12PORT vs. CYBERARK
Same goal. Different architecture.
CyberArk has been the default Privileged Access Management vendor for 25 years, and 25 years of architectural decisions show. 12Port runs the same core mission with a smaller footprint, no agents, native AI-agent support, and an MSP-ready multi-tenant model.
Architecture differences
What 12Port does differently than CyberArk.
CyberArk earned its market position. The architecture choices that made sense in 2000 – an agent on every endpoint, a complex vault topology and separate products for every privileged identity type. All are still in the platform today. 12Port made different choices because we built later.
- Agentless brokering vs. CyberArk agents. 12Port brokers SSH, RDP, PowerShell, VNC, Telnet, and HTTP(s) sessions through a server-side broker. Nothing on the endpoint, nothing on the target. CyberArk Endpoint Privilege Manager and Privileged Session Manager require agents on Windows and Linux endpoints.
- One platform, not seven products. 12Port covers PAM, credential vault, account management, remote access, session intelligence, and AI-agent access in one license. CyberArk historically licenses Privilege Cloud, EPM, Conjur, Secrets Hub, Identity, and Workforce Password as separate products with separate consoles.
- AI agents are first-class users. 12Port speaks Model Context Protocol natively. AI agents authenticate, request privileged actions, and run them through the same broker as humans, with the same approval and recording. CyberArk treats AI as a service-account-with-secret-rotation problem.
- Multi-tenant by design. 12Port runs MSPs and multi-business-unit enterprises from one control plane with isolated tenants, per-tenant audit, and per-tenant reporting. CyberArk multi-tenancy is supported via separate deployments or partner-edition licensing.
Side-by-side
CyberArk vs. 12Port at a glance.
| Capability | CyberArk | 12Port |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint footprint | Agent on every endpoint (PSM, EPM) | Agentless. Nothing on endpoint or target |
| Time to first session | Months (rollout, agent deployment, vault sync) | Same day. Connect IdP, point at assets, broker |
| Product count | ~6 SKUs (Privilege Cloud, EPM, Conjur, Secrets Hub, Identity, Workforce) | One platform, one license |
| AI agent support | Service-account model. Rotate secrets | Native MCP server. Agents authenticate and request like humans |
| Multi-tenancy | Separate deployments or partner edition | Native, single control plane, isolated tenants |
| Session recording | Video + keystrokes (PSM) | Video + transcript + event log + plain-language search |
| Pricing model | Per-target + per-feature; quote-driven | Per named user, all modules included; quote-driven |
| Deployment options | Privilege Cloud (SaaS), self-hosted, hybrid | On-prem, cloud, isolated networks. Same product |
Honest framing
When CyberArk is the right answer. When 12Port is.
CyberArk fits when…
- You already run a deep CyberArk deployment with mature workflows, custom connectors, and an internal team trained on the platform, the switching cost outweighs the architectural difference.
- You need very specialized capabilities only CyberArk currently ships (e.g. some SAP-specific privileged workflows, certain mainframe protocols).
- Your security team has standardized procurement on CyberArk for compliance reasons in regulated environments where vendor-of-record matters.
12Port fits when…
- You want to be live in days, not quarters, and have no appetite for an agent rollout project across the fleet.
- You priced out a CyberArk renewal or expansion and the line item for new SKUs, additional targets, and professional services is hard to justify against the privileged identities you would actually bring under management.
- Your CyberArk rollout has stalled. It is common: the original scope shrinks because deploying agents, building connectors, and training operators across the fleet costs more time and budget than expected, and a meaningful slice of privileged identities is still outside the platform.
- You are heavily invested in CyberArk for legacy systems but want a faster, cheaper path to bring new projects, acquisitions, cloud accounts, K8s clusters, and AI agents under privileged-access management, without a multi-quarter integration project per workload.
- AI agents are part of your access plan, and you want them to authenticate, request, and be recorded through the same control plane as humans.
- You run an MSP or a multi-business-unit enterprise and need true multi-tenancy, not parallel deployments.
- You are tired of stitching six SKUs together and want one platform that covers vault, brokering, recording, intelligence, and AI in one license.
