Identity security is proving more important for zero trust than ever

For almost all enterprise IT and security decision-makers, endpoint security or device trust and identity management are essential to a robust Zero Trust strategy. However, only a handful of organizations are actually putting an effort in this direction, leaving most firms at risk of destructive cyberattacks.

This is according to “The Holistic Identity Security Maturity Model: Raising the Bar for Cyber Resilience” report, recently published by identity security experts CyberArk. 

After polling 1,500 IT and security decision-makers around the world, that operate in a multi-cloud environment, the company found that for nearly all (92%) of the respondents, device trust and identity management are key for Zero Trust. Furthermore, roughly two-thirds (65%) of the respondents believe the ability to correlate data is critical for effectively securing endpoints. 

Mature and holistic strategies

But most companies have a long way to go in that respect. Less than a tenth (9%) of organizations were identified as having “mature and holistic” Identity Security strategies. For CyberArk, these firms are “transformative” and have a “well-rounded focus on implementing Identity Security tools”. They are also “inherently agile” and display a “fail fast, learn faster” characteristic, even when faced with a successfully pulled-off cyberattack.

CyberArk also hints that it’s going to take quite some time before things turn for the better, as 42% of all respondents’ Identity Security programs are in the early stages of maturity and lack foundational tools and integrations for a quick mitigation of identity-related risk. 

“An expanding identity attack surface, IT complexity and several organizational roadblocks contribute to this widespread Identity Security deficit,” the researchers concluded.

There also seems to be a perception gap between C-level executives and other staff (technical decision-makers and practitioners) when it comes to Identity Security-related decisions. While 69% of the C-suite believe they’re making the right calls, just 52% of other staff would agree. 

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