How MSPs can bring order to privileged access management with better automation

A practical guide to PAM automation for MSPs, including identity verification, password rotation, JIT access, and workflows that create a safer, more consistent privileged process.

You’re already a few tickets deep when a privileged access request lands. Which client policy applies? Has the user been verified? Did someone already rotate that password? In many MSP environments, there isn’t one clear answer, just a mix of tools and a lot of educated guessing.

Using prebuilt automations, called Crates, MSPs can handle routine privileged requests without pulling a technician in every time. Instead of escalating every admin access request, password reset, or identity check, those tasks can be handled safely by a dispatcher, with guardrails already in place.

It’s a win-win. Technicians are no longer interrupted for routine privileged work, and dispatch can move tickets forward without second-guessing. When those requests follow the same pattern across clients, the work becomes easier to manage. It also reduces the need to bounce between tools just to complete basic privileged tasks.

What stronger PAM practices unlock for MSP teams

PAM supports some of the most important work an MSP touches while remaining quietly in the background. It shapes how teams protect access, handle sensitive changes, and maintain stable environments. When these tasks become unreliable or overly reliant on memory, things slow down, and the risk increases.

A clearer PAM structure helps MSPs lower risk and strengthen their access management approach while also smoothing the technician experience. It establishes predictable checkpoints for identity verification, access elevation, and password changes, reducing inconsistencies from varied practices. This also allows for tool consolidation, as privileged actions no longer need to be managed in separate products.

Mixed environments make this even more important. Because MSPs support a wide range of clients and configurations, privileged tasks naturally vary from one location to another. A coordinated approach helps smooth out those differences so technicians can focus on the work instead of the quirks of each system.

The outcome is simple: stronger PAM practices reduce exposure, help teams move through tasks with less friction, and create a steady pattern technicians can rely on without overthinking every step.

Crates that simplify the privileged access workflow

Rewst’s expanded PAM capabilities come to life through a set of prebuilt automations, aka Crates, that handle different parts of the privileged access workflow. Some are new, while others have been refined over time, and all of them help MSPs establish a more predictable and centralized approach to privileged work. Each one addresses a specific challenge, but the real strength shows up when they work together.

Duo Identity Verification

What it does

This automation speeds up privileged tasks by sending a Duo prompt for quick user identity verification before an action is taken. It automatically records approval details in the PSA, reducing time spent on manual checks. If the user cannot respond, it triggers a fallback path, ensuring work continues smoothly.

Why do this

You shouldn’t have to ping someone multiple times just to confirm they are who they say they are. Duo handles verification in a single step, logs it automatically, and allows dispatch to move the request forward without pulling a technician in. Many teams save two to four minutes per ticket compared to manual identity checks, which adds up quickly on busy days. It also gives teams clearer evidence for internal reviews or client audits.

Idea: The same Duo identity verification step can be reused inside other automations. For example, a workflow can pause until a Duo push is approved, or use that approval as a confirmation gate before sensitive actions like password resets, just-in-time admin access, or other change requests run.

Per-Machine Password Rotation

What it does

This automation creates or updates a local admin account on each endpoint, regularly rotates its password on a schedule, and documents the unique per-machine credentials in your documentation platform.

Why do this

Shared credentials create unnecessary risk and make it harder to limit movement during incidents. Per-machine rotation reduces this risk and helps MSPs track fewer standing admin accounts. Such automation strengthens security in mixed environments. Automating rotation, vault updates, and verification lets technicians avoid scripts, password mismatches, and ownership confusion.

Ensure every endpoint has a known, managed local admin account, store those credentials in a central documentation system (IT Glue/Hudu), and if desired, keep control of local admin access inside Rewst instead of relying solely on tools like LAPS.

Password Reset

What it does

Rewst’s password reset automation removes manual steps by guiding requests or self-service forms through a standardized, auditable process. It includes identity verification as needed, pushes updates, and logs actions, keeping workflows consistent and compliant.

Why do this

Password resets appear everywhere, making them easy to treat as a quick one-off. Automating them keeps the process consistent, prevents sensitive information from landing in the wrong ticket, and keeps resets aligned with each client’s policies without any extra effort from technicians. It also creates a reliable audit trail, which saves time later when clients ask for proof of what changed.

Just-in-Time Admin Access

What it does

This automation grants temporary admin access when technicians need extra rights. It treats just-in-time admin access as a normal, repeatable part of the workflow. The request goes through the correct approval path. Access is enabled for a set window and then removed when work is complete. It rotates credentials afterward and logs the record in the PSA.

Why do this

Permanent admin accounts tend to overstay their welcome, creating more exposure than intended. A time-bound approach keeps privileges clean and helps MSPs reduce the number of standing admin accounts across environments. This also removes the burden of remembering when access should expire, since cleanup is built into the workflow.

Rotate Account Passwords (Vault Rotation)

What it does

This automation rotates selected Microsoft admin account passwords on a regular schedule, such as monthly, and updates the new credentials directly in your documentation or password system so everything stays in sync without manual effort.

Why do this

System accounts drift when passwords change in one place but not another. Automated rotation keeps everything in sync. It reduces the chance that technicians hit mismatched credentials when they need them most. MSPs tracking credential drift often see a sharp decrease when rotation becomes automated. Multi-tenant teams get a dependable way to keep high-risk accounts current without intervention.

How an orchestrated access workflow pulls everything together

Each Crate solves a specific challenge in the privileged workflow. But the real benefit appears when they run as one coordinated system. Identity checks become a simple gate, credentials stay contained through rotation, temporary access is time-bound, and resets follow a predictable path. On their own, each step removes friction. Together, they remove the uncertainty that usually follows privileged work from client to client.

Orchestration shows its value in the day-to-day. Rewst doesn’t replace your tools. It brings their work into a single, connected flow. Identity verification, password rotation, vault updates, and PSA documentation all happen as part of the same workflow, rather than separate steps spread across multiple tools.

Evidence is captured in the PSA automatically. Cleanup happens without reminders. Technicians move through tasks easily, without disconnected processes.

This also changes the conversation at the leadership level. MSPs gain flexibility, not lock-in. They can keep tools that work for their environment. They can raise PAM maturity in a way that feels natural, while centralizing privileged access controls. The result is fewer standing admin accounts, cleaner access logs, and a defensible answer when clients ask how privileged access is handled.

If you’re already using Rewst, these PAM Crates are available to you today. If you’re exploring Rewst, book a walkthrough to see which automations map to your environment.