Top five expert predictions on the identity and access security trends shaping 2026

Critical industries are reaching a technological inflection point. As healthcare, public safety, and manufacturing rapidly modernize, 2026 is poised to cement trust, identity, and intelligent automation as the core drivers of resilience and efficiency. AI is accelerating operational change, the workforce is becoming increasingly mobile, and cyber threats are evolving faster than legacy systems can respond. While technology innovation remains constant, 2026 will be defined by how effectively leaders can integrate identity and access management, cybersecurity, and workflow intelligence to deliver measurable outcomes.

Drawn from a series of interviews with Imprivata leadership, these five predictions capture expert insights on the future of identity and access security in critical industries.

1. Passwordless authentication will become a default security standard

Rising credential theft, phishing attacks, and AI-driven impersonation will push organizations to finally retire passwords as a primary security method. Authentication will shift to biometrics, device-bound passkeys, and cryptographic factors that cannot be shared, stolen, or guessed. Users will experience faster and more seamless access, while security teams gain stronger protection and fewer reset requests. This identity and access data will provide real-time risk intelligence that fuels identity threat detection and response (ITDR), maximizing the security and productivity benefits of passwordless strategies by detecting anomalies faster and guiding instant response. As more platforms adopt native passwordless support, relying on passwords will feel increasingly outdated, risky, and operationally unsustainable. Organizations that make this transition early will see measurable gains in both security posture and workforce productivity.

2. One-size-fits-all platforms will struggle to accommodate modern technology architectures

In the next 12 months, organizations in healthcare, manufacturing, and other critical industries will move away from generic digital tools that overlook the realities of frontline work. Identity is becoming the unifying layer and the control plane that gives structure to this distributed complexity, yet horizontal platforms often fail to support the industry-specific workflows that depend on it. The rise of AI will only heighten the need for systems that understand context, role, and workflow nuance. As digital transformation and modernization pressures rise, enterprises will replace ill-fitting systems with purpose-built, industry-informed interoperable architectures that reflect real operational demands, strengthen identity-driven security, and improve outcomes for the people doing the work.

3. Modernizing third-party and privileged access will become a top priority

Countless supply chain attacks continue to remind organizations that third-party and privileged access remain among the most heavily targeted threat vectors. Contractors, vendors, and service partners often hold powerful credentials but operate outside traditional controls, creating blind spots that adversaries exploit. In 2026, organizations will focus on stronger identity verification, granular permissions, and continuous monitoring to govern external and elevated users with the same rigor as internal staff. As AI-driven impersonation and automated attacks accelerate, modernizing these access pathways will become essential to reducing exposure without slowing critical work.

4. 2026 will be the year of measurable ROI on digital trust

Budgets will continue to tighten as business operations and digital environments remain increasingly distributed, leading critical industries to prioritize technology that delivers clear, quantifiable gains in efficiency, security, and performance. Identity and access management (IAM) will emerge as the control plane for this mobile, hybrid ecosystem by enabling trusted, context-aware, and frictionless access. AI-driven automation will accelerate workflows, and as AI becomes an active participant in the workforce, identity-first foundations will be essential to governing its actions and ensuring accountability. Organizations that connect people, devices, and data through trusted identity will see the strongest returns.

5. User experience will determine security effectiveness

In 2026, the strength of an organization’s security posture will hinge on how easily people can work within it. When access is slow, inconsistent, or confusing, users bypass controls, create exceptions, or weaken safeguards out of necessity. As access becomes more adaptive and less task-driven, workers will spend less time logging in while identity integrity is maintained continuously in the background. The emerging model replaces visible friction with intelligent, context-aware access that adapts to each workflow. By making secure actions the easiest actions, organizations will improve data protection, reduce operational fatigue, and strengthen workforce productivity at the same time.

The path forward

The leaders who win in this environment will be those who treat simplicity, security, and efficiency as a unified design challenge rather than competing priorities. They will rely on intelligent identity to bridge productivity and risk, embrace purpose-built systems that work together rather than sprawl apart, and govern AI as an active member of the workforce. The goal is not only stronger protection but technology that feels invisible and dependable to the people who use it. When simplicity and intelligence become part of everyday experience, security transforms from a business burden into a powerful enabler of meaningful work.

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