rotation.

The results show demand for controls that establish clear access rules while producing a reliable record of how privileged credentials are accessed and changed over time.

A phased path to stronger privileged access controls

Secrets management and credential rotation were two of the most requested PAM capabilities, with 57% and 38% of respondents, respectively, ranking each as a top-three need. Among mid-market respondents, more than two-thirds (67%) reported having 20 or fewer privileged accounts to secure, giving their organizations a defined starting point for a focused deployment that expands as requirements evolve.

Respondents also advised peers to prioritize ease of use and integrations in vendor selection and build support across departments. Together, the feature findings and implementation guidance define an operating model that aligns privileged access with existing identity workflows, establishes clear access rules and auditability, and reduces the implementation burden on IT teams.

For a detailed analysis of PAM adoption barriers, compliance priorities, implementation considerations, and privileged access controls, download the full report here: https://bitwarden.com/resources/bitwarden-pam-report.

To learn more about Bitwarden, visit bitwarden.com.

Methodology

Bitwarden surveyed 95 customers representing small, mid-market, and enterprise organizations, including respondents working in IT, security, engineering, DevOps, and other functions. Respondents included managers, department heads, executives, and engineers. Responses were collected from July 28 through August 13, 2026.

About Bitwarden

Bitwarden equips enterprises and individuals with the power to securely manage and share information online with trusted open source security solutions. With a password manager for everyone, users can easily manage their entire online identity anywhere. Bitwarden Secrets Manager and Passwordless.dev enhance developer secrets security and streamline passkey development for end users and workforce authentication. Founded in 2016, Bitwarden serves over 80,000 businesses and more than 15 million users worldwide across 180 countries in 50+ languages. The company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at bitwarden.com.