AI agents are changing the way work gets done inside enterprise environments. Unlike traditional applications, agentic AI can act autonomously, make decisions, interact with systems, and perform tasks at machine speed.
From accounts to actions
For years, access controls have largely been designed around human users, static accounts, and long-lived credentials. But those models start to break down when identities are no longer human, activity happens continuously, and access decisions need to be made in real time.
The focus therefore needs to shift from simply asking who owns an account to understanding what an identity is actually doing.
Security teams need visibility into which systems an identity is accessing, what actions it is performing, and whether that access is appropriate in that specific context.
From vaults to just-in-time access
Storing privileged credentials securely is important, but standing credentials still create risk.
If a credential exists permanently, it can potentially be stolen, reused, or abused. Just-in-time access reduces that exposure by granting privileged access only when it is needed and removing it when the task is complete.
As AI agents begin to interact with more critical systems, minimizing standing access becomes even more important.
Explore what AI agents and non-human identities mean for privileged access >>>
From humans to non-human identities
Identity security can no longer focus only on people.
AI agents, service accounts, workloads, and other machine identities increasingly need access to infrastructure, applications, and sensitive data. They therefore need the same level of control, governance, and visibility as human users.
The difference is that these identities operate at a much greater speed and scale, which means traditional access models may no longer be enough.
Identity security needs to evolve with AI
As agentic AI becomes more embedded in enterprise environments, access security needs to evolve alongside it.
The key questions are no longer only who has access, but also what they are doing, why they need that access, and how long they should keep it.
Our CEO, Rami Raulas, will explore this topic further at Cyber Security Nordic event in Helsinki on October 28 at 11:40-12:00 in his session, Time to Secure Agentic AI and Non-Human Identities: From Accounts to Actions, from Vaults to Just-in-Time, from Humans to NHIs and AI Agents.
