One Identity unveils Safeguard 9.0 to simplify enterprise PAM

One Identity has unveiled Safeguard 9.0, billed as a major upgrade to simplify enterprise privileged access management (PAM) and reduce infrastructure and administrative overhead. The release notes emphasise hardware-agnostic deployment and platform updates, including Windows 11 LTSC with embedded licensing for Safeguard for Privileged Passwords and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for Safeguard for Privileged Sessions.

The vendor also claims faster software updates with less disruption and a licensing simplification whereby session management no longer requires a separate license file to continue operating.

Key features highlighted for operational UX focus include asset-scoped just-in-time group elevation, which allows temporary elevation of group membership for a specific request and removal afterwards without creating new accounts or groups. ESXi account discovery is designed to cut down manual tracking, while TLS 1.3 and configurable cipher selection aim to make security policies easier to manage and demonstrate during audits.

Independent validation of Safeguard’s momentum is noted from PeerSpot, which places Safeguard among its top five PAM solutions with an 8.6/10 rating from 92 reviews, and Gartner, where One Identity is positioned as a Challenger in the 2026 Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management. The vendor also reports a 4.7/5 Gartner Peer Insights rating from 200 verified reviews, with 94% of respondents recommending Safeguard.