Zurich, Switzerland, December 2026 - Digital identities are becoming the central anchor underpinning modern security architectures. According to the latest industry analyses, the German market for IT security solutions will continue to grow significantly and is expected to reach a volume of over 12 billion euros in 2026. At the same time, companies are increasingly relying on technologies that not only precisely control and continuously evaluate human, machine and automated identities but also classify them into dynamic usage contexts.
Developments in the new year point in a clear direction: companies are shifting their security strategy towards an identity-centric approach as attacks are increasingly mounted via legitimate access paths and traditional protection mechanisms are becoming less effective. The issues that will shape the cybersecurity landscape in 2026 are clearly apparent here.
Focusing on non-human identities
Automation and AI-based processes are creating a rapidly growing ecosystem of machine identities: APIs, bots and service accounts operate independently and require a structured lifecycle management offering effective control for registration, classification and access restriction.
Standards such as SPIFFE (Secure Production Identity Framework for Everyone) are becoming increasingly important here because they create a consistent basis for the secure issuance and management of machine identities in complex cloud environments. As a result, companies are increasingly relying on context-based authentication, role-based granting of permissions and automated key rotations to ensure transparency and resilience.
Identity fabrics as a foundation of modern architectures
More and more, separate identity and access systems are coming up against their limits. Integrated identity fabrics weave a consolidated structure that maps all identities and their permissions. They combine authentication, authorisation and governance in a common architecture. This provides companies with the basis for a zero trust model that consistently assesses risks and automatically controls access.
The need to continuously assess trust is becoming ever more important
Identity verification is becoming an increasingly permanent process. Continuous Trust Assessment (CTA) continuously evaluates the trustworthiness of users, devices and machines – while taking account of contextual signals such as location changes or suspicious activity – and responds in real time with appropriate access restrictions. In this context, the role of IAM is transforming into an active risk authority.
AI plays a key role here by evaluating large amounts of data in real time, while detecting patterns and anomalies at an early stage. As such, it enables adaptive decisions that are automatically incorporated into access control. This allows risks to be managed dynamically and zero trust principles to be implemented in practice.
Generative AI piles on the pressure for authenticity
Generative AI is changing the way companies build trust. Deceptively real deepfakes are making it ever more difficult to distinguish between genuine and manipulated identities. That means biometric methods alone will no longer be sufficient to verify identities securely and effectively in future. In response, security strategies are progressively shifting towards the analysis of behaviour and context. Behavioural biometrics, device fingerprinting and network context data are becoming key tools in the fight to effectively validate identities based on movement patterns, typing behaviour or device characteristics. Trust is no longer based on what’s actually visible – but instead on the evaluation of behaviour and usage context (‘trust beyond appearance’). At the same time, AI supports security platforms in detecting manipulated media and identifying anomalies in communication patterns at an early stage – thereby enabling risks to be assessed proactively.
Identity-based attack vectors are on the rise
Ransomware remains one of the key threats, but attackers are increasingly shifting their strategies to compromised identities. By using stolen access data, manipulated tokens or misused service accounts, attackers can move undetected within the system and circumvent traditional protection mechanisms.
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) extends existing security concepts to include continuous monitoring of the identity level. Unusual login patterns, privilege escalations or token misuse are detected in real time – allowing the compromised accounts to be isolated automatically. This preventive monitoring shifts the focus from damage control to early attack detection.
Security mechanisms centred on users help boost acceptance and protection
Phishing and user error will remain key risk factors in 2026. The solution lies not only in awareness training but also in systems that proactively integrate security measures into the user experience. Passwordless authentication, adaptive security checks and context-based authorisations reduce the burden on users without compromising protection.
Modern IAM platforms automatically orchestrate these processes – combining user-friendliness with security and ensuring that security measures are seamlessly embedded into everyday work. This makes security by design achievable for people and acceptance an integral part of the security architecture.
Regulatory requirements speed the pace of modernisation
NIS2, DORA and eIDAS 2.0 entail ever more stringent requirements when it comes to governance, traceability and auditability. Companies need to modernise their IAM systems to seamlessly document permission changes, centrally enforce policies and ensure consistent auditability. Compliance is no longer viewed as an isolated process but as an integral part of the security architecture.
Automated policy enforcement, audit-compliant logging and integrated identity fabrics that bring together human, customer and machine identities enable the technical implementation of regulatory requirements. In this way, regulatory security becomes a driver for long-term, sustainable and resilient identity management.
2026 looks set to become the year of the identity
Whether human or machine, security in the future will only be achieved through consistent identity checks. IAM systems are paving the way for this trend by enabling dynamic trust, adaptive access control and verifiable compliance. As human, machine and verifiable digital identities converge, identity security is set to become the central discipline of modern cyber resilience in 2026. That means identity-first security is no longer optional but rather the strategic backbone of every future-proof security architecture.
###
About Nevis Security AG
Nevis Security AG is a pioneer in digital security and a strong advocate for the use of passwordless, user-friendly access solutions worldwide. As the market leader in Switzerland in the area of customer identity and access management (CIAM), Nevis provides organisations in the financial, insurance and iGaming sectors with the highest level of data protection and seamless authentication procedures. Nevis technology secures over 80 per cent of online banking transactions in Switzerland – demonstrating the company’s expertise and commitment to innovation. Headquartered in Zurich/Switzerland with offices across Europe, Nevis is constantly expanding its global presence through a rapidly expanding partner network, emphasising its role as a key player in the digital ecosystem. Nevis aims to strengthen its position as a leading authority in digital identity security worldwide and to provide scalable, forward-looking solutions that meet the growing needs of its customers. For more information, visit www.nevis.net.
Press contact
EPOS Marketing
Stephanie Sommer
nevis@epos-marketing.com
