Gartner Insights Abstract

Innovation Insight: Secrets Management Tools

Published: 12 August 2024

Summary

Machine-to-machine communication is ubiquitous and often protected by secrets such as API keys, passwords or other types of credentials. Security and risk management leaders should discover, secure and manage these secrets and whenever possible, switch to alternative “secretless” mechanisms.

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Overview

Key Findings
  • Secrets management is generating interest by clients, with an increasing number of client inquiries on the topic. New vendors and products are continuing to enter the space, and clients bemoan difficulties in cost forecasting and vendor lock-in challenges.

  • Secrets management is a fundamental part of, but not the same as, machine identity management. Virtually, all organizations that look at secrets management as a potential one-size-fits-all solution for machine identity management quickly realize that this is impossible.

  • The predominant delivery models for secrets management are self-managed software (often hosted by clients themselves in the cloud), or embedded secrets management tools offered

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Analysts:

Felix Gaehtgens

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