Eliminate Permanent Global Administrators for Government & Public Sector
How government & public sector organizations should implement PA-01-L2 for Microsoft 365 security and compliance.
Government & Public Sector organizations face unique security challenges when managing Microsoft 365 environments. The PA-01-L2 control (Eliminate Permanent Global Administrators) is particularly important for this sector due to fedramp and nist-800-53 requirements.
Why Government & Public Sector Organizations Need This Control
Government & Public Sector organizations face specific regulatory requirements including fedramp, nist-800-53, cis. The PA-01-L2 control helps address these requirements by:
- Zero permanent human Global Administrator assignments
- All Global Admin access is through PIM eligible assignments
- Only emergency access accounts retain permanent Global Admin
Permanent Global Admin accounts are always-on attack targets. With PIM, admins activate access only when needed, reducing the attack window from 24/7 to minutes per day. This is a fundamental Zero Trust control.
Industry-Specific Considerations
When implementing PA-01-L2 in a government & public sector environment, consider:
- **Regulatory requirements**: fedramp, nist-800-53, cis may mandate specific configurations
- **Risk tolerance**: Government & Public Sector organizations typically have moderate to low risk tolerance
- **Audit frequency**: Plan for regular compliance reviews
- **Documentation**: Maintain detailed records for regulatory inspections
Implementation Steps
To implement PA-01-L2 in your Microsoft 365 environment:
- Zero permanent human Global Administrator assignments
- All Global Admin access is through PIM eligible assignments
- Only emergency access accounts retain permanent Global Admin
TrueConfig can automatically remediate this control with one click.
Government Compliance Requirements
Government organizations must comply with these frameworks, all of which address eliminate permanent global administrators:
Why This Control Matters for Government
Permanent Global Admin accounts are always-on attack targets. With PIM, admins activate access only when needed, reducing the attack window from 24/7 to minutes per day. This is a fundamental Zero Trust control.
Common threats in government & public sector:
- • Nation-state espionage campaigns
- • Ransomware targeting critical services
- • Insider threats from privileged users
For government & public sector organizations, PA-01-L2 is a key component of a compliant Microsoft 365 security posture. TrueConfig helps you implement and maintain this control while meeting industry-specific requirements.
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