New Research Highlights Growing Identity Gaps in Enterprises Despite Mature Programs

Ponemon Institute research reveals that although identity management programs have advanced, many enterprise applications remain disconnected from centralized systems, leading to increased security vulnerabilities in 2026.

What happened

The Ponemon Institute conducted research identifying that hundreds of applications within typical enterprises are not integrated with centralized identity systems. This finding points to an emerging risk despite the overall maturity of identity programs among organizations.

Why it matters

Disconnected applications, often referred to as 'dark' applications, create gaps in identity and access management, increasing the potential for exploitation and heightened enterprise risk in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Key technical details

The research highlights fragmentation within enterprise identity environments where centralized systems do not cover all applications. This disconnect leaves portions of the environment vulnerable due to lack of unified governance and control over user identities and access.

Affected organizations/products

The issue pertains broadly to typical enterprises with mature identity programs but with numerous applications not yet tied into centralized identity frameworks.

Source attribution

https://thehackernews.com/2026/04/webinar-how-to-close-identity-gaps-in.html

Editor review recommended.