What is secrets management?

This episode of Techsplainers explores secrets management, the practice of protecting credentials used by nonhuman identities such as applications, servers, containers, pipelines, bots and AI agents. It explains what counts as a secret, from API keys and service account credentials to SSH keys, certificates and tokens, why these credentials have become such valuable targets for attackers. The episode examines how secrets management supports DevOps and DevSecOps by helping organizations securely store, control, rotate and monitor sensitive credentials throughout their lifecycle. It also breaks down core capabilities such as centralized secrets vaults, dynamic secret creation, automated rotation, access controls, zero trust verification and audit logging. Listeners are guided through common best practices, including separating secrets by environment, avoiding hardcoded credentials, enforcing least privilege and continuously monitoring access events. Learn how strong secrets management helps organizations reduce risk while keeping modern automated systems running securely and efficiently. Find more information at: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/secrets-management Find more episodes https://www.ibm.biz/techsplainers-podcast Narrated by Alice Gomstyn