Topic starter
06/09/2026 6:21 pm
TL;DR: Cybersecurity has stayed fragmented because specialist vendors keep solving narrow problems faster than large platforms can absorb them, especially in on-premises environments where Active Directory still leaves gaps in MFA, session control, and contextual access, according to IS Decisions. The lesson for identity teams is that platform consolidation does not erase control-plane complexity.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by IS Decisions: “Big tech can't solve every problem: Why cybersecurity still needs specialized tools”.
Key questions
Q: Where do identity governance programmes fail first in on-prem environments?
A: They fail where the programme depends on direct cloud-to-private-network reach.
Q: Why do point solutions still matter when platforms promise unified identity security?
A: They still matter when the control gap is narrow, local, and operational, such as controlling concurrent sessions or enforcing access rules inside on-premises infrastructure.
Q: What should IAM teams do when Active Directory complexity hides stale access?
A: Treat directory presence as a starting point, not proof that access is valid.
Practitioner guidance
- Map post-authentication control gaps Inventory where your current IAM stack stops at sign-in and does not govern the live session, especially in on-premises segments, RDP, RemoteApp, and air-gapped paths.
- Segment access by session context Define policy differences for remote workstation, server, and internal network access so the same identity does not receive the same trust level everywhere.
- Test concurrent-login enforcement Validate whether duplicate sessions, shared credentials, or parallel logins are actually blocked in the environments that still rely on Active Directory controls.
Bottom line: Identity security remains fragmented because some of the hardest control gaps still sit inside the session, not at the authentication event.
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06/09/2026 6:22 pm
Point solutions remain necessary when the control problem sits below the platform layer. The article shows that identity security breaks down when central platforms stop at authentication and fail to govern the session itself. That is why specialist tools keep reappearing in the market: they are filling operational gaps that large suites flatten out. For practitioners, the lesson is to map where platform coverage ends and access reality begins.
A few things that frame the scale:
- Gartner predicts that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024, and that 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How should teams decide between platform consolidation and specialist identity controls?
A: Use the operating environment as the deciding factor. If the problem is a broad governance need, a platform may be enough, but if the issue is on-premises session behaviour, contextual access, or concurrent logins, a specialist control can cover the gap more precisely.
👉 Read our full editorial: Why point solutions still win in identity security for on-premises gaps