Privileged Identity Management (PIM): Psychology of Too Much Power

The Temptation of Power

Some people want money. Others want fame. But in the cloud? Real power means one thing: Global Admin.

There’s something undeniably thrilling about that title; the ultimate checkbox of authority. The “God Mode” of Entra ID. You can grant permissions, spin up resources, delete things you shouldn’t, and generally feel like you’ve ascended above mortal RBAC roles.

But, as Spider-Man’s uncle taught us, with great permissions comes great potential for chaos.

We’ve all seen it. That one account with “just in case” privileges. That one engineer who’s “only Global Admin temporarily.” And yet somehow, six months later, they’re still wearing the crown.

That’s where Privileged Identity Management, or PIM, swoops in the friendly neighborhood superhero that makes sure power doesn’t go to our heads (or our production clusters).

Why We Love (and Abuse) Power

Here’s the thing, it’s not that people want to be reckless. It’s just that convenience is the enemy of security.

We’ve all said things like:

• “I’ll remove my admin rights later.”

• “It’s just for testing.”

• “Can we just do this right now to get unblocked and fix it later?”

And sure, later usually means “never.”

The road to breached infrastructure is paved with good intentions and permanent admin roles.

Every engineer has had that “just this once” moment that somehow lasted three months. You meant to remove access after the fix, but then the next sprint happened, and then a release, and before you know it you’re basically the all-seeing eye of Entra.

This isn’t evil. It’s human. Power is convenient. Restriction is annoying. Which is exactly why systems like PIM exist, to save us from ourselves.

Enter PIM: The Power Regulator

Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is Entra ID’s way of giving you superpowers with a built-in expiry date.

It’s like having admin powers on a timer a “power hour”, if you will.

You can elevate when needed, get the job done, and then automatically drop back to your normal mortal form.

Here’s the magic behind it:

• Just-in-time access: You get admin rights only when you actually need them like a digital espresso shot of power.

• Approval workflows: Someone (hopefully responsible) has to say, “Yes, you may wield Mjölnir.”

• Auditing & alerts: Because every hero needs an origin story… and a paper trail.

The brilliance of PIM is that it doesn’t assume you’re untrustworthy it assumes you’re human. It removes the constant exposure of standing privileges, replacing it with time-bound access that fits right into the Zero Trust model.

PIM is basically a seatbelt for your cloud privileges. You might not always notice it, but you’ll be thankful it’s there when something goes wrong.

The Real Villain: Permanent Privilege

Too much unchecked power is dangerous; both technically and psychologically.

Let’s meet Bob. Bob’s a hardworking sysadmin. One day, Bob gets a ticket: “Fix user access issue.” He elevates to Global Admin. Quick job, done and dusted.

Then lunch happens. Then the weekend. Then Q4.

Three months later, Bob’s still God.

This is how privilege creep happens not through malice, but through inertia. Once you have access, it’s easy to forget you still have it. Attackers love that. Because no one remembers to remove access, but attackers always remember to use it.

PIM would’ve saved Bob from himself. Automatic expiry would’ve revoked those elevated rights the moment his task was complete. A few clicks and Bob’s back to being a responsible mortal with fewer compliance nightmares and fewer heart palpitations for the security team.

The Balance Between Trust and Control

At its core, PIM isn’t about distrust it’s about balance.

Humans crave autonomy. Security requires structure. The two rarely agree. But PIM manages to keep everyone (mostly) happy.

It’s the grown-up version of “trust but verify.” You still trust your engineers, your admins, your developers but only when they need to do the thing.

Or as I like to think of it:

PIM isn’t about distrusting people it’s about saving us from our 2 a.m. “I’ll clean this up later” selves.

Zero Trust isn’t paranoia; it’s hygiene. You wash your hands to prevent germs, you rotate your credentials, and you use PIM to stop privileges from lingering. It’s just good security hygiene, with fewer spreadsheets and more automation.

The “Admin Archetypes”

We’ve all met these characters in the wild:

• The Overlord: Loves being Global Admin “just in case.” Feels safer knowing they could technically change anything.

• The Forgetful Hero: Promises to remove access… someday. (They won’t.)

• The Experimenter: “I’m just testing something.” (Famous last words.)

Whichever type you are, PIM’s got your back and your audit logs.

Power, But Make It Accountable

PIM isn’t here to ruin your fun. It’s here to make sure power is used wisely and only when needed.

Because in the cloud, it’s not about who holds the power.

It’s about who remembers to turn it off.

So next time you’re tempted to grant yourself Global Admin, pause for a second and ask yourself:

Do I really need to be Thanos today?

Final Thought:

Privileged Identity Management isn’t just a security feature it’s a mindset shift. It’s admitting that humans are fallible, that convenience always tempts us, and that good security is about designing systems that protect us from ourselves.

Power is fun. Control is necessary.

And in Entra ID, PIM makes sure you can have both responsibly.