Identity security is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and many organisations may be less prepared than they think.
The 2026 Identity Security Landscape report, commissioned by Palo Alto Networks, explores how the rapid growth of machine identities is creating new risks and challenging traditional security approaches.
Drawing on insights from 2,930 cybersecurity decision-makers across 20 countries, the report uncovers the scale of today’s identity challenge. Organisations now manage 109 machine identities for every human, while 90% have experienced an identity-related breach in the past year. Meanwhile, shrinking certificate lifecycles and fragmented security tools are creating operational pressures that many teams are struggling to keep up with.
The report also exposes a growing “speed gap”—the widening divide between how quickly threats emerge and how fast organisations can detect, investigate, and respond. As AI-driven environments expand and machine identities proliferate, traditional approaches to identity security are being pushed beyond their limits.
Whether you're responsible for privileged access, machine identity management, certificate governance, or identity threat detection, this research provides the data, benchmarks, and insights needed to evaluate your current strategy and prepare for what’s next.
Download the full report to explore the trends, risks, and practical actions shaping the future of identity security.
