Majority of IT Leaders Struggle to Manage Growing Identity Footprint Amid AI Expansion

Key Takeaways

• 89% of IT leaders struggle with expanding identity footprint
• AI-driven attacks cited by 52% of UK leaders, highest in Europe
• 96% report disconnected security tools creating exploitable gaps
• 33% detect credential misuse within minutes, but 14% take days
• 50% of UK firms plan AI security tool investments within year

Pulse Analysis

The identity landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as artificial intelligence and automated agents multiply beyond human users. Non‑human identities—service accounts, bots, and AI agents—now outnumber traditional employee credentials, creating a sprawling attack surface that legacy security stacks were never designed to protect. According to Keeper Security’s latest survey of 200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision‑makers, 89% of respondents admit their current tools can’t keep pace with this growth, and 96% point to fragmented, poorly integrated solutions as a critical weakness. This convergence of AI‑driven threats and tool sprawl is forcing organizations to rethink governance models and adopt unified, real‑time identity controls.

In the United Kingdom, the pressure is especially acute. More than half of UK respondents identify AI‑enabled attacks as a top driver of security stress, outpacing other European markets. While 33% of UK firms can spot credential misuse within minutes—a notable advantage over the global average—14% still require days to detect unauthorized privileged access, leaving a dangerous window for attackers. The study also flags rising concerns around employee interactions with AI tools, with 56% fearing inadvertent data exposure and 40% worried about AI‑powered social engineering. These insights underscore the need for tighter integration between identity platforms and AI monitoring capabilities.

Investment trends reflect this urgency. Half of UK participants say they will prioritize AI security solutions over the next year, and 38% plan to adopt passwordless or passkey authentication, the highest rates in Europe. Such commitments suggest a market pivot toward next‑generation identity governance that can automate least‑privilege enforcement and provide continuous visibility across both human and machine identities. Vendors that can deliver seamless, AI‑aware security orchestration are poised to capture significant share as enterprises scramble to close the gaps exposed by the new identity frontier.