\n<\/p>\n
For many organizations, identity security appears to be under control. On paper, everything checks out. But new research from Cerby, based on insights from over 500 IT and security leaders, reveals a different reality: too much still depends on people\u2014not systems\u2014to function. In fact, **fewer than 4% of security teams have fully automated their core identity workflows**.<\/p>\n
Core workflows, like enrolling in Multi Factor Authentication (MFA), keeping credentials secure and up to date, and revoking access the moment someone leaves\u2014are often manual, inconsistent, and vulnerable to error. And when security execution relies on memory or follow-up, gaps appear fast.<\/p>\n
Human error remains one of the biggest threats to enterprise security. Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach report found that the human element was involved in 60% of breaches. The same manual missteps that led to breaches a decade ago still expose identity systems today. Cerby’s _2025 Identity Automation Gap_ research report shows just how widespread the issue is\u2014and how far automation still has to go.<\/p>\n
## The last mile still runs on human error<\/p>\n
The data reveals a persistent reliance on human action for tasks that should be automated across the identity security lifecycle.<\/p>\n
* **41% of end users still share or update passwords manually** , using insecure methods like spreadsheets, emails, or chat tools. They are rarely updated or monitored, increasing the likelihood of credential misuse or compromise.
* **Nearly 89% of organizations rely on users to manually enable MFA** in applications, despite MFA being one of the most effective security controls. Without enforcement, protection becomes optional, and attackers know how to exploit that inconsistency.
* **59% of IT teams handleuser provisioning and deprovisioning manually**, relying on ticketing systems or informal follow-ups to grant and remove access. These workflows are slow, inconsistent, and easy to overlook\u2014leaving organizations exposed to unauthorized access and compliance failures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
## Organizations can’t afford to wait<\/p>\n
The consequences are no longer hypothetical.<\/p>\n
According to the Ponemon Institute, **52% of enterprises have experienced a security breach caused by manual identity work in disconnected applications**. Most of them had four or more. The downstream impact was tangible: **43% reported customer loss, and 36% lost partners.**<\/p>\n
These failures are predictable and preventable, but only if organizations stop relying on humans to carry out what should be automated. Identity is no longer a background system. It’s one of the primary control planes in enterprise security. As attack surfaces expand and threat actors become more sophisticated, the automation gap becomes harder\u2014and riskier\u2014to ignore.<\/p>\n
## Why the automation gap persists<\/p>\n
Why do these manual gaps still exist if automation is so critical to identity security? They’ve emerged as a byproduct of rapid growth, application sprawl, and fragmented infrastructure.<\/p>\n
1. **Disconnected applications are everywhere, **and they don’t support the common identity standards required for integration into existing providers. A majority of enterprise applications fall into this category, and that number continues to grow. They span every business function and are packed with sensitive data.
2. **IT & security teams assume tools = coverage. **Environments today stretch across SaaS, mobile, cloud, and on-prem systems. Shadow IT continues to grow faster than anyone can track, as each business unit brings its own stack. Achieving full control across all applications remains highly elusive.
3. **Stopgap solutions don’t scale.** Password managers, manual scripts, and other vaulting tools are difficult to maintain and often create fragmented infrastructure. When integrations don’t exist, they’re frequently patched together\u2014but these fixes are costly to build and fragile to sustain. What starts as a workaround quickly becomes an ongoing operational burden.<\/p>\n
## Closing the automation gap<\/p>\n
The good news: closing the automation gap doesn’t require rebuilding or replacing your identity stack. It means completing it.<\/p>\n
Forward-thinking organizations are bringing automation to every corner of their application ecosystem without waiting for native integrations. Some teams are also exploring AI agents to help close this gap. But trust is still evolving: **78% of security leaders say they don’t trust AI to fully automate core identity tasks** \u2014yet **45% support a collaborative human-in-the-loop model**.<\/p>\n
Cerby provides organizations with the flexibility to support both approaches\u2014meeting teams where they are and delivering automation where it’s needed most.<\/p>\n
Cerby’s research report, _The 2025 Identity Automation Gap_ , includes findings from 500+ IT and security leaders and practical steps for closing one of the most overlooked risks in enterprise security.<\/p>\n
Download the full report or schedule a 15-minute demo to see how Cerby brings automation across your entire identity surface.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter _\uf099_ and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.\n<\/div>\n
View Advisory Details<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Security Update News Update Information Title Identity Security Has an Automation Problem\u2014And It’s Bigger Than You Think Update ID THN:8DAA1637839FFA4FB71283262E904458 Type thn Published 2025-05-22T10:30:00 Last…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,8,34,12,13,33,7,11,43,5],"class_list":["post-5624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-category_news","tag-cve","tag-cvss","tag-cvss-00","tag-exploit","tag-news","tag-none","tag-security","tag-tapic","tag-thn","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\n
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