Pardew officially left Newcastle United on Saturday to pen three-and-a-half-year contract at Selhurst Park after the two clubs agreed a compensation package earlier this week.
The former Palace midfielder takes charge of a club languishing in the bottom three having won just one of their last 14 games.
However, Pardew is confident of safeguarding Palace's top-flight future, but only after signing new players in the January transfer window.
"Without putting pressure on the chairman, because I think it's difficult for the manager to keep talking publicly about players and putting unnecessary pressure on the board, but we've had discussions where we're going to need a player or two – at least," said Pardew on Palace's official YouTube channel.
"And that's what we're going to try and do."
Pardew has already experienced a season of contrasting fortunes as a sizeable section of Newcastle fans called for him to be sacked before the 53-year-old oversaw an upturn in results that included wins over the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.
And he is ready for a relegation dogfight with his beloved Palace.
"It was a choice I decided to make which I felt was right for myself and my family and my career," he added.
"It's been a while since I played here, but of course it's somewhere I know well and close to my heart. Really and truly my home is in this area and for me it's what you would class as about as close as you can as a manager to say your own club.
"This football club has done incredibly well over the past few years and it's a little bit sticky at the moment, but we need to find a route out of that.
"Now my focus is very much on getting my head around the issues that we have and how to go forward."
Having helped West Ham clinch promotion to the Premier League, stabilised Southampton and led Newcastle back into the top flight, Pardew feels he has the managerial experience needed to ensure Palace stay up.
He said: "What I would like to achieve is build a football club under my time here that has progressed.
"I managed to do that at Southampton and I managed to do that at Newcastle. I took those clubs forward.
"My experiences at West Ham – where again I did that – and not so good memories of Charlton unfortunately, but those lessons learnt have stood me in good stead."
