ManageEngine Survey Finds Major Automation Gaps in Non-Human Identity Security
Summary
ManageEngine’s survey of 515 identity and security professionals finds machine identities far outnumber humans, but only 12% report comprehensive automated lifecycle management. AI deployment and IAM consolidation also face execution gaps.
Key points
- The report surveyed 515 senior identity and security professionals across the United States and Canada in late 2025 about identity governance, AI adoption, tooling and investment priorities.
- Machine-to-human identity ratios reached at least 25:1 at 89% of surveyed organizations and exceeded 100:1 at 46%; only 12% reported comprehensive automated machine-identity lifecycle management.
- Although 91% were piloting or using AI in identity and access management, only 7% had deployed it organization-wide. Positive current outcomes were reported by 43.4% of AI users, versus 65.8% expressing confidence in its future value.
- Nearly three-quarters used multiple IAM vendors, and one-third reported spending more time managing vendors than managing privileged users, highlighting integration and visibility burdens.
- Some 76% were consolidating vendors or evaluating consolidation. The report identifies migration complexity, resource constraints and vendor lock-in concerns as execution barriers.
- Fewer than one-quarter reported dedicated budgets or sufficient internal expertise to execute their investment priorities, despite widespread expectations of stable or growing identity-security budgets.
- ManageEngine recommends automating machine-identity lifecycles and access reviews, simplifying core identity infrastructure, and adopting measurable AI use cases with continued human oversight.
Article Details
- Publisher
- ManageEngine
- Report Period
- October–November 2025; the survey snapshot also describes the period as October 2025
- Scope
- Survey of identity and security professionals in the United States and Canada, covering non-human identity growth, AI adoption, identity-stack fragmentation, consolidation, budgets, and investment priorities.
- Sample Size
- 515 senior identity and security professionals
- Key Statistics
- 89% of surveyed organizations reported machine-to-human identity ratios of 25:1 or higher; 46% reported ratios above 100:1.
- 91% of organizations were piloting or using AI in IAM, while 7% had achieved organization-wide deployment.
- 76% of North American firms were consolidating or actively evaluating vendor unification.
- Only 12% of organizations reported comprehensive automated life-cycle management for machine identities; the report says the remaining 88% rely on manual or ad hoc processes.
- Recommendations
- Automate machine-identity life-cycle management, including access reviews, anomaly detection, and provisioning and deprovisioning.
- Consolidate core identity infrastructure in measured phases while preserving operational stability.
- Use AI to augment human expertise and maintain oversight rather than treating it as a replacement for expertise.
- Make non-human identity governance a foundational part of identity security.
- Simplify identity operations pragmatically, retaining specialized tools where they meet genuine requirements.
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