State of Identity in Manufacturing 2026
Manufacturing-specific identity benchmarks. OT/IT convergence + Purdue model implications, shop-floor identity (shared workstations + biometric), machine identity at industrial scale, NIS2 in EU manufacturing.
Reviewed
2026-05-22
4 benchmarks · CC BY 4.0
Regulators
CISA (ICS / OT) · NIST 800-82 (Industrial Control Systems) · EU NIS2 Directive · industry-specific (DFARS for defense industrial base)
~62%
ObservationManufacturers reporting OT/IT identity convergence in progress
Multi-year arc. The Purdue Model historically separated OT (control systems) from IT (corporate identity). Modern OT increasingly requires the same identity controls (MFA, JIT, audit). Convergence is partial at most mid-large manufacturers.
Source: askmeidentity practice observations + SANS ICS research · 2026
~5,000+ entities
EU manufacturers in NIS2 scope
EU NIS2 Directive (effective Oct 2024) expanded scope to include large + medium manufacturers. Estimated ~5,000+ EU manufacturing entities now in scope. NIS2 mandates IAM controls including MFA on privileged + administrative access.
Source: European Commission + national transposition guidance · 2025
1,000–50,000
PLC + sensor machine identities per factory
A modern automotive or semiconductor plant has tens of thousands of distinct machine identities (PLCs, sensors, robots, scanners). Most have no rotation, weak auth, and no audit trail — a major risk surface as IT and OT converge.
Source: askmeidentity practice observations + Claroty research · 2026
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Reference our benchmarks in your reporting.
These benchmarks are licensed under CC BY 4.0 — free to cite, quote, and link to with attribution. Pick a format below.
askmeidentity. (2026). The State of Identity, live (v2026.05). Retrieved 2026-05-22 from https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-manufacturing/
"The State of Identity, live." askmeidentity, v2026.05, https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-manufacturing/. Accessed 2026-05-22.
@misc{askmeidentity_state_of_identity_2026_05, title = {The State of Identity, live}, author = {{askmeidentity}}, year = {2026}, note = {Version 2026.05, retrieved 2026-05-22}, url = {https://askmeidentity.com/resources/state-of-identity-manufacturing/} }