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What is a machine identity?

In order to run an effective identity security program, organizations must be able to manage all identities — not just the human ones — all in one place. Because machine identity solutions share many common features with identity and access management (IAM) solutions, a single solution — a unified platform — that can manage both human and non-human accounts can significantly improve IT efficiency and effectiveness.

Today, many organizations have more machine identities — specifically devices and workloads — than human identities accessing their digital resources. Of course, machine identities aren't new, but they are proliferating faster than ever before. If you aren’t taking appropriate steps to manage and secure those machine identities, you are opening yourself up to risk from cyber threats and non-compliance.

Securing machine identities is a challenging matter. And an important one.

  • 72% of identity professionals say machine identities are more difficult to manage than human identities1
  • 66% of organizations state machine identities require more manual tasks than human identities2
  • 75% of machine accounts have no designated owner3

And a whopping 83% of enterprises report that they experienced at least one machine account takeover in the past year4. (For more statistics, see the 2024 State of Cloud Account Takeover Attacks Report, SailPoint’s special report, Machine identity crisis: The challenges of manual processes and hidden risks, and our 2024 Navigate Session entitled Machine Identity Security: Onboarding your machine accounts.)

Further complicating the situation, the very definition of machine identities is a matter of considerable debate. Even experts struggle to agree on a definition. With the complexity of the threat landscape, it can feel like you need the Terminator’s efficiency just to keep up.

rpa vs container vs workload vs bot vs web service vs virtual machine vs service accountDefining machine identities: The easiest way to start a debate with an IGA professional

But don’t worry — you don’t need to go full Robocop or pull a Tony Stark. With the right tools, and a better understanding of the nuts and bolts, even mere mortals can master the issue of machine identities and how to secure them.

What are machine identities?

Identity and access management (IAM) includes both human and non-human identities. Machine identities fall under the non-human category and specifically refer to workloads such as virtual machines, containers, and APIs. Other non-human identities—such as legal entities, software, and even RFID-tagged animals—are distinct and do not fall under machine identities.

Machine identities primarily encompass workloads (e.g., virtual machines, containers, APIs) and, in some cases, devices (e.g., desktops, mobile). While some organizations may include IoT/OT within their security frameworks, these are typically not considered core components of machine identity management.

At SailPoint, we like to keep things simple and clear. Machine identities refer to devices and workloads. However, managing these identities effectively requires governance over the accounts, credentials, and access permissions they use. That’s why at SailPoint, we focus on securing the machine identities that organizations rely on—such as application service accounts, database service accounts, cloud service accounts, SaaS integrations, application programming interfaces (APIs), and bots created for robotic process automation (RPA).

Trends like cloud computing, microservices architecture, artificial intelligence (AI), and RPA are feeding extremely rapid growth. As organizations look for new ways to increase efficiency and productivity, they create increasingly interconnected computing systems that rely heavily on machine accounts.

But let’s drill down further, breaking out machine identities by their essential components:

Machine accounts: With machine accounts often holding standing privileges to critical systems and sensitive data, it is essential that these accounts are properly managed and secured. The goal is comprehensive visibility into all machine identities within your organization, as well as robust security controls that protect these accounts from misuse. Authentication credentials allow machines to interact with systems and data while keeping every element secure.

Credentials: Keys, tokens, and certificates are digital identifiers used to verify the identity of a machine, unlocking access to and allowing it to securely interact with other systems or services, essentially acting as a digital "passport" for machine-to-machine communication.

Service accounts: Service accounts are specialized accounts used by applications, databases, and cloud services to run processes or access resources. These accounts often have persistent access and elevated privileges, making them essential to secure.

For example, a company’s CRM system may rely on a database service account to store and retrieve customer information, a cloud service account to integrate with external platforms, and a scheduled task account to generate automated reports. Without proper governance, these accounts can accumulate unchecked, leading to security and compliance risks.

Bots/RPAs: Bots and robotic process automation (RPA) tools are designed to handle repetitive workflows, automating manual tasks to improve efficiency. While they eliminate human error and increase productivity, their credentials and access must be carefully managed to prevent misuse.

For instance, a help desk bot that resets employee passwords requires controlled access to IT and HR systems, while an RPA script processing invoices in an ERP system needs permissions to read and modify financial data. Without structured oversight, these automation tools can introduce security blind spots, making them prime targets for exploitation.

Agentic AI: Agentic AI is an emerging category within machine IAM, operating autonomously across applications and services. As organizations deploy AI-driven systems for tasks like customer service and workflow automation, governing their identities and access becomes crucial. Unlike static scripts, these AI-driven systems continuously interact with multiple applications and services, requiring strict access controls.

A customer service AI assistant, for example, might retrieve order details, process refunds, and update CRM records across different platforms. Because these AI agents often have broad access, it’s crucial to govern their permissions, ensuring they interact only with authorized data and services to prevent unintended actions or security breaches.

Machine identities play an essential role in the digital landscape, on-premises, and increasingly, in the cloud. They enable critical technologies like automation, APIs, service accounts, and bots. The business value of automation is clear, and considerable: simplification, cost savings, reductions.

In some sense, the success created by machine identities is exactly why there are more and more of them every day. They’re good for business — if, and only if, they are kept secure.

Why machine identities matter today

Machine identities are no longer a secondary consideration in building a successful identity security solution. Because of their organizational impact, and rapid, exponential growth, machine identities now have a foundational role in securing your entire digital landscape. Sixty-nine percent of companies have more machine identities than human identities, with 47% reporting they have 10+ times more, including Bots/RPAs, Non-Human Accounts, and Service Accounts5.

What is driving this shift? — the rise of automation, cloud computing, microservices architecture, and most recently, the emergence of agentic AIs. These interconnected trends enable greater scalability, stronger security, and faster innovation by breaking down large applications into smaller, independently deployable services.

These are critical objectives in modern IT environments and the ever-evolving digital ecosystem:

  • Scalability – to handle increasing workloads and user numbers without compromising performance
  • Security – ensuring protection against unauthorized access and data breaches
  • Innovation – the creation of new features, functionalities, or approaches to solve problems

The combination of all three is the formula for business success.

The power of machine identities must be responsibly managed to mitigate risk. The challenges in managing machine identities are plentiful and dire. Poor internal processes, manual workflows, lack of ownership, and a lack of adequate tools are often cited by identity professionals as the primary challenges in managing machine identities.

A machine identity can linger long after its purpose is served. Some are even designed to exist in perpetuity, enabling everyday processes.

Machine identities typically require more manual steps to manage than human identities, which not only increases labor costs but also introduces significant risk. Concern that deleting a machine identity could break something critical causes many organizations to simply let them remain. This burdens systems with inactive, unneeded identities that could be exploited for unauthorized access, and creates vulnerabilities that can lead to compliance failures.

This is where zero trust principles come into play. Zero trust assumes that no entity — whether human or machine — should be automatically trusted. Instead, every access request must be verified, continuously monitored, and enforced with least privilege.

Without zero trust applied to machine identities, organizations risk leaving machine accounts overprivileged, unmanaged, and vulnerable to exploitation. The real-world implications of a compromised service account credentials breach are as familiar as the nightly news headlines.

Case in point: SolarWinds

SolarWinds’ Orion product, used by ~33,000 public and private sector customers, was the target of a covert, persistent attack that wasn’t detected for months. Compromised service accounts were used by threat actors to move laterally through essential networks and access their resources.

The threat actors targeted service accounts with high-level privileges, which allowed them to gain access to critical systems and data. It is widely acknowledged as the largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen.

Take a look at your organization and consider the questions below. How well equipped are you to meet the challenges presented by the exponential growth of machine identities today?

1. Who is responsible for managing the lifecycle of machine identities at your organization?

2. Do you know how many machine accounts you manage today?

3. Do you have an authoritative source or list of all machine identities?

4. What types of machine identities are you managing – service accounts, bots, API, workload, etc.?

5. Do you have audit requirements to review machine identities?

6. What is your process for a machine identity to be terminated or decommissioned?

How SailPoint can help

SailPoint Machine Identity Security enables organizations to execute risk-based identity access and lifecycle management strategies for their entire population of non-humans, making managing machine accounts as seamless as managing human identities. By securing both human and machine identities on a single platform, organizations eliminate security blind spots, enforce consistent governance policies, and gain a unified view of identity risk. This convergence reduces complexity, strengthens compliance, and ensures that all identities — whether human or machine — adhere to the same rigorous security and access controls.

Built on SailPoint Atlas and powered by Identity Security Cloud, SailPoint Machine Identity Security provides comprehensive control over machine identities, enhancing security posture and operational efficiency within a fully integrated identity security solution.

SailPoint Machine Identity Security integrates with existing business processes to manage and govern the lifecycle of machine accounts. Discovery and classification capabilities help organizations proactively discover machine accounts from any connected source, providing comprehensive visibility.

Ownership assignment allows the designation of human owners to machine accounts, ensuring accountability. And to relieve admins of manual work, machine identity assignment organizes machine accounts into apps or services to clarify their impact, making it easier to certify or revoke access as needed.

With 69% of organizations now having more machine identities than human ones, SailPoint’s latest research report, Machine Identity Crisis: The Challenges of Manual Processes and Hidden Risks, unveils a significant shift in the identity management landscape, highlighting the growing prevalence and complexity of machine identities in corporate environments.

The report reveals insights on key topics such as:

  • Management challenges: 72% of identity professionals find machine identities more challenging to manage, due to poor internal processes and insufficient identity tools.
  • Increased manual workload: 66% report that managing machine identities requires more manual intervention compared to human identities.
  • Audit complexities: 59% of companies face greater difficulties in auditing machine identities, primarily due to lack of clear ownership and limited visibility.
  • Elevated security concerns: 60% of identity experts perceive machine identities as posing higher security risks than their human counterparts.

Equip your organization with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of modern identity management effectively. Discover comprehensive insights and strategic recommendations in the full report, available here.

Improve your organization's security posture and operational efficiency with SailPoint Machine Identity Security.

  1. SailPoint and Dimensional Research, “Machine identity crisis: The challenges of manual processes and hidden risks,” August 2024.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Abnormal Security, 2024 State of Cloud Account Takeover Attacks Report; and SailPoint, 2024 Failing to Govern Machine Identities Global Survey.
  5. SailPoint, Machine identity crisis: The challenges of manual processes and hidden risks, August 2024.

Machine identity frequently asked questions

What is a machine identity?

A machine identity is a grouping of accounts, credentials, and access permissions assigned to non-human entities.

What is an example of a machine identity?

An example of a machine identity would be: all the database access accounts used by a "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)" application would be grouped under a single "CRM Machine Identity," enabling centralized management and oversight of those accounts.

What is machine identity management?

Machine identity management governs machine accounts' lifecycles, helping to ensure visibility, compliance, and security while integrating with human workflows to reduce manual processes and risks. It extends advanced identity security controls, allowing you to achieve the same level of visibility and management for machine identities as you currently have for human identities. By ensuring that machine accounts are systematically discovered, classified, and certified, with a designated human owner responsible for each, organizations can maintain a high level of confidence in their security posture.

What is the difference between a machine identity and a non-human identity?

Machine identities and non-human identities (NHI) are often used interchangeably, but machine identity security focuses specifically on securing service accounts, bots, RPAs, workloads, and other automated entities that require authentication and authorization.

While non-human identity is sometimes used as a broader category — including entities like organizations or even animals in certain contexts — machine identity security is purpose-built for managing digital identities tied to IT systems, applications, and automation processes.

By securing machine identities within a unified identity security platform, organizations gain visibility, enforce governance, and eliminate security blind spots caused by unmanaged or orphaned machine accounts.

What are the challenges in managing machine identities?

Many organizations lack a complete inventory of their machine accounts, making it difficult to secure and govern service accounts, bots, RPAs, and other non-human identities. Even when organizations attempt to manage these accounts, they often face significant roadblocks, including:

  • Unknown ownership: Many machine accounts were created for specific applications or processes, but over time, their ownership becomes unclear, leaving critical accounts unmanaged.
  • Inefficient processes: Without structured governance, teams rely on manual, time-consuming methods to track, update, and secure machine identities, leading to inconsistencies and security gaps.
  • Audit and compliance challenges: Organizations struggle to enforce policies and run effective access reviews or certification processes for machine identities, making it difficult to meet regulatory requirements.

Adding to these challenges, discovery and classification of machine identities are difficult and don’t scale with traditional solutions. Many tools are designed for human identities and lack the visibility or automation needed to properly identify, categorize, and govern machine accounts.

What is a machine account?

A machine account represents a non-human user, such as an application or service, used for autonomous system interactions and managing automated processes.

Since service accounts are so important, what are some examples of service accounts?

The term "service account" can be used to describe several categories of system accounts. It relates to:

  • Accounts that services on a computer use to run and access resources
  • Accounts used for scheduled tasks (e.g., batch job accounts)
  • Accounts used in scripts run outside a specific user’s context
  • Accounts used to operate infrastructure or application components (e.g., accounts managing cloud resources, middleware, or networking services)
  • Shared, generic, or operational accounts
  • Root or other administrative-type accounts

For example, there is a financial system called "WebFinance", which is a web-based enterprise application which requires a UNIX account, a database account, and an LDAP account in order to run effectively. One option would be to model this as one service identity called "WebFinance", which has three service accounts — the UNIX account, the database account, and the LDAP account.

The key characteristic of a service account is its persistence beyond the tenure of an individual with the organization — that is, it should not be tied to an individual user, and should not be deleted or disabled when a user leaves the organization.

What is the difference between a machine account and a machine identity?

A machine identity refers to a non-human entity, such as a workload (e.g., virtual machines, containers, APIs) that requires authentication and authorization within an IT environment.

A machine account, on the other hand, is an individual account used by a workload to interact with other systems, applications, or services. Machine accounts authenticate workloads, store credentials, and manage access permissions, much like user accounts do for humans.

At SailPoint, we take a governance-first approach to machine identities. Because a single workload often uses multiple machine accounts, we define a machine identity as a grouping of the associated accounts, credentials, and permissions. This allows organizations to manage machine identities at scale by assigning ownership, enforcing policies, and reducing security blind spots.

What are real-world examples of how machine accounts and machine identities relate?

A machine identity represents an application or service that related machine accounts are grouped within. For example, an organization might group and correlate all the service accounts supporting an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system under an ERP Production machine identity.

An ERP system runs essential business functions and relies on multiple machine accounts, including:

  • Infrastructure accounts that manage the underlying system components.
  • Integration accounts that facilitate API connections to external applications.
  • Automation accounts such as bots, RPAs, or agentic AIs that interact with the system.

By grouping these accounts under a single machine identity, organizations can streamline governance, enforce policies consistently, and manage lifecycle events more effectively. When an ERP system is replaced or decommissioned, its machine identity — and all associated accounts — can be reviewed and retired as needed, ensuring clean identity hygiene and reducing security risk.

What are the challenges of machine identity management?

Machine identity management challenges are numerous, including, but not limited to:

  • Lack of overall visibility of machine accounts
  • Inability to assess vulnerabilities
  • No central management for machine accounts
  • Too many manual processes
  • Unknown ownership
  • No way to operationalize security
  • Audit problems related to machine identities
What is the lifecycle of a machine identity?

The lifecycle of a machine identity follows distinct stages, much like human identities, but tailored to the unique needs of non-human accounts. It typically includes:

  • Requested: A new machine identity is needed to support an application, integration, or automated process.
  • Approved & Provisioned: The request is reviewed, and if authorized, the necessary accounts, credentials, and access permissions are created.
  • In Use (Active): The machine identity is operational, supporting business processes, integrations, or infrastructure needs.
  • Modified (Updated or Rotated): Changes may be made to the identity’s access or configuration due to system updates, security policies, or business requirements.
  • Disabled (Suspended or Dormant): If no longer in use, access is restricted, but the identity remains in place for potential reactivation.
  • Decommissioned & Deleted: When the identity is no longer needed, all associated accounts and credentials are securely removed to prevent orphaned identities and security risks.

Without structured governance, machine identities often persist long after their intended use, leading to unmanaged risk, unknown ownership, and compliance challenges.

Why is it important to protect machine accounts?

Unprotected machine accounts are rife with issues. Lack of visibility, unknown ownership, elevated risk, inefficient processes are top of mind concerns. These vulnerabilities have real world consequences: 83% of organizations experienced at least one machine account takeover in the past year (Abnormal Security, 2024 State of Cloud Account Takeover Attacks Report; and SailPoint, 2024 Failing to Govern Machine identities Global Survey).

Date: February 18, 2025Reading time: 11 minutes
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