NCC Group announced a partnership with SailPoint to deliver identity security covering both human and non-human identities (NHIs), positioning the firm at the intersection of two accelerating trends [1]. The channel ecosystem market is forecast to grow from $21.0B in 2025 to $25.7B in 2026 [2], with 73.8% of channel partners citing cybersecurity as their top growth driver [3]. The alliance equips NCC Group to deliver services-led identity engagements as machine identities become an increasingly critical and vulnerable attack surface [4].
What is Covered in this Article
- Channel market growth trajectory and cybersecurity's dominant role [2][3]
- Identity security platformization and the rise of non-human identities [4][4]
- NCC Group's SailPoint partnership and services-led delivery model [1][3]
The News: NCC Group announced a partnership with SailPoint on August 6, 2026, from Manchester, UK, to strengthen identity security for both human and non-human identities [1]. The alliance extends NCC Group's delivery capability across SailPoint's expanding platform, which is adding access and entitlement controls to its core identity governance strengths [4]. The partnership directly targets machine identities including AI agents, service accounts, API tokens, and other NHIs, which represent an exponentially growing and highly vulnerable attack surface [4]. The announcement arrives as channel partners accelerate cybersecurity investment, with 60% already selling cybersecurity solutions and 60.5% rating vendor partner programs as extremely important to their business [3][3].
NCC Group and SailPoint Target Identity Security's Fastest-Growing Attack Surface
Analyst Take: NCC Group's SailPoint partnership is a well-timed move into one of the channel's highest-priority growth segments. With 73.8% of channel partners (n=240) expecting cybersecurity to drive business growth in 2026 [3], and identity security undergoing rapid platformization [4], the alliance positions NCC Group to capture demand that is structural, not cyclical.
Channel Market Tailwinds Favor Cybersecurity Specialists
The channel ecosystem is scaling quickly. Base-case forecasts project revenues rising from $21.0B in 2025 to $25.7B in 2026, reflecting a 36% CAGR from 2022 to 2029 [2]. Cybersecurity consistently leads partner growth expectations: 73.8% of respondents (n=240) named it a top driver in the 1H2026 survey [3], following 81.6% (n=353) who said the same heading into 2025 [5]. That sustained consensus signals durable demand, not a single-year spike. Partners are also looking beyond point solutions: 54% (n=174) expect managed services to drive growth in 2026 [3], which aligns directly with NCC Group's services-led delivery model and creates a natural upsell path within identity security engagements.
Identity Platformization Creates the Opening for NHI Coverage
Identity security is consolidating fast. Vendors are broadening their offerings across access control, governance, privilege management, and monitoring, driven by enterprise demand for centralized policy enforcement and risk-based access decisions [4]. SailPoint is a clear example of this trend, adding access and entitlement controls to its core identity governance and administration strengths [4]. The more consequential shift, however, is the extension of identity security to non-human identities. Service accounts, APIs, machine agents, and AI-driven workloads now represent an exponentially growing and highly vulnerable attack surface [4]. NCC Group's partnership directly addresses this gap, giving enterprise clients a single services partner capable of governing both human and machine identities within a unified platform framework.
Partner Program Depth Becomes a Competitive Differentiator
Execution through the channel increasingly depends on the quality of vendor alliances. With 60.5% of channel partners (n=400) rating vendor partner programs as extremely important, providing essential resources to their business [3], the depth of NCC Group's SailPoint relationship matters as much as the technical scope. Partners that can demonstrate certified implementation expertise and managed services capability around a platform vendor's full stack are better positioned to win complex enterprise deals. NCC Group's combination of cybersecurity services heritage and a formalized SailPoint alliance gives it the credentials to compete for high-value identity security engagements where buyers demand both technical depth and ongoing operational support.
What to Watch
- NHI adoption rate: which enterprise segments deploy non-human identity governance first and at what velocity following the partnership launch [1]
- Managed services attach rate: whether NCC Group converts implementation engagements into recurring managed identity services, validating the services-led model [3]
- SailPoint platform expansion: how quickly access and entitlement controls reach general availability and broaden NCC Group's deliverable scope [4]
- Competitive positioning: how rival identity security channel partners respond to NHI-focused offerings over the next two quarters [4]
Sources
1. NCC Group strengthens identity security for human and …, Nccgroup, August 2026
2. 2H 2025 Hyperscaler Marketplace Market Sizing & Five-Year Forecast, Futurum Research, December 2025
3. 1H 2026 Ecosystems, Channels & Marketplaces Global Enterprise Decision Maker Survey Report, Futurum Research, March 2026
4. Can Identity Security Vendors Keep Pace with Platformization and AI-Driven Threats?, Futurum Research, May 2025
5. 1H 2025 GTM Channel Decision Maker Survey Report, Futurum Research, April 2025
Disclosure: Futurum is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
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