In an interview with FutureCISO,Joseph Carson, chief security scientist at Delinea, notes that AI is "reshaping cybercrime, making attacks faster, smarter, and harder to stop."
SailPoint's latest Horizons of Identity Security report reveals that identity security has become the most lucrative investment for organisations, particularly for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security professionals across Asia. As businesses navigate an increasingly complex landscape, the importance of robust identity management practices cannot be overstated.
The report highlights a widening maturity gap in identity management, with 63% of organisations still relying on basic, manual processes. In contrast, those embracing advanced identity practices, particularly AI-enabled solutions, are seeing remarkable returns.
Source: SailPoint 2025
A significant finding is that 60% of IAM deployments miss timelines by at least a month, and many fail to improve user experience or stay on budget. For CISOs, securing funding is only half the battle; successful execution is the other. The report emphasises that application onboarding complexity and poor identity data hygiene are universal barriers.
CISOs must prioritise deployment best practices—like risk-based sequencing and data cleanup before migration—to ensure their investments deliver the promised security and business outcomes.
Organisations with AI-enhanced identity security are reportedly four times more likely to deploy advanced capabilities, yielding significant cost savings and enhanced risk mitigation.
“As organisations navigate a rapidly changing landscape, identity has become the top ROI generator in the security stack—helping enterprises cut costs, reduce risk, and accelerate growth," says Sailpoint president Matt Mills.
"Today, identity is the central control point where policies are enforced, critical decisions are made, and security operations converge.” Matt Mils
The report underscores that organisations aiming for advanced identity maturity must focus on data cleanup before migration and adopt best practices like automated app onboarding.
Those that do are significantly more likely to advance their identity capabilities. The integration of identity, data, and security is crucial; enterprises that unify these elements not only achieve higher ROI but also enhance their AI readiness.
A notable trend is the shift towards AI-driven identity practices. Mature organisations are implementing identity threat detection and response (ITDR), adaptive authentication, and governance for AI agents at rates four to eight times greater than their peers.
This strategic focus is essential as the digital landscape continues to evolve, with new identity types emerging, including machine identities and AI agents.
As organisations look to improve their identity security frameworks, the findings of this report serve as a guiding light. By prioritising identity as a strategic enabler rather than a mere compliance tool, CISOs can drive transformative change, ultimately achieving ROI multiples of up to 10x.
