Gartner Research to Cut Through Machine Identity and AI Agent Market Hype with IAM Taxonomy

Machine identities and AI agents are multiplying faster than the strategies meant to secure them. "Non-human identity" has become a catch-all that lumps identities, accounts, and credentials into one bucket, which hides the gaps instead of closing them.

This complimentary Gartner® research gives you a working taxonomy to separate those layers, find your blind spots, and put the right controls in the right places before you buy more tools. It also covers why AI agents need their own registration, ownership, and lifecycle.

Read it to:

• Separate machine identities, accounts, and credentials into distinct problems
• See where the "NHI" label creates blind spots
• Understand what it takes to govern AI agents on their own terms
• Pressure-test your current tooling before your next purchase

There is no single "NHI tool." Securing machine identity takes coordinated control across every layer: governance, privileged credentials and secrets, directory and Entra ID management, and access. One Identity helps you cover all of them.

Gartner, Cut Through Machine Identity and AI Agent Market Hype With Gartner's IAM Taxonomy, Michael Kelley, Erik Wahlstrom, Steve Wessels, 25 June 2026.

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