Two structural trends are driving this shift. First, the rapid expansion of digital identities (spanning employees, customers, partners, devices, and AI agents) has made identity the dominant attack surface. According to Okta, 75% of cloud security breaches stem from identity mismanagement.

Second, identity has moved from a supporting IT function to a core element of enterprise security. Identity-centric controls are now being embedded into endpoint, cloud, and network security platforms, reshaping how security architectures are designed. As a result, Identity Security places identity-based controls at the foundation of an organization's protection model, replacing traditional perimeter-centric approaches.

Despite this growing product landscape, current offerings fall short in two critical areas: partial coverage of core Identity Security capabilities, and limited coverage of identity types. Most Identity Security solutions are designed primarily for workforce identities, leaving unmanaged identities such as customers and external partners either excluded or addressed through low-cost, low-accuracy approaches that provide limited protection.