BY COLIN ELLINGSON, FULTON MAY SOLUTIONS
When I started my career in fiber optic network planning back in the late 90s, security was tangible. It was about physical lines, cables, and eventually, perimeter firewalls. We built “castles” where the rule was simple: inside the network was safe; outside was dangerous.
Fast forward to 2026, and that boundary has dissolved. We have entered the era of the “AI-Native Economy,” defined by a model of “Connected Intelligence.” In this new reality, people, data, and autonomous AI agents interact with minimal human friction.
As a Technical Account Manager, the most monumental shift I see isn’t just the adoption of AI tools—it’s the fundamental change in our user base. AI is no longer just a passive assistant for occasional queries; it has matured into an active, trusted collaborator that executes tasks and accesses data autonomously.
This shift has birthed a new critical vulnerability: The rise of Non-Human Identities (NHIs).
The 82-to-1 Problem
We used to spend our energy worrying about securing Jane in Accounting or Dave in HR. But in 2026, the human user is the minority on your network.
The “silent majority” of your network traffic now comes from NHIs—service accounts, API tokens, and AI agents. In many modern environments, these digital identities outnumber human users by a staggering ratio of up to 82-to-1.
For a mid-market accounting or law firm, this means your attack surface has fundamentally changed. It is no longer just your employees and their laptops you need to watch; it is the thousands of automated, often unmonitored digital identities that underpin your operational software, cloud services, and client portals.
The Crisis of Identity: “Logging In” vs. “Breaking In”
Because of this proliferation of NHIs, the traditional network firewall has become largely irrelevant.
Why? Because adversaries have changed their tactics. The single most important strategic shift for leaders to understand is that attackers now “log in” rather than “break in.” They exploit legitimate accounts and authentication processes to gain access.
Current industry data shows that 79% of detections are now malware-free. These attacks are driven not by viruses, but by the theft and misuse of valid credentials. In an environment where autonomous agents execute tasks, the primary security question shifts from “Is this device on our network?” to “Can we trust the identity of this agent making the request?”
The Insider Threat: Shadow AI
Beyond the external threat of credential theft, there is a growing internal risk: “Shadow AI.”
In my consults regarding cloud and SaaS adoption, I see well-meaning staff increasingly using unsanctioned AI tools to get work done faster. While the intent is productivity, the result is often the exposure of sensitive client or firm data to unsecured platforms. This unmanaged usage creates blind spots in your infrastructure that traditional monitoring tools might miss.
Strategic Takeaway: Building an Identity-Centric Defense
To navigate this landscape, we have to move beyond legacy thinking. If you are still relying solely on perimeter defenses, you are leaving the door open for the 82 non-human “users” already inside.
Here is where we need to focus our efforts in Q1 2026:
- Map Your Digital Workforce: We need to identify the non-human identities accessing your system. You cannot secure what you cannot see.
- Establish AI Governance: We must create clear policies on sanctioned AI tools. This includes mapping out what data is permissible for use with these tools to curb the risk of Shadow AI.
- Validate Every Request: We must adopt a Zero Trust mindset where no identity—human or agent—is trusted by default.
The future of security isn’t about building higher walls; it’s about strict verification of the thousands of identities that hold the keys to your data.
Ready to secure your organization against identity-based threats? Contact Fulton May Solutions for a cybersecurity health check and download our State of Cybersecurity report.
