For a lot of organizations, identification safety seems to be underneath management. On paper, every thing checks out. However new analysis from Cerby, based mostly on insights from over 500 IT and safety leaders, reveals a special actuality: an excessive amount of nonetheless relies on folks—not techniques—to perform. In reality, fewer than 4% of safety groups have totally automated their core identification workflows.
Core workflows, like enrolling in Multi Issue Authentication (MFA), protecting credentials safe and updated, and revoking entry the second somebody leaves—are sometimes handbook, inconsistent, and susceptible to error. And when safety execution depends on reminiscence or follow-up, gaps seem quick.
Human error stays one of many largest threats to enterprise safety. Verizon’s 2025 Information Breach report discovered that the human component was concerned in 60% of breaches. The identical handbook missteps that led to breaches a decade in the past nonetheless expose identification techniques as we speak. Cerby’s 2025 Id Automation Hole analysis report reveals simply how widespread the difficulty is—and the way far automation nonetheless has to go.
The final mile nonetheless runs on human error
The info reveals a persistent reliance on human motion for duties that must be automated throughout the identification safety lifecycle.
- 41% of finish customers nonetheless share or replace passwords manually, utilizing insecure strategies like spreadsheets, emails, or chat instruments. They’re not often up to date or monitored, rising the chance of credential misuse or compromise.
- Practically 89% of organizations depend on customers to manually allow MFA in functions, regardless of MFA being one of the crucial efficient safety controls. With out enforcement, safety turns into non-compulsory, and attackers know how one can exploit that inconsistency.
- 59% of IT groups deal with person provisioning and deprovisioning manually, counting on ticketing techniques or casual follow-ups to grant and take away entry. These workflows are gradual, inconsistent, and straightforward to miss—leaving organizations uncovered to unauthorized entry and compliance failures.
Organizations cannot afford to attend
The implications are not hypothetical.
In line with the Ponemon Institute, 52% of enterprises have skilled a safety breach brought on by handbook identification work in disconnected functions. Most of them had 4 or extra. The downstream impression was tangible: 43% reported buyer loss, and 36% misplaced companions.
These failures are predictable and preventable, however provided that organizations cease counting on people to hold out what must be automated. Id is not a background system. It is one of many major management planes in enterprise safety. As assault surfaces develop and menace actors turn into extra refined, the automation hole turns into tougher—and riskier—to disregard.
Why the automation hole persists
Why do these handbook gaps nonetheless exist if automation is so essential to identification safety? They’ve emerged as a byproduct of fast development, utility sprawl, and fragmented infrastructure.
- Disconnected functions are in every single place, and so they do not assist the frequent identification requirements required for integration into current suppliers. A majority of enterprise functions fall into this class, and that quantity continues to develop. They span each enterprise perform and are filled with delicate knowledge.
- IT & safety groups assume instruments = protection. Environments as we speak stretch throughout SaaS, cellular, cloud, and on-prem techniques. Shadow IT continues to develop quicker than anybody can monitor, as every enterprise unit brings its personal stack. Attaining full management throughout all functions stays extremely elusive.
- Stopgap options do not scale. Password managers, handbook scripts, and different vaulting instruments are tough to keep up and infrequently create fragmented infrastructure. When integrations do not exist, they’re steadily patched collectively—however these fixes are pricey to construct and fragile to maintain. What begins as a workaround shortly turns into an ongoing operational burden.
Closing the automation hole
The excellent news: closing the automation hole would not require rebuilding or changing your identification stack. It means finishing it.
Ahead-thinking organizations are bringing automation to each nook of their utility ecosystem with out ready for native integrations. Some groups are additionally exploring AI brokers to assist shut this hole. However belief remains to be evolving: 78% of safety leaders say they do not belief AI to totally automate core identification duties—but 45% assist a collaborative human-in-the-loop mannequin.
Cerby supplies organizations with the flexibleness to assist each approaches—assembly groups the place they’re and delivering automation the place it is wanted most.
Cerby’s analysis report, The 2025 Id Automation Hole, contains findings from 500+ IT and safety leaders and sensible steps for closing one of the crucial missed dangers in enterprise safety.
Obtain the complete report or schedule a 15-minute demo to see how Cerby brings automation throughout your complete identification floor.
