With machine identities now outnumbering humans, managing them has become a high-stakes challenge. Service accounts, APIs, and bots all need strict governance, yet often operate unchecked. Securing these non-human identities means tackling lifecycle management, preventing credential sprawl, and defending against evolving threats, all while ensuring seamless automation and system-to-system communication.

Privileged access is a prime target for cyber threats, making zero trust security a necessity, but implementing it without creating onerous friction is a challenge. Organisations must enforce strict, continuous authentication while keeping workflows smooth, ensuring that only the right users have the right access at the right time.

The volume and velocity of identity threats (credential theft, token misuse, shadow apps) have outstripped what humans alone can manage. Using AI to detect anomalous behaviour (e.g. suspicious logins or resource access), automating entitlement reviews, remediating stale privileges, and accelerating response time are becoming essential.

Workforce IAM is all about giving employees the right access at the right time – without slowing them down or exposing sensitive data. Meanwhile, Customer IAM must deliver a smooth, secure experience that scales effortlessly, keeping logins fast, data protected, and users happy across every touchpoint. What are the best strategies for both employees and customer IAM?