How To Secure Non-Human Identities With Modern IAM
Rajat Bhargava is an entrepreneur, investor, author and currently CEO and cofounder of JumpCloud.
getty
Every second, hundreds of automated processes and service accounts access sensitive data without human oversight. These non-human identities (NHIs)—spanning API keys, secrets, tokens and service accounts—operate behind the scenes to power cloud applications, automation and microservices.
NHIs authenticate and execute automated processes between cloud applications and third-party integrations; they allow applications, virtual machines and scripts to access resources securely; and they can generate cryptographic credentials that encrypt and validate communications between automated processes—to name just a few of their uses.
The number of NHIs is growing as organizations race to innovate—or just keep pace with digital transformation. NHIs now often outnumber human users, creating a sprawling network of identities that require immediate attention.
Modern architectures—from DevOps pipelines to serverless computing—rely heavily on NHIs. This creates opportunities for bad actors, where multiple permissions, when exploited together, can lead to catastrophic breaches. Left unsecured, NHIs become prime targets for cyberattacks.
OWASP released its 2025 top 10 risks associated with NHIs, highlighting that a lack of monitoring, excessive permissions and credential mismanagement are just a few of the key issues that can lead to unauthorized access, attacks on infrastructure and data breaches. Unauthorized or poorly managed NHIs can inadvertently grant attackers lateral movement across systems. Such shadow access invites attackers to exploit systems, exposing sensitive data and resources without anyone even knowing.
Security teams often struggle to track these interactions due to the complexity of managing NHIs across cloud and on-premises resources.
Legacy identity and access management (IAM) systems are typically ill-equipped to handle the nuances of NHIs. Designed primarily for human users, these systems have two key weaknesses in relation to NHI.
• Lack Of Visibility: Legacy IAM systems fail to provide insight into how NHIs interact with resources, leaving organizations with significant blind spots.
• Focus On A Reactive Approach (Versus Proactive): Vulnerabilities are detected only after exploitation, limiting the ability to proactively secure systems.
Modern IAM must evolve to secure NHIs by leveraging automated detection, risk prioritization and real-time analytics to mitigate risks before they escalate.
To address the growing risks associated with NHIs, here are five best practices for organizations to adopt proactive strategies:
1. Establish full visibility. Use tools like risk engines and query analytics to map IAM vulnerabilities across NHIs. This approach reveals patterns of cloud data exposure, excessive privileges or overlapping permissions and exploitability. SaaS management capabilities can help reveal which vulnerabilities carry the greatest potential impact.
2. Automate risk detection and remediation. Deploy automated detection mechanisms to identify and address lateral movement, chained access and other high-risk scenarios. Ensure continuous monitoring and timely alerts to reduce reaction times and strengthen overall security posture.
3. Establish governance for NHIs. Implement strict policies to govern NHIs, such as enforcing expiration dates for access keys and conducting regular audits of service accounts. Secure service principles and tokens by aligning with established frameworks that include governance recommendations.
4. Integrate proactive security measures. Adopt a risk-driven IAM strategy that prioritizes areas with the highest exposure and exploitability. Implement a system for monitoring SaaS usage and leverage operational data to predict vulnerabilities and prevent breaches before they occur.
5. Educate and empower security teams. As with all areas of cybersecurity, employees can be a robust bulwark or an extraordinary vulnerability. Regularly provide specialized training on the risks posed by NHIs and equip teams with tools that focus on high-priority threats to minimize alert fatigue.
6. Move to more modern security postures for NHIs. API keys are useful and easy, but there are better ways of providing secure authentication for NHIs. Leverage signed JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) for authentication so that they can't be reused if compromised. Use role-based access where you don't need to have a static credential.
The rapid adoption of cloud technologies and automation has made securing NHIs a top priority. It has also made clear that traditional IAM approaches fail to meet the challenges they introduce. Organizations must evolve their strategies to gain visibility, automate remediation and establish robust governance frameworks.
Securing NHIs isn't just about reducing risk; it's about future-proofing your organization in an increasingly automated world. Given the acceleration of automation and cloud adoption, adopting an IAM strategy that addresses NHI vulnerabilities isn't just a priority—it's mission critical.
The question isn't whether your existing IAM approach is up to the task, but how quickly your organization can rise to the challenge.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Mainframe Modernization Services Market to Reach USD 76.16 Billion by 2032, Growing at a CAGR of 15.1%: Credence Research
PUNE, India, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent market analysis published by Credence Research, the global Mainframe Modernization Services Market is set to experience extraordinary growth, expanding from USD 21.5 billion in 2024 to USD 76.16 billion by 2032. This surge reflects a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2025 to 2032. The report attributes this growth to the rising demand among enterprises to upgrade legacy infrastructure, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance agility through digital transformation. Credence Research notes that enterprises across sectors—particularly banking, insurance, healthcare, and government—are accelerating mainframe modernization to align with cloud-first strategies and future-ready IT ecosystems. The growing need for integration with modern digital platforms, along with advancements in automation, AI, and microservices architecture, is expected to further drive market momentum in the years ahead. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - Key Growth Determinants – Mainframe Modernization Services Market Demand for Operational Efficiency and Business AgilityOrganizations are under pressure to respond quickly to market changes and customer demands. Legacy mainframes often lack the flexibility and speed needed for modern operations. By modernizing these systems, companies can improve performance, streamline workflows, and increase adaptability—leading to faster decision-making and reduced time-to-market. A leading French bank achieved a 70% increase in operational performance and realized ROI within six months after migrating its mainframe application to a distributed Linux environment, demonstrating the tangible efficiency gains possible through modernization. In the retail sector, a major UK retailer modernized its mainframe environment, supporting critical operations like branch management and claims processing, by migrating to a cloud-based, open-standard platform. This shift enabled the organization to respond more adeptly to market demands and customer expectations, laying a robust foundation for future competitiveness. Accelerated Adoption of Cloud TechnologiesCloud computing plays a central role in modern IT infrastructure. Businesses are increasingly migrating mainframe workloads to public, private, or hybrid cloud environments to benefit from scalability, lower infrastructure costs, and seamless access to advanced tools. Mainframe modernization enables integration with cloud platforms, supporting cloud-native development and DevOps practices. Scalability and flexibility, allowing systems to expand or contract based on real-time needs. Lower infrastructure and maintenance costs, as cloud providers assume responsibility for hardware and security. Seamless integration with advanced tools, supporting cloud-native development and DevOps practices, which accelerates innovation and deployment cycles. For example, the aforementioned retailer transitioned from IBM z/OS to Java and PostgreSQL on Google Cloud Platform, aligning IT infrastructure with modern standards and reducing risks tied to legacy systems. Rising Costs and Risks of Legacy System MaintenanceMaintaining outdated mainframes is becoming increasingly expensive and complex. Hardware support is declining, and specialized skills are scarce, leading to higher operational risks and costs. Modernization allows companies to replace rigid legacy frameworks with more cost-effective, future-proof solutions. On average, legacy systems cost teams nearly $40,000 annually to maintain, with IT workers losing about 17 hours per week just on upkeep—almost half the workweek. In sectors like manufacturing and energy/utilities, annual maintenance costs can exceed $53,000 per worker. The scarcity of specialized mainframe skills, as many experts retire, further increases operational risks and costs. Modernization efforts can result in significant cost savings, with some organizations reporting up to 80% reductions in operational and maintenance expenses after transitioning to modern platforms. Enterprise-Wide Digital Transformation InitiativesIndustries such as banking, insurance, retail, and healthcare are investing in digital transformation to stay competitive. Mainframe modernization is a foundational step in this journey, enabling seamless data flow, real-time analytics, and integration with emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain—driving innovation and customer-centric solutions. Modernization enables seamless data flow, real-time analytics, and integration with emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain, which are critical for driving innovation and delivering customer-centric solutions. In the banking sector, moving high-volume document management off the mainframe to distributed platforms not only reduced technical debt but also ensured secure, modernized assets and uninterrupted service for end users. Retailers and other enterprises have validated that modernized environments support broader digital transformation, positioning organizations to adapt to future technological advancements and market shifts. Key Growth Barriers – Mainframe Modernization Services Market High Upfront Capital ExpenditureDespite long-term operational savings, mainframe modernization projects often require substantial initial investments. Costs can include new hardware, software licenses, cloud services, and skilled consulting. For many organizations—especially small and mid-sized enterprises—budget limitations may delay or restrict modernization plans, making it difficult to justify the transition financially in the short term. Complexity of Legacy Systems and ArchitectureMany mainframes have been in operation for decades, containing tightly coupled, business-critical applications with custom code and undocumented processes. Migrating these systems involves high technical risk, as even small errors can disrupt core operations. This complexity can slow down project execution, inflate costs, and make some organizations hesitant to modernize altogether. Lack of Skilled ResourcesThere is a dual talent gap in the market—experienced legacy system experts are retiring, while professionals skilled in modern platforms often lack mainframe-specific knowledge. This shortage hinders smooth migration and increases dependency on specialized service providers, driving up project costs and timelines. Regulatory and Compliance ChallengesOrganizations in regulated industries must maintain strict data security, auditability, and compliance standards during modernization. Ensuring that the new environment meets all legal and operational requirements can increase project complexity and duration, especially when dealing with cross-border data governance or financial regulations. Key Market Opportunities – Mainframe Modernization Services Market Expansion of Cloud-Native and Hybrid Cloud IntegrationEnterprises increasingly seek to integrate mainframe applications with cloud-native architectures. Modernization services that enable seamless migration to hybrid environments—leveraging containerization, microservices, and API-driven connectivity—stand to gain significant traction. Advent of AI-Driven AutomationIncorporating AI and machine learning into modernization workflows—such as code refactoring, workload optimization, and predictive maintenance—presents a compelling opportunity. Automated tools can accelerate migration timelines and reduce errors, unlocking cost savings and improved performance. Rise in Industry-Specific SolutionsTailored modernization offerings for regulated industries (like banking, healthcare, and utilities) are in demand. Services that embed compliance, data governance, and sector-specific integrations provide differentiated value and reduce adoption barriers for regulated customers. Modernization as a Service (MaaS) ModelsConsumption-based offerings—such as pay-as-you-go or managed modernization platforms—are gaining appeal. These flexible models reduce upfront investment and risk, enabling customers to modernize incrementally while benefiting from expert-managed support. M&A and Legacy System ConsolidationsAs organizations undergo mergers, acquisitions, or business restructuring, consolidating legacy mainframes becomes essential. Modernization services that simplify platform consolidation and rationalization across diverse environments are ripe for growth. Emergence of Microservices and API MonetizationTransforming monolithic mainframe workloads into modular microservices enables enterprises to create new digital offerings and monetization opportunities. Service providers that specialize in modern API frameworks and ecosystem integration can tap into this growing demand. Segmentation Based on Type Enterprise Size Modernization Cloud Migration Data Modernization Based on Enterprise Size Small and Medium Enterprise (SME's) Large Enterprise Based on End User IT and Telecom BFSI Retail & Healthcare Government Others Based on region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Preview the report with a detailed sample and understand how it can benefit your business strategy. Request a free sample today - Regional Analysis – Mainframe Modernization Services Market North America, especially the United States, dominates the mainframe modernization market. Enterprises in banking, insurance, and telecom are prioritizing modernization to drive digital transformation and reduce legacy operational costs. Strong presence of major IT service providers and early adoption of cloud and AI-driven tools bolster regional growth. Additionally, favorable regulatory frameworks and large-scale corporate investments support robust spending in modernization services. Europe shows steady growth driven by government, healthcare, and financial institutions focused on data security and compliance. The European Union's evolving data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) compel organizations to modernize legacy systems to meet stringent standards. Hybrid cloud adoption is accelerating as businesses embrace modernization to support cross-border business use cases and achieve system consolidation. LATAM and MEA regions are gradually embracing modernization, with modern cloud and digital initiatives predominantly led by government and financial sectors. Public sector transformation initiatives and infrastructure upgrades in countries like Brazil, the UAE, and South Africa are creating fresh modernization opportunities. However, progress remains somewhat constrained by economic volatility, limited technical expertise, and budgetary limits. Credence Research's Competitive Landscape Analysis – Mainframe Modernization Services Market According to Credence Research, the competitive landscape of the Mainframe Modernization Services Market is characterized by a blend of global IT integrators, cloud hyperscalers, and niche modernization vendors. Leading players such as IBM, Accenture, Cognizant, and DXC Technology dominate the market with comprehensive service portfolios covering consulting, cloud migration, and platform modernization. Major cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and AWS are instrumental in enabling hybrid and cloud-native transformations. Indian IT giants including TCS, Infosys, and Wipro continue to expand their modernization offerings globally, leveraging domain-specific accelerators and cost-efficient delivery models. Meanwhile, specialized vendors like Rocket Software, Unisys, and TmaxSoft offer tailored solutions focused on rehosting, refactoring, and legacy integration with modern technologies such as AI and containerization. Regional players in Europe and Asia-Pacific are also strengthening their presence, supported by growing enterprise demand for industry-specific modernization and regulatory compliance. The market remains highly competitive and innovation-driven, with strategic partnerships and acquisitions playing a vital role in service differentiation and capability enhancement. Tailor the report to align with your specific business needs and gain targeted insights. Request Key Player Analysis TATA Consultancy Services Software AG Oracle Corporation Mphasis Ltd. Innova Solutions IBM Corporation Fujitsu Limited DXC Technology Dell EMC Cognizant Capgemini SE Atos Syntel Inc Accenture plc Recent Industry Developments April 2025 – AWS released version 4.8.0 of AWS Blu Age Runtime and Transformation Engines, featuring enhanced database transformation capabilities and performance improvements tailored for mainframe modernization projects. March 2025 – Astadia was recognized as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens Mainframes – Services and Solutions 2025 report for its innovative use of GenAI agents to accelerate mainframe migration and modernization. January 2025 – BMC announced major enhancements to its BMC AMI suite, integrating hybrid AI functionalities that combine machine learning and generative AI to improve root cause analysis and operational efficiency. November 2024 – Cognizant and IBM partnered to launch the FinOps Center for Cloud Innovation, focused on transforming legacy applications through tools like Watsonx Code Assistant for Z, enabling hybrid cloud adoption and driving cloud cost optimization, ethical AI deployment, and multi-cloud efficiency. March 2024 – Accenture Federal Services collaborated with Microsoft to launch an end-to-end Cloud Modernization and Migration Factory on Microsoft Azure Government, designed for secure modernization across U.S. federal agencies, including those operating in the national security domain. March 2024 – Fujitsu partnered with AWS to support modernization of legacy mission-critical applications running on mainframes and UNIX servers, offering comprehensive assessment, migration, and modernization services for industries such as finance, retail, and automotive. March 2024 – Accenture Federal Services secured the U.S. Army's Enterprise Application Modernization and Migration (EAMM) contract, with a potential value of USD 127 million, to deliver large-scale cloud assessments, migrations, and application modernizations. Reasons to Purchase this Report: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the market through qualitative and quantitative analyses, considering both economic and non-economic factors, with segmentation and sub-segmentation details provided in terms of market value (USD Billion). Identify regions and segments expected to experience the fastest growth or dominate the market, with a detailed analysis of geographic consumption patterns and the factors driving or hindering market performance in each region. Stay informed about the competitive environment, with rankings of major players, recent product and service launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions from the past five years. Access detailed profiles of major market players, including company overviews, insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis, to understand competitive advantages and market positioning. Explore the present and forecasted market landscape, with insights into growth opportunities, market drivers, challenges, and constraints for both developed and emerging regions. Benefit from Porter's Five Forces analysis and Value Chain insights to evaluate various market perspectives and competitive dynamics. Understand the evolving market scenario, including potential growth opportunities and trends expected in the coming years. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - Discover additional reports tailored to your industry needs Internet Security Market - Operator Training Simulation Market - Artificial Intelligence Voice Cloning Market - AI In Computer Vision Market - Air Purification Systems Market - Mainframe Market - Follow Us: About Us: Credence Research is a viable intelligence and market research platform that provides quantitative B2B research to more than 2000 clients worldwide and is built on the Give principle. The company is a market research and consulting firm serving governments, non-legislative associations, non-profit organizations, and various organizations worldwide. We help our clients improve their execution in a lasting way and understand their most imperative objectives. Contact Us Mitul DeanTower C-1105 , S 25, Akash Tower,Vishal Nahar, Pimple Nilakh, Haveli,Pune – 411027, Indiasales@ Logo - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Credence Research Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Mainframe Modernization Services Market to Reach USD 76.16 Billion by 2032, Growing at a CAGR of 15.1%: Credence Research
PUNE, India, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent market analysis published by Credence Research, the global Mainframe Modernization Services Market is set to experience extraordinary growth, expanding from USD 21.5 billion in 2024 to USD 76.16 billion by 2032. This surge reflects a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% from 2025 to 2032. The report attributes this growth to the rising demand among enterprises to upgrade legacy infrastructure, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance agility through digital transformation. Credence Research notes that enterprises across sectors—particularly banking, insurance, healthcare, and government—are accelerating mainframe modernization to align with cloud-first strategies and future-ready IT ecosystems. The growing need for integration with modern digital platforms, along with advancements in automation, AI, and microservices architecture, is expected to further drive market momentum in the years ahead. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - Key Growth Determinants – Mainframe Modernization Services Market Demand for Operational Efficiency and Business AgilityOrganizations are under pressure to respond quickly to market changes and customer demands. Legacy mainframes often lack the flexibility and speed needed for modern operations. By modernizing these systems, companies can improve performance, streamline workflows, and increase adaptability—leading to faster decision-making and reduced time-to-market. A leading French bank achieved a 70% increase in operational performance and realized ROI within six months after migrating its mainframe application to a distributed Linux environment, demonstrating the tangible efficiency gains possible through modernization. In the retail sector, a major UK retailer modernized its mainframe environment, supporting critical operations like branch management and claims processing, by migrating to a cloud-based, open-standard platform. This shift enabled the organization to respond more adeptly to market demands and customer expectations, laying a robust foundation for future competitiveness. Accelerated Adoption of Cloud TechnologiesCloud computing plays a central role in modern IT infrastructure. Businesses are increasingly migrating mainframe workloads to public, private, or hybrid cloud environments to benefit from scalability, lower infrastructure costs, and seamless access to advanced tools. Mainframe modernization enables integration with cloud platforms, supporting cloud-native development and DevOps practices. Scalability and flexibility, allowing systems to expand or contract based on real-time needs. Lower infrastructure and maintenance costs, as cloud providers assume responsibility for hardware and security. Seamless integration with advanced tools, supporting cloud-native development and DevOps practices, which accelerates innovation and deployment cycles. For example, the aforementioned retailer transitioned from IBM z/OS to Java and PostgreSQL on Google Cloud Platform, aligning IT infrastructure with modern standards and reducing risks tied to legacy systems. Rising Costs and Risks of Legacy System MaintenanceMaintaining outdated mainframes is becoming increasingly expensive and complex. Hardware support is declining, and specialized skills are scarce, leading to higher operational risks and costs. Modernization allows companies to replace rigid legacy frameworks with more cost-effective, future-proof solutions. On average, legacy systems cost teams nearly $40,000 annually to maintain, with IT workers losing about 17 hours per week just on upkeep—almost half the workweek. In sectors like manufacturing and energy/utilities, annual maintenance costs can exceed $53,000 per worker. The scarcity of specialized mainframe skills, as many experts retire, further increases operational risks and costs. Modernization efforts can result in significant cost savings, with some organizations reporting up to 80% reductions in operational and maintenance expenses after transitioning to modern platforms. Enterprise-Wide Digital Transformation InitiativesIndustries such as banking, insurance, retail, and healthcare are investing in digital transformation to stay competitive. Mainframe modernization is a foundational step in this journey, enabling seamless data flow, real-time analytics, and integration with emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain—driving innovation and customer-centric solutions. Modernization enables seamless data flow, real-time analytics, and integration with emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain, which are critical for driving innovation and delivering customer-centric solutions. In the banking sector, moving high-volume document management off the mainframe to distributed platforms not only reduced technical debt but also ensured secure, modernized assets and uninterrupted service for end users. Retailers and other enterprises have validated that modernized environments support broader digital transformation, positioning organizations to adapt to future technological advancements and market shifts. Key Growth Barriers – Mainframe Modernization Services Market High Upfront Capital ExpenditureDespite long-term operational savings, mainframe modernization projects often require substantial initial investments. Costs can include new hardware, software licenses, cloud services, and skilled consulting. For many organizations—especially small and mid-sized enterprises—budget limitations may delay or restrict modernization plans, making it difficult to justify the transition financially in the short term. Complexity of Legacy Systems and ArchitectureMany mainframes have been in operation for decades, containing tightly coupled, business-critical applications with custom code and undocumented processes. Migrating these systems involves high technical risk, as even small errors can disrupt core operations. This complexity can slow down project execution, inflate costs, and make some organizations hesitant to modernize altogether. Lack of Skilled ResourcesThere is a dual talent gap in the market—experienced legacy system experts are retiring, while professionals skilled in modern platforms often lack mainframe-specific knowledge. This shortage hinders smooth migration and increases dependency on specialized service providers, driving up project costs and timelines. Regulatory and Compliance ChallengesOrganizations in regulated industries must maintain strict data security, auditability, and compliance standards during modernization. Ensuring that the new environment meets all legal and operational requirements can increase project complexity and duration, especially when dealing with cross-border data governance or financial regulations. Key Market Opportunities – Mainframe Modernization Services Market Expansion of Cloud-Native and Hybrid Cloud IntegrationEnterprises increasingly seek to integrate mainframe applications with cloud-native architectures. Modernization services that enable seamless migration to hybrid environments—leveraging containerization, microservices, and API-driven connectivity—stand to gain significant traction. Advent of AI-Driven AutomationIncorporating AI and machine learning into modernization workflows—such as code refactoring, workload optimization, and predictive maintenance—presents a compelling opportunity. Automated tools can accelerate migration timelines and reduce errors, unlocking cost savings and improved performance. Rise in Industry-Specific SolutionsTailored modernization offerings for regulated industries (like banking, healthcare, and utilities) are in demand. Services that embed compliance, data governance, and sector-specific integrations provide differentiated value and reduce adoption barriers for regulated customers. Modernization as a Service (MaaS) ModelsConsumption-based offerings—such as pay-as-you-go or managed modernization platforms—are gaining appeal. These flexible models reduce upfront investment and risk, enabling customers to modernize incrementally while benefiting from expert-managed support. M&A and Legacy System ConsolidationsAs organizations undergo mergers, acquisitions, or business restructuring, consolidating legacy mainframes becomes essential. Modernization services that simplify platform consolidation and rationalization across diverse environments are ripe for growth. Emergence of Microservices and API MonetizationTransforming monolithic mainframe workloads into modular microservices enables enterprises to create new digital offerings and monetization opportunities. Service providers that specialize in modern API frameworks and ecosystem integration can tap into this growing demand. Segmentation Based on Type Enterprise Size Modernization Cloud Migration Data Modernization Based on Enterprise Size Small and Medium Enterprise (SME's) Large Enterprise Based on End User IT and Telecom BFSI Retail & Healthcare Government Others Based on region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Preview the report with a detailed sample and understand how it can benefit your business strategy. Request a free sample today - Regional Analysis – Mainframe Modernization Services Market North America, especially the United States, dominates the mainframe modernization market. Enterprises in banking, insurance, and telecom are prioritizing modernization to drive digital transformation and reduce legacy operational costs. Strong presence of major IT service providers and early adoption of cloud and AI-driven tools bolster regional growth. Additionally, favorable regulatory frameworks and large-scale corporate investments support robust spending in modernization services. Europe shows steady growth driven by government, healthcare, and financial institutions focused on data security and compliance. The European Union's evolving data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) compel organizations to modernize legacy systems to meet stringent standards. Hybrid cloud adoption is accelerating as businesses embrace modernization to support cross-border business use cases and achieve system consolidation. LATAM and MEA regions are gradually embracing modernization, with modern cloud and digital initiatives predominantly led by government and financial sectors. Public sector transformation initiatives and infrastructure upgrades in countries like Brazil, the UAE, and South Africa are creating fresh modernization opportunities. However, progress remains somewhat constrained by economic volatility, limited technical expertise, and budgetary limits. Credence Research's Competitive Landscape Analysis – Mainframe Modernization Services Market According to Credence Research, the competitive landscape of the Mainframe Modernization Services Market is characterized by a blend of global IT integrators, cloud hyperscalers, and niche modernization vendors. Leading players such as IBM, Accenture, Cognizant, and DXC Technology dominate the market with comprehensive service portfolios covering consulting, cloud migration, and platform modernization. Major cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and AWS are instrumental in enabling hybrid and cloud-native transformations. Indian IT giants including TCS, Infosys, and Wipro continue to expand their modernization offerings globally, leveraging domain-specific accelerators and cost-efficient delivery models. Meanwhile, specialized vendors like Rocket Software, Unisys, and TmaxSoft offer tailored solutions focused on rehosting, refactoring, and legacy integration with modern technologies such as AI and containerization. Regional players in Europe and Asia-Pacific are also strengthening their presence, supported by growing enterprise demand for industry-specific modernization and regulatory compliance. The market remains highly competitive and innovation-driven, with strategic partnerships and acquisitions playing a vital role in service differentiation and capability enhancement. Tailor the report to align with your specific business needs and gain targeted insights. Request Key Player Analysis TATA Consultancy Services Software AG Oracle Corporation Mphasis Ltd. Innova Solutions IBM Corporation Fujitsu Limited DXC Technology Dell EMC Cognizant Capgemini SE Atos Syntel Inc Accenture plc Recent Industry Developments April 2025 – AWS released version 4.8.0 of AWS Blu Age Runtime and Transformation Engines, featuring enhanced database transformation capabilities and performance improvements tailored for mainframe modernization projects. March 2025 – Astadia was recognized as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens Mainframes – Services and Solutions 2025 report for its innovative use of GenAI agents to accelerate mainframe migration and modernization. January 2025 – BMC announced major enhancements to its BMC AMI suite, integrating hybrid AI functionalities that combine machine learning and generative AI to improve root cause analysis and operational efficiency. November 2024 – Cognizant and IBM partnered to launch the FinOps Center for Cloud Innovation, focused on transforming legacy applications through tools like Watsonx Code Assistant for Z, enabling hybrid cloud adoption and driving cloud cost optimization, ethical AI deployment, and multi-cloud efficiency. March 2024 – Accenture Federal Services collaborated with Microsoft to launch an end-to-end Cloud Modernization and Migration Factory on Microsoft Azure Government, designed for secure modernization across U.S. federal agencies, including those operating in the national security domain. March 2024 – Fujitsu partnered with AWS to support modernization of legacy mission-critical applications running on mainframes and UNIX servers, offering comprehensive assessment, migration, and modernization services for industries such as finance, retail, and automotive. March 2024 – Accenture Federal Services secured the U.S. Army's Enterprise Application Modernization and Migration (EAMM) contract, with a potential value of USD 127 million, to deliver large-scale cloud assessments, migrations, and application modernizations. Reasons to Purchase this Report: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the market through qualitative and quantitative analyses, considering both economic and non-economic factors, with segmentation and sub-segmentation details provided in terms of market value (USD Billion). Identify regions and segments expected to experience the fastest growth or dominate the market, with a detailed analysis of geographic consumption patterns and the factors driving or hindering market performance in each region. Stay informed about the competitive environment, with rankings of major players, recent product and service launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions from the past five years. Access detailed profiles of major market players, including company overviews, insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis, to understand competitive advantages and market positioning. Explore the present and forecasted market landscape, with insights into growth opportunities, market drivers, challenges, and constraints for both developed and emerging regions. Benefit from Porter's Five Forces analysis and Value Chain insights to evaluate various market perspectives and competitive dynamics. Understand the evolving market scenario, including potential growth opportunities and trends expected in the coming years. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - Discover additional reports tailored to your industry needs Internet Security Market - Operator Training Simulation Market - Artificial Intelligence Voice Cloning Market - AI In Computer Vision Market - Air Purification Systems Market - Mainframe Market - Follow Us: About Us: Credence Research is a viable intelligence and market research platform that provides quantitative B2B research to more than 2000 clients worldwide and is built on the Give principle. The company is a market research and consulting firm serving governments, non-legislative associations, non-profit organizations, and various organizations worldwide. We help our clients improve their execution in a lasting way and understand their most imperative objectives. Contact Us Mitul DeanTower C-1105 , S 25, Akash Tower,Vishal Nahar, Pimple Nilakh, Haveli,Pune – 411027, Indiasales@ Logo - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Credence Research Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
4 days ago
- Forbes
Multiplayer AI: The New Operating Model For Identity Security
Dr. John Pritchard is the Chief Product Officer at Radiant Logic, responsible for the company's global product vision. AI-powered deepfakes and credential attacks are rewriting the rules of cyber risk, with identity-related breaches now costing organizations an average of $4.45 million per incident and accounting for over 70% of successful attacks on enterprise infrastructure and supply chains. Despite record investments in detection and response, breaches keep making headlines. Why? I call this the identity security paradox: More technology doesn't equal protection, especially if tools—and the people and AI agents using them—don't work together. Identity is the primary attack surface in the enterprise. Most organizations built their identity security stack on a traditional combination of IAM, IGA and PAM, but the rapid proliferation of cloud apps, machine identities and AI agents outpace these traditional controls. The result? Siloed data, unmanaged privileged accounts and hidden nonhuman identities—each a potential attack vector. Gartner finds that 65% of organizations still lack IAM maturity, weighed down by technical debt and fragmented architectures. Point solutions deployed to 'fix' audit findings or compliance gaps create more complexity, not less. Attackers exploit these seams, moving laterally between systems and identities that aren't monitored holistically. CISA's Silentshield Red Team Assessment demonstrated that decentralized teams and poor communication allowed adversaries to persist undetected, even when individual groups spotted anomalies. The lesson is clear: Solo efforts—whether a lone expert, an isolated AI agent or a disconnected tool—cannot keep pace with adversaries who are increasingly agile, automated and collaborative. To close these gaps, interoperability must become the standard for tools and the people and AI agents using them. Interoperability means more than connecting dashboards or sharing alerts. It's about ensuring that identity security posture management (ISPM) and identity threat detection and response (ITDR) systems share data, context and workflows in real time, across both human and machine identities. Gartner recommends a 'system of systems' approach, built on identity fabric principles, to support zero trust and intelligent automation. This means breaking down technical and organizational silos so prevention and detection teams operate from a unified, continuously updated single source of truth for identity data—a concept Gartner identifies as foundational for modern identity security. This trusted, authoritative data layer enables faster, more accurate decisions and ensures that every team acts on the same intelligence. When ISPM and ITDR interoperate, and when human and AI teammates collaborate based on shared reference points, blind spots shrink and attackers have fewer seams to exploit. I call the next evolution in identity security: multiplayer AI—intelligent systems designed to amplify human capabilities through enhanced teamwork. Gartner predicts by 2027, 90% of successful AI implementations in cybersecurity will focus on tactical task automation and process augmentation, not full autonomy or staff replacement. Multiplayer AI enables human and AI collaboration, breaking down silos and bridging gaps between prevention and detection. AI excels at analyzing vast datasets, detecting patterns humans miss and automating repetitive processes. Critical decisions, like determining whether anomalies are a threat or false positives, still require human judgment and contextual understanding. Studies show organizations using collaborative AI models—human decisions based on AI recommendations—see faster response times, fewer security incidents and improved resilience. The key is not just technology, but teamwork: AI handles the heavy lift of data processing and pattern recognition, while humans provide creativity, ethical oversight and business context. Thankfully, the industry is moving quickly. With the meteoric rise of agentic AI, open standards like Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent2Agent (A2A) are enabling AI agents from different vendors, clouds and frameworks to communicate, share context and coordinate tasks securely. Technology partners including OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are already adopting these protocols, breaking down silos that limit automation's impact. For business leaders, agentic AI means specialized agents for threat detection, access management, compliance and user behavior analytics can now form ad hoc teams-automating complex workflows and adapt to new threats. By 2028, Gartner forecasts multiagent AI will account for 70% of threat detection and response implementations, primarily to augment—not replace—staff. Early adopters will see measurable results: Leveraging agent-to-agent collaboration is predicted to cut attacker dwell time in compromised environments by up to 50%, while accelerating response and reducing operational risk. When humans and AI work together, identity security becomes faster, smarter and more resilient. 1. Establish an interoperability baseline. Audit ISPM and ITDR tools for data sharing and workflow integration across human and machine identities. Ensure architectures support agent-to-agent interoperability using open standards like MCP and A2A, so specialized agents can collaborate and automate cross-vendor workflows. Set quarterly targets to reduce IAM tool integration gaps. 2. Pilot tactical AI augmentation. Start with a focused, data-driven use case, such as automated privilege review or anomaly detection. Track improvement in response time and risk reduction. 3. Build AI literacy and human oversight. Train teams on both the benefits and limits of AI, including where human verification is required in critical workflows. 4. Continuously review identity hygiene. Use AI-driven discovery to identify unused or risky accounts, but require human validation before making changes. Aim to reduce privileged account sprawl and remediate orphaned accounts as they are detected. 5. Measure what matters. Track outcome-driven metrics such as percentage reduction in excessive permissions, improvement in MFA deployment rates and decreased incident response times. For example, reducing excessive permissions by 20% and increasing MFA coverage to 95% of privileged accounts within one year. The next breach won't be stopped by just another dashboard or a new AI agent. Organizations that have achieved true interoperability across tools, teams and AI will be able to respond more accurately to security issues. Multiplayer AI and agent-to-agent collaboration will lead the blueprints for resilience in the age of AI turbulence. Start by assessing your current environment for interoperability gaps, unify your tools and teams and empower your people with AI that amplifies—not replaces—their expertise. In the high-stakes game of identity security, victory belongs to those who play as a team. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
