For years, cybersecurity centered on a simple idea: build strong walls around a company’s network, and trust that firewalls and other defenses would protect the data within. But now, the emergence of cloud platforms, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, remote work, and third-party partnerships has blurred the boundaries of traditional networks.  

Today, security increasingly depends on who or what is requesting access, and whether that access should be granted. Identity has become a critical security control point, and managing it effectively has expanded beyond IT to be a strategic priority for managing organizational risk. 

Here, we’ll examine why identity has become such a critical line of defense and how organizations can close gaps in access in this new landscape.

How has cloud adoption changed cybersecurity? 

Cloud adoption has distributed applications, data, and infrastructure across environments that organizations may not own or directly control: 

• Employees access systems from different locations and devices 

• Contractors and partners connect to internal resources 

• Applications communicate through application programming interfaces (APIs), often without human involvement 

In this environment, there is no single network boundary to defend. Security decisions must keep in mind who or what is requesting access and the circumstances surrounding each request. Further, excessive permissions and forgotten accounts can leave vulnerabilities hidden in otherwise well-defended environments.

A Palo Alto Network Unit 42 analysis of more than 680,000 cloud identities found 99% of users, roles, and services had excessive permissions, some unused for 60 days or more. Further, identity weaknesses played a material role in almost 90% of Unit 42 investigations, and 65% of initial access was driven by identity-based techniques.¹ 

As the number of identities and access points grows, organizations need a consistent way to determine what access is appropriate for whom, ensure permissions remain aligned with business needs, and close gaps before attackers exploit them.

That’s where identity security comes in.

What is identity security? 

Knowing who has access to your systems is only the beginning. Organizations must also ensure that access is appropriate, necessary, and ultimately removed when it’s no longer needed. Identity security establishes the policies and processes to make that happen. 
 
At its core is the principle of least privilege: giving each identity only the access its function requires. Regular reviews help prevent permissions from accumulating as things change (e.g., employees changing roles, contractors finishing assignments, systems evolving). 
 
Beyond reducing security exposure, strong identity security can also support regulatory compliance and simplify audits. Complete access records and audit trails also help organizations investigate and contain incidents.

Where to start strengthening identity security

Strengthening identity management is an ongoing process. While the right approach depends on your own environment and maturity, several priorities are always a useful starting point: 

• Establish visibility. Identify all identities, including nonhuman identities such as service accounts, API keys, workloads, and AI agents, with access to your organizational resources.

• Strengthen authentication. Enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) and other strong authentication practices.

• Apply least-privilege principles. Limit permissions to what each identity needs, and review access regularly. Eliminate standing administrator rights in favor of just-in-time elevation.

• Automate onboarding, offboarding, and access changes. Ensure access is updated and revoked promptly as people join, change roles or leave.

• Apply zero-trust principles. Verify every access request explicitly, regardless of network location or device ownership, rather than granting implicit trust.

• Establish clear ownership. Treat identity security as an ongoing governance program with defined responsibilities.

Secure what matters with Collective Insights

Cloud adoption has changed where security decisions happen. Identity security helps organizations make those decisions consistently.

For organizations evaluating their current approach, the first step is understanding where they stand: which identities have access to critical resources, whether that access is appropriate and where gaps in governance may introduce risk.

Collective Insights is here to help. We help organizations assess identity and access programs, from governance and privileged access to nonhuman identities, and turn the findings into a prioritized roadmap. Learn more about how we can help strengthen identity security across your enterprise.

1. Palo Alto® Networks, Global Incident Response Report 2026.