Identity and access management spending is projected to increase by 55% as businesses scramble to secure systems against risks posed by agentic artificial intelligence, as first reported by IT Pro.
A new study from Juniper Research estimates that global spending on identity and access management services will climb from $26.2 billion this year to $40.5 billion by 2031. This growth is driven by the rapid proliferation of non-human identities, such as AI agents, which now frequently outnumber human employees. While AI allows for more effective continuous and adaptive authentication, it also introduces significant security vulnerabilities. Organizations are struggling to manage these automated entities, with recent data from Sophos indicating that 70% of companies experienced at least one identity-related breach in 2025. Smaller businesses face particularly high risks, as they often lack the robust security guardrails found in larger enterprises. Experts suggest that the industry must prioritize the development of scalable, user-friendly tools that do not require specialized expertise. To mitigate threats like excessive privileges and dormant accounts, security teams must implement automated monitoring and lifecycle controls to maintain oversight of autonomous identities that may change behavior or retain credentials indefinitely.
Source: IT Pro
