As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms how businesses operate, cybersecurity threats are evolving just as quickly. And according to Palo Alto Networks, identity security is becoming one of the biggest challenges modern enterprises now face.
The global cybersecurity company has officially introduced Idira™, a next-generation identity security platform designed to help organizations manage and secure human, machine, and AI-driven identities in one unified system.
Announced on May 15, 2026, Idira represents a major step forward in how businesses approach privileged access management, particularly in an era where AI agents and automated systems increasingly operate with access to sensitive company data and infrastructure.
For enterprises navigating the rise of AI-powered workplaces, the platform aims to solve a growing problem: how to secure identities that no longer belong solely to employees.
Why Identity Security Matters More in the AI Era
For years, cybersecurity strategies largely focused on preventing hackers from breaking into systems. But according to Palo Alto Networks, today’s attacks increasingly happen through compromised identities instead.
In other words, cybercriminals are often “logging in” rather than breaking in.
That shift has become more concerning as businesses adopt AI tools, machine identities, automated workflows, and agentic systems capable of operating autonomously across enterprise environments.
Palo Alto Networks revealed that machine and AI identities now outnumber human identities by 109 to 1. At the same time, identity-related breaches continue rising, with the company citing that nine out of ten organizations experienced an identity-related security breach over the past year.
Traditional privileged access management systems were built for a different era, where only select administrators or executives held elevated access. But in AI-driven enterprises, privileged access has expanded far beyond a small group of users.
That’s where Idira comes in.
What Is Idira and How Does It Work?
Idira is designed as a unified identity security platform that helps organizations discover, control, and govern every type of identity operating within their systems.
This includes:
- Human identities
- Machine identities
- AI and agentic identities
The platform focuses heavily on eliminating what cybersecurity experts call “standing privileges,” where users or systems maintain constant elevated access even when it isn’t actively needed.
Instead, Idira introduces dynamic and just-in-time privilege controls that grant temporary access only when necessary. This approach significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and identity-based cyberattacks.
According to Peretz Regev, Chief Product and Technology Officer for Idira at Palo Alto Networks, identity has effectively become the “new battleground” in AI-powered enterprises.
Regev explained that the platform combines traditional privileged access management expertise with broader machine identity security capabilities, allowing organizations to better protect increasingly complex digital ecosystems.
Key Features of the Idira Identity Security Platform
Palo Alto Networks says Idira is built around three major functions aimed at modernizing identity security for businesses:
Discover Identity Risk
The platform uses AI-driven visibility tools to continuously identify identity vulnerabilities, access paths, and entitlement risks across enterprise systems.
This helps organizations detect potential threats faster before they escalate into major security incidents.
Control Every Privilege
Idira applies dynamic access management principles such as Zero Standing Privilege (ZSP) and just-in-time access controls.
Rather than giving users permanent elevated permissions, access is granted temporarily based on real-time needs.
Automate Governance
The platform also uses AI-powered governance policies to automate compliance and identity lifecycle management, reducing the manual workload for security teams while improving consistency.
Existing CyberArk Customers Will Gain Expanded Capabilities
One of the biggest developments surrounding Idira is its integration path for existing CyberArk customers.
Organizations already using CyberArk SaaS solutions can access various Idira enhancements depending on their current licensing structure.
According to Palo Alto Networks, customers using traditional PAM, modern PAM, workforce access, or machine identity security products will gain access to improved discovery tools, user experience upgrades, and expanded identity protection features.
Additional capabilities for machine and AI identity security can also be added through new licensing options.
This integration strategy positions Idira not just as a standalone product launch, but as an evolution of existing identity security infrastructure for enterprise customers already operating within the CyberArk ecosystem.
Industry Analysts Say Identity Security Is Evolving Rapidly
Cybersecurity analysts are increasingly emphasizing that identity management is no longer simply about storing credentials securely.
Will Townsend, Chief Analyst at LoneStar Advisory & Research, noted that enterprise environments have evolved into complex networks of human users, machines, and autonomous AI-driven identities.
According to Townsend, identity security now needs to function as a broader operational framework rather than a simple checkpoint system.
That broader shift is why companies across industries are investing more heavily in AI-powered identity governance, zero trust architectures, and automated access management technologies.
Why Idira Reflects the Future of Enterprise Cybersecurity
As businesses continue integrating AI into daily operations, identity security is quickly becoming one of the most critical areas of cybersecurity investment.
The challenge is no longer just protecting employee accounts. Organizations now need visibility and control over thousands, or even millions, of machine-generated and AI-driven identities interacting across systems continuously.
Platforms like Idira reflect how cybersecurity strategies are evolving to meet that reality.
By combining AI-driven governance, dynamic privilege controls, and centralized identity management, Palo Alto Networks is positioning Idira as a platform built specifically for the AI enterprise era.
For companies managing increasingly complex digital ecosystems, the launch signals a broader industry shift toward proactive identity security rather than reactive identity management.
Idira is now generally available, with additional platform capabilities expected to roll out later this year.