The State of Workforce Password Security 2026 puts a number on something most businesses already sense but haven't fully confronted. In APAC, credential risk isn't just growing, it's structural.
The report, a global study of 3,322 respondents conducted by Tigon Advisory Corp. on behalf of Zoho Vault, finds that the way organisations assess credential risk and the way they've invested to address it are drifting further apart.
The sprawl is the vulnerability
In APAC, 64% of businesses run more than 15 applications daily. Each one is a credential that needs to be created, secured, and managed. Most aren't. The region ranks second globally for application sprawl, five points above the global average, and 73% of businesses still lack full visibility into who has access to what across their organisation.
32% confirmed a cyberattack in the past year. Another 7% couldn't say for certain whether they'd been hit at all.
SMBs are carrying the most risk
The exposure is sharpest among smaller businesses. More than half of organisations under 250 employees have no dedicated security team, relying instead on shared spreadsheets, manual password hygiene, and informal policies. The report calls this the SMB credential blind spot, and in a region where SMBs are the backbone of several national economies, it's a vulnerability that largely goes unaddressed.
AI confidence is high, but readiness isn't
91% of APAC businesses believe AI can strengthen their security posture. Yet globally, only 8% are ready to deploy AI-powered security today. The barriers aren't financial. Legacy infrastructure and migration complexity are the real blockers. Organisations are trying to layer new capabilities onto foundations that aren't ready for them.
Where to start
The report recommends six priorities for 2026: deploy a centralised password manager, close identity visibility gaps, pair password management with multi-factor authentication, build a Zero Trust roadmap, treat integration as a security requirement, and pilot AI-driven credential security within the next twelve months.
The through-line across all six is the same. Before APAC businesses can get the most out of AI or any advanced security capability, the foundation has to be right. And that foundation starts with knowing who has access to what, and making sure every credential is properly governed.
Start with Zoho Vault
Zoho Vault gives individuals, teams, and enterprises a centralised, secure way to store, share, and govern credentials across every application in their stack. It integrates seamlessly with Zoho One and works alongside your existing IT and HR systems, so you can close visibility gaps without adding complexity.
If your organisation is running 15-plus applications and relying on informal policies to keep them secure, it's time to change that.
👉 Start with Zoho Vault at zoho.com/vault and read the full State of Workforce Password Security 2026 report at zoho.com/vault/state-of-workforce-password-security-report.html.
Comments