Reimagining PAM in an Era Dominated by Non-Human Identities

Read full article here: https://www.p0.dev/blog/nhis-future-of-pam/?utm_source=nhimg  

The rapid rise of Non-Human Identities (NHIs) is redefining the foundation of Privileged Access Management (PAM) and forcing security leaders to rethink how identity systems operate across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures. In a recent discussion with Lalit Choda  (Mr. NHI), the central question was clear: Are IAM, IGA, and PAM solutions evolving fast enough to handle the explosive growth of NHIs, or are we witnessing the birth of a new identity pillar altogether?

At Black Hat 2025, this concern was echoed by CISOs who admitted that despite heavy investments in IAM, IGA, and PAM tools, identity chaos persists. The biggest blind spot? Non-human access paths — from service accounts and API keys to tokens and AI agents — that often remain unmanaged and unseen. NHIs now outnumber human identities by a staggering margin, yet their risk is measured not by quantity but by how many access pathways to sensitive systems they create.

The article calls for a shift from fear-based messaging to risk-based frameworks that prioritize exposure reduction and visibility. While the three traditional identity pillars still matter, they must evolve:

• IAM must authenticate both humans and NHIs.
• IGA must extend governance and access reviews to every identity type.
• PAM must enforce least privilege dynamically across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Ultimately, securing NHIs isn’t about replacing today’s identity stack — it’s about modernizing it. As Lalit emphasizes, waiting for the threats to expose themselves is not an option. The time to build NHI-aware IAM, IGA, and PAM strategies is now.