Replacing CyberArk with Passwordless PAM
How a Fortune 100 company partnered with AuthNull to eliminate passwords and SSH keys — cutting over $2M in costs and closing their most critical attack vector in under 6 months.
“We really needed to get rid of passwords which were becoming an attack vector. We partnered with AuthNull as a design partner and had this implemented in less than 6 months.”
— Introduction
Securing Enterprise Infrastructure at Scale
In an era of escalating cyber threats, enterprises can no longer afford to rely on password and SSH key-based authentication for privileged access. Credentials are the most targeted attack surface in any organisation — and for a Fortune 100 company managing thousands of servers, the exposure was significant.
This case study documents how a Fortune 100 company replaced CyberArk with AuthNull, achieving substantial gains in security, operational efficiency, and cost reduction — all deployed in under six months.
— Background
A Legacy PAM Solution That Created More Risk
The company’s existing PAM platform, CyberArk, relied on password and SSH key-based authentication across its server infrastructure. The vault itself had become a major attack vector — a centralised store of high-value credentials that required constant rotation, complex management, and significant licensing overhead.
The IT security team recognised that the architecture was fundamentally broken: a breach of the vault would expose the entire infrastructure. They needed a solution that eliminated credentials entirely, not just managed them better. AuthNull was the answer.
— Implementation
From Assessment to Full Deployment
AuthNull’s deployment followed three focused phases — from infrastructure discovery through to full production migration:
Assessment and Planning
AuthNull's team worked closely with the client's IT security experts to map every server, access pattern, and privilege boundary. This ensured the implementation aligned precisely with the company's security requirements before a single change was made.
Solution Design and Integration
AuthNull designed a passwordless solution giving secure access to POSIX and LDAP accounts — no passwords, no SSH keys. The solution integrated with existing systems and supported all required protocols, including RDP, SSH, and VNC, without disrupting operations.
Migration and User Adoption
AuthNull facilitated a smooth migration from CyberArk, providing comprehensive training to ensure every user was confident with the new approach. The simplified authentication process accelerated adoption and minimised disruption across the organisation.
— Benefits Gained
What the Organisation Gained
The implementation delivered measurable improvements across security, operations, and cost — within the first 12 months:
Enhanced Security
By eliminating the credential vault and removing all SSH keys, AuthNull dramatically reduced the attack surface. Credential theft attacks were prevented, protecting sensitive data and critical server infrastructure.
Operational Efficiency
The removal of CyberArk’s vault — itself a major attack vector — simplified administration and eliminated manual password rotation entirely. IT overhead dropped and the team could focus on higher-value work.
Cost Savings
Eliminating CyberArk’s licensing fees and the overhead tied to password management resulted in over $2M in net savings in the first 12 months, freeing budget for other critical initiatives.
Phishing Prevention
With no passwords to steal, phishing attacks targeting privileged credentials became irrelevant by design. Over 100 phishing attempts were neutralised without any user intervention required.
— Conclusion
A Vault-Free Future for Privileged Access
The Fortune 100 company successfully replaced CyberArk with AuthNull — not just as a technology swap, but as a fundamental rethink of how privileged access should work. By removing the vault entirely, they removed the risk it represented.
Passwordless authentication across POSIX, LDAP, RDP, SSH, and VNC proved that enterprise infrastructure access can be both maximally secure and frictionless for users. The result: a stronger security posture, lower costs, and a model that scales with the organisation — without the complexity of legacy PAM.
— Metrics
Fortune 100 co and their journey to passwordless
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