Organizations across Asia Pacific are rapidly scaling artificial intelligence initiatives, but many are struggling to keep identity security controls aligned with that growth, according to new findings from Okta’s Businesses at Work 2026 report. The report highlights a sharp rise in non-human identities including AI agents, bots, and service accounts as enterprises embed AI into workflows, customer interactions, and core business systems. In some cases, these machine identities now outnumber human users by as much as 45 to 1, underscoring the scale of transformation underway.

However, security maturity has not kept pace. Only around 10% of organizations surveyed said their identity systems are fully equipped to manage and secure these non-human identities. This gap is creating new risks as companies expand automation without corresponding governance frameworks.

A key concern is ownership and accountability. Many organizations remain unclear about who is responsible for securing AI-driven identities, particularly when tools are adopted outside traditional IT oversight. This lack of clarity increases the likelihood of shadow AI and unmanaged access across enterprise environments. The findings also point to a broader shift in how identity and access management (IAM) is viewed. Once considered a back-end function, IAM is now becoming central to enterprise risk management. As AI systems take on more operational roles, ensuring visibility, control, and policy enforcement over both human and machine identities is becoming critical.

Dan Mountstephen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, APJ at Okta, noted that AI is fundamentally changing identity requirements. He emphasized that organizations are no longer just managing more users they are managing entirely new categories of identities that operate at scale and speed beyond human capabilities.

The report further indicates that security tools are among the fastest-growing technology investments across APAC, reflecting increased urgency to address these challenges. Yet governance models are still evolving, leaving many enterprises exposed during this transition phase. Ultimately, the research suggests that identity is emerging as the “control plane” of modern enterprises a critical layer for enforcing access policies, maintaining trust, and ensuring secure AI adoption. Organizations that prioritize governance, accountability, and visibility alongside AI deployment are expected to be better positioned to manage risk as digital ecosystems grow more complex.

Source : securitybrief.asia

Recommended Cyber Technology News:

To participate in our interviews, please write to our CyberTech Media Room at info@intentamplify.com  



🔒 Login or Register to continue reading