Topic starter
24/06/2026 11:28 pm
TL;DR: Critical industries are moving toward passwordless authentication, tighter third-party and privileged access, and identity-first workflow control as AI and mobility reshape operations, according to Imprivata. The central challenge is that legacy IAM models still assume stable users, predictable workflows, and manageable credential reuse, which no longer matches how access is actually consumed.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Imprivata: “Top five expert predictions on the identity and access security trends shaping 2026”.
Key questions
Q: What breaks when identity programmes still assume stable users and static access paths?
A: They lose relevance as soon as work becomes mobile, contextual, and AI-influenced.
Q: Why do passwords become a weaker control as critical industries adopt more AI and mobility?
A: Passwords are reusable secrets, so they remain easy to phish, replay, and abuse at scale.
Q: What should teams do when third-party access needs to be tightly controlled?
A: Give vendors and contractors access only to the specific service they need, for only as long as they need it, and require logs that tie each session to an identity and policy decision.
Practitioner guidance
- Prioritise passwordless for high-risk workflows Replace password-based access first in workflows that are heavily targeted by phishing or credential theft, then connect those authentication events to identity threat detection and response.
- Rebuild privileged third-party access governance Classify contractors, vendors, and service partners as a separate governed access population with stronger verification, narrower permissions, and continuous monitoring.
- Map frontline workflows before standardising access Document how access is actually used in healthcare, manufacturing, and public safety before forcing generic IAM patterns onto operational teams.
Bottom line: Critical industries are shifting identity from a login function to a control plane for resilience, efficiency, and accountability.
Explore further
View Full Forum → | NHI Foundation Course → | Our Services → | Read the full analysis →
25/06/2026 8:22 am
Identity is becoming the operating control plane for critical industries, not a back-office access function. The article’s core signal is that healthcare, public safety, and manufacturing are converging on the same problem: productivity, trust, and resilience now depend on how identity governs daily operations. That shift makes IAM, PAM, and workflow control inseparable from operational design. Practitioners should treat identity as the primary coordination layer across people, partners, devices, and systems.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What is the difference between workflow-aware identity controls and a generic IAM platform?
A: Workflow-aware controls adapt access to the task, context, and role, while a generic IAM platform typically enforces the same patterns across diverse environments. In critical industries, that distinction matters because frontline work, vendor access, and AI-assisted actions do not all fit the same access template. The stronger model reduces friction without weakening governance.
👉 Read our full editorial: Identity and access security in critical industries is shifting to AI