Sponsored
Sponsored: Harnessing the power of AI in identity security
The AI era of computing is already part of everyday life, but it’s playing havoc with existing cybersecurity barriers.
01 June 2026
The AI era of computing is already part of everyday life, but it’s playing havoc with existing cybersecurity barriers. Security is at a poor level within those organisations that have embraced AI and the newer technologies, but have not built in a concurrent, robust and resilient cybersecurity base as they adapt their platform foundations to accommodate upgrading their technology to become more people-centric and strive to be competitive in their respective markets.
Both the hospitality and retail sectors, for example, are undergoing a fundamental shift as the post-pandemic consumer is more connected and selective, expecting seamless, personalised experiences across every touchpoint. This is redefining how organisations compete — not just on product or price anymore, but on experience, agility, relevance and ID security.
Digital transformation is essential for sustainable growth, operational resilience, exceptional customer experiences and faster, smarter decision-making to unlock competitive advantage. It also enables organisations to diversify, such as that of a significant BeyondTrust retail client that now offers money market services to over six million money market users. This is a signal of the shift toward integrated, customer-centric ecosystems that add organisational value.
“Digital transformation is a growth driver,” says BeyondTrust’s sales director – Africa, Nick Black. “However, authentication and password security have become critical. This goes beyond the application of privileged access management (PAM) and well into the realm of using AI to address both human and non-human identity risks.
“Identity is the primary attack surface and AI is accelerating identity risk, becoming a major breach factor. Conversely, though, its cybersecurity value for an organisation cannot be underestimated.
“Every person’s data is their own – their IDs are sovereign and should remain so. Adding complexity to identity management is that individuals may have identities in different formats on their devices. However, in the not-too-distant future, I envisage digital IDs via implanted chips, which will go beyond a fingerprint scan, holding such information as vaccination details and other historical and current personal data.”
He says adoption of AI, coupled with cloud technologies, has become integral to organisations. BeyondTrust gives guidance on the secure use and management of both. It also provides remote and in-house cybersecurity support services for its clients and partners and enables its partners to be able to provide meaningful and functional cybersecurity to their clients – cybersecurity that factors in governance and compliance relevant to each region’s requirements and aiding those organisations operating internationally.
Expensive breaches
Cyber threats are a global, multiple market sector problem and Black says that while we are using AI to respond to threats, it’s vital for organisations to use AI as a foundation to ringfence their platforms. However, he stresses the importance of controlling AI implementations to manage the human and non-human risks.
“AI helps organisations navigate privileged access controls and augments the critical need for visibility, intelligence protection and prevention of password attacks. The cost of a breach can be very expensive, running into billions of US dollars a day. There are also varying levels of data importance and sensitivity that require appropriate cybersecurity consideration.
“The use of the large language model (LLM) architecture in AI – with privileged access management – is going to help us control AI to our benefit. I am often surprised by the level of AI maturity in the African region, but it still needs more understanding and proactive use of AI’s value in cybersecurity,” he concludes.
