Identity security decision-makers around the world were surveyed recently to define the core capabilities across 5 distinct horizons of identity security. The data helped in knowing where their organizations stand on their identity journey and also finding prescriptive paths forward which align with their business goals.
The 5 Horizons of Identity Security
To achieve the future vision of identity, organizations that were surveyed generally fell across five horizons of identity security:
Horizon 1: At the lowest maturity, organizations lack the strategy and technology for enabling digital identities.
Horizon 2: Organizations have adopted a few identity technologies yet are relying on manual processes heavily.
Horizon 3: The identity program has become digitalized, stepped up, and adopted widely across organizations.
Horizon 4: Organizations have automated at scale and they use artificial intelligence (AI) for enabling digital identities.
Horizon 5: Organizations are closest to the future of identity. They are serving as a critical control point in lowering cybersecurity risk and strongly supporting businesses in the next-gen technology innovation.
Interestingly, it was observed that nearly half of the companies fell into horizon 1. This means they’re behind on their identity journey ignoring the significant value that has to be gained on the table. There lies a huge opportunity for organizations that fall into this category.
This value includes enhancing their overall security posture and predominantly driving up business resilience, two foundational and critical elements for enterprise security. For those in horizons 1, 2 or 3, evolving their identity program is not a choice but mission-critical for the business. In other words, it’s business essential.
The Cost of Inaction
Here, the costs of inaction are high and incorporate the increased risk of cyber-attacks, enormous regulatory fines, lost revenue, productivity losses, and reputational damages. Not to mention the fact that most organizations in horizons 1 and 2 are spending extravagantly on their program, by allocating the same portion of the cyber budget as organizations in horizon 4 but only getting a fraction of the benefits.
Today, no enterprise can afford to take one good enough approach to identity security. This report completely validates what is observed among organizations, especially in the last few years. Identity security has evolved to be the core of securing the enterprise today. In this vision, every company has to strive for the best aiming for horizon 5.
