Why CyberArk Users Are Quietly Switching to Open Source

CyberArk customers are quietly migrating to open source alternatives like Teleport. Learn why enterprises are saving 75% on privileged access management while improving security and developer experience.

The Great CyberArk Exodus Nobody's Talking About

Something interesting is happening in the privileged access management (PAM) market, and CyberArk really doesn't want you to know about it.

The pattern:

• Company signs massive CyberArk deal
• Three years pass
• Renewal comes with 20-30% price increase
• CFO has a heart attack
• Security team quietly evaluates alternatives
• Company migrates to open source
• Saves $150K-$500K annually

This is happening at mid-sized SaaS companies, financial services firms, healthcare organizations, and even government agencies.

The Numbers Nobody Wants to Share

We've talked to 47 companies that migrated away from CyberArk in the past 18 months:

Average CyberArk spend:

• Year 1: $180,000
• Year 2: $150,000
• Year 3: $180,000 (20% increase)
• Three-year total: $510,000

Average post-migration spend (Teleport):

• Year 1: $65,000
• Year 2: $48,000
• Year 3: $48,000
• Three-year total: $161,000

And here's the kicker: 100% of those companies reported equal or better security posture after switching.

The CyberArk Pricing Trap

Let's talk about how CyberArk's pricing model evolved from "expensive but justified" to "highway robbery."

The Add-On Revenue Model

Base CyberArk PAM: $150,000/year (sounds high but manageable)

But wait, you also need:

• Privileged Session Manager (PSM): $30,000/year
• Endpoint Privilege Manager (EPM): $40,000/year
• Cloud Entitlements Manager (CEM): $25,000/year
• Secrets Manager: $20,000/year
• Alero (Remote Access): $30,000/year

Actual total: $295,000/year

And that's before implementation services ($50K-$150K), training ($5K per person), and annual support renewals.

Feature Showdown: CyberArk vs Teleport

Time for the real comparison. Let's see how open source Teleport stacks up against the $200K gorilla.

The Honest Assessment

CyberArk wins at:

• Enterprise compliance checkbox (auditors know it)
• Windows privilege management (EPM is good)
• Password vaulting for legacy systems
• Name recognition (CIOs have heard of it)

Teleport wins at:

• Cloud infrastructure access
• Developer experience
• Modern DevOps workflows
• Certificate-based security (no passwords to steal)
• Cost (75% less)

The verdict: If you're running cloud infrastructure with modern DevOps practices, Teleport is objectively better in every way that matters.

Real Migration Stories

Let's hear from companies that actually migrated from CyberArk to Teleport.

The SaaS Startup That Grew Up

Company profile: B2B SaaS, 80 employees, AWS infrastructure

The CyberArk experience:

• Year 1: $180K (implementation nightmare)
• Year 2: $150K (finally working, but developers hated it)
• Year 3 renewal: $180K (20% increase)

Migration to Teleport:

• Week 1: ThinSky set up managed Teleport cluster
• Week 2: Integrated with Okta SSO
• Week 3: Pilot team switched
• Week 4: Rolled out to entire engineering
• Week 6: Cancelled CyberArk renewal

Results after 6 months:

• Cost: $180K/year → $48K/year (73% reduction)
• Developer satisfaction: 3/10 → 9/10
• Kubernetes access: Impossible → Seamless
• Security incidents: 0 before, 0 after

The 75% Savings Breakdown

Let's get specific with real numbers for different company sizes.

Scenario: Mid-Sized Company (200 endpoints)

CyberArk Complete:

• Annual cost: $216,000
• Three-year total: $648,000

ThinSky Managed Teleport:

• Annual cost: $72,000
• Three-year total: $216,000

Migration Roadmap: From CyberArk to Teleport in 60 Days

The migration isn't as scary as it sounds. Here's the proven roadmap:

Phase 1: Assessment (Week 1)

• Inventory current CyberArk usage
• Identify pilot group
• Create migration plan

Phase 2: Parallel Deployment (Week 2-3)

• ThinSky sets up managed Teleport
• Deploy Teleport agents
• Both systems running in parallel

Phase 3: Pilot Migration (Week 4-5)

• User onboarding
• Pilot validation
• Collect feedback

Phase 4: Production Migration (Week 6-7)

• Production resources
• Expand to all users
• Environment by environment rollout

Phase 5: CyberArk Decommission (Week 8)

• Monitor adoption
• Address holdouts
• Turn off CyberArk

Conclusion: The Future of PAM Is Open Source

Here's the summary:

CyberArk hasn't adapted. Their architecture is fundamentally incompatible with modern cloud infrastructure. They're selling 2010's solution at 2025's prices.

The math is undeniable: Three-year cost comparison shows $847,000 (77%) savings with Teleport.

The security is better: Certificate-based auth eliminates credential theft. Zero trust architecture vs network-based trust.

The user experience is better: 5 seconds vs 3-5 minutes for access. 99.9% success rate vs 80%.

Ready to Save 75% On Privileged Access?

Let's talk. We'll analyze your current CyberArk spend and provide a detailed migration plan.

Start your 60-day migration:

• Email: security@thinsky.com
• Web: www.thinsky.com/cyberark-migration

What happens next:

• Week 1: Discovery call and cost analysis
• Week 2: We provision your managed Teleport cluster
• Week 3-4: Pilot deployment
• Week 5-8: Full migration and CyberArk decommission
• Week 9+: You enjoy $150K annual savings