---
source_url: "https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2024/11/14/non-human-identity-management-program-guide-step-by-step"
title: "How to Manage Non-Human Identities Effectively | CSA"
mirrored_at: 2026-08-17T03:32:23.302Z
host: cloudsecurityalliance.org
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2024/11/14/non-human-identity-management-program-guide-step-by-step"
---

> **Original source:** https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2024/11/14/non-human-identity-management-program-guide-step-by-step

**[Originally published](https://www.oasis.security/resources/blog/non-human-identity-management-program-guide-step-by-step) by Oasis Security.**

**Written by Marta Dern.**

We’ve covered the ins and outs of Non-Human Identity ([NHI](https://www.oasis.security/glossary/nhi)) Management—what it is, why it matters, and the best practices for handling these digital identities. But how do you translate theory into action? What does the deployment of an effective [NHI Management](https://www.oasis.security/resources/blog/non-human-identity-management) program look like in practice?

Just like any successful initiative, a solid plan is the foundation.

![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65707713c9612ddd18a9632f/670fd49d950b961d9cbc1ace_670fd3a759c5c74d4224aa96_Plan-3.jpeg)

As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish"—and **in security, that’s a risk we cannot afford**. This guide will walk you through the key steps to transform your objectives into a strategic, actionable roadmap, ensuring that your organization can efficiently manage and secure its non-human identities.

‍

### Step 1: Define the Scope and Set Goals

Start by defining clear objectives and success criteria to guide your Non-Human Identity Management program. Begin with **stakeholder mapping**, involving key players like the CISO, cloud administrators, and security architects to navigate the NHI landscape and implement policies effectively.

Then, conduct **environment mapping** to document all relevant environments—cloud, on-premise, and hybrid—where NHIs operate. This step doesn't include scanning yet, but defines the applications and environments that will be in scope for further discovery.

Set clear **success criteria** aligned with business goals, such as reducing stale identities by 30% in the first quarter or achieving 100% visibility of all NHIs.

[As the NHIM program manager](https://www.oasis.security/resources/blog/how-nhis-are-reshaping-the-responsibilities-of-identity-security-professionals), gather stakeholders to **understand risk, map business initiatives,** and **identify barriers** to ensure your program is on track for success.

**Pro Tip:** Align your goals with broader business objectives to secure executive buy-in and ensure the program gets the support it needs.

‍

### Step 2: Select an NHIM tool

Choosing the right tool is critical to your program’s success. Select a solution that addresses the risks and business priorities identified in Step 1, and that can handle your specific environment—whether it’s cloud, on-premise, hybrid, or all of the above. Ensure the tool supports key areas like **identity discovery, ownership assignment, periodic [attestation](https://www.oasis.security/glossary/attestation), automatic remediation,** and **lifecycle management**. For hybrid environments, make sure the tool provides seamless management across different systems and integrates with your security stack (IAM, PAM, etc.).

**Quick Tip:** Look for tools that scale with your organization and integrate smoothly with existing Security stack - IAM, PAM, and cloud systems. Context leads to action.

‍

### Step 3: Define and understand your perimeter

With your tool selected, the next step is to gain full visibility into your NHI perimeter. Use the tool to **scan, discover, and inventory all NHIs** across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments. Once visibility is achieved, **assign ownership** of each NHI to ensure accountability throughout its lifecycle—from creation to decommissioning. This will help avoid unmanaged or orphaned accounts, which can create security vulnerabilities.

**Pro Tip:** Assign NHI owners who will actively track and manage identities, ensuring that every account is accounted for and properly governed.

‍

### Step 4: Define a policy framework and set priorities

Once your perimeter is mapped, it's time to establish a robust **policy framework** and set clear priorities. Define policies that govern NHI access, attestation, [secret rotation](https://www.oasis.security/resources/blog/secret-rotation-asis) or federation and decommissioning. Implement **least-privilege access** for all NHIs and automate key processes such as secret rotation, recertification, and auditing. Your policies should align with industry best practices and regulatory standards like the **NIST Cybersecurity Framework** or **Zero Trust Architecture**.

**Pro Tip:** Automate policy enforcement wherever possible to reduce manual oversight, ensuring compliance without increasing the administrative burden.

‍

### Step 5: Strengthen security posture

Evaluate and address NHIs that fall outside established policies, such as over-privileged accounts or unrotated secrets. **Break the problem into manageable parts** to prioritize and resolve the most critical risks first, ensuring effective and efficient remediation.

Implement continuous monitoring to detect anomalies or suspicious activity related to NHIs in real-time. Automate workflows to swiftly remediate vulnerabilities, such as rotating exposed secrets or [decommissioning stale/inactive accounts](https://www.oasis.security/resources/blog/decommissioning-orphaned-and-stale-non-human-identities). **Focus on the most urgent risks to achieve quick wins, reduce exposure, and demonstrate immediate value.**

**Pro Tip:** As your organization grows, ensure your NHIM program evolves by scaling these monitoring and remediation efforts to maintain strong security across all environments.

‍

### Step 6: Automate lifecycle management

After strengthening your security posture with continuous monitoring and remediation, the next step is to automate the lifecycle management of NHIs. Automation ensures that provisioning, [secret rotation](https://www.oasis.security/glossary/secret-rotation), compliance, attestation and [decommissioning](https://www.oasis.security/glossary/decommission) are consistently applied without manual intervention, minimizing errors and operational overhead.

Start by automating key processes:

-   **Provisioning:** Ensure NHIs are created with the correct access and privileges from the beginning.
-   **Secret Rotation:** For those identities that still require a secret, automate regular secret updates to reduce the risk of exposure.
-   **Attestation:** Periodically review the context, validity, and permissions of identities to maintain security.
-   **Compliance:** Document each change or modification to identities to facilitate audits and ensure regulatory alignment.
-   **Decommissioning:** Automatically retire NHIs that are no longer needed, preventing orphaned accounts that could pose security risks.

Begin with pilot automation in non-production environments to test workflows and policies. Once validated, scale automation across your organization to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and maintain compliance as your business grows.

**Pro Insight:** Automating lifecycle management reduces manual effort while ensuring continuous alignment with evolving security policies and business needs.

An NHIM program:

![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65707713c9612ddd18a9632f/670fd49d950b961d9cbc1ad3_670fd477d1d163a767d0866a_Non-Human%2520Identity%2520Management%2520Program_%2520Guide%2520step-by-step.png)

### Secure NHIs, Secure Future

Deploying an NHI management program is a critical step that can significantly reduce your organization’s risk exposure. By following these steps—defining the scope, selecting an NHIM tool, understanding your perimeter, establishing a policy framework, and adopting security posture and automating the lifecycle—you not only secure your digital ecosystem but also foster a **culture of proactive security management.**

As NHIs continue to proliferate, managing them effectively isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity. If you haven’t started already, the time is now.