As cyberwarfare intensifies across Israel and the Mediterranean, a new CXO Priorities survey reveals a troubling reality: most organisations still lack the identity systems needed to defend against politically motivated threats.
Cybersecurity no longer focuses only on firewalls and endpoint alerts in Israel and the Mediterranean. In a region where cyberwarfare is as much about politics as technology, identity has become the new battleground. It has expanded beyond just ransomware, malware, or phishing.
Large and small organisations across the region face significant pressure to modernise their defences, as it now becomes a matter of survival.
A new CXO Priorities survey, conducted in partnership with Okta, provides an unfiltered view of how 30 senior technology leaders in Israel and neighbouring economies are managing identity and access security in this high-stakes environment.
Geopolitics meets the cloud
Nearly 39% of organisations surveyed reported they have already experienced politically motivated cyberattacks. These, unfortunately, are real circumstances rather than mere fears. In such environments, traditional security models are not only outdated but also highly risky.
Almost half of the respondents admitted their current identity systems are either only moderately effective or completely ineffective. Therefore, identity is the new boundary and unfortunately, that boundary is fragile.
The idea that a firewall or VPN can protect against targeted campaigns designed to weaken national infrastructure is, quite simply, flawed.
Zero Trust in theory, not yet in practice
Zero Trust has become a buzzword in cybersecurity, but in Israel and the Mediterranean, it remains more of an aspiration than a standard. Only 26% of surveyed organisations have adopted a Zero Trust approach, while 23% still rely on patching as a primary tactic, which resembles locking the door after the intruder has already entered.
Why the delay? Cultural resistance, legacy systems, and a lack of internal support continue to impede adoption. However, the urgency is clear: in a region where digital borders are as contested as physical ones, trust must be verified at every level, user, device, network, and application.
Okta plays a unique role here by anchoring Zero Trust in identity. With continuous verification and intelligent access controls, Okta’s platform ensures that even if an attacker breaches the perimeter, they cannot move laterally through the network.
Cloud complexity and identity gaps
Managing access across a growing cloud infrastructure is one of the greatest challenges IT leaders face today. And according to the survey, only a small proportion believe their identity systems are ‘very effective’ at managing cloud permissions.
This leads to many blind spots, particularly as businesses manage third-party vendors, SaaS platforms and remote workforces. Without policy control and centralised visibility, organisations risk shadow access and misconfigured environments that attackers and over-permissioned users can exploit.
Okta tackles this chaos with a single source of truth: a unified identity layer that covers cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, providing clarity rather than just compliance.
AI is coming, but it needs better data
As cyber threats evolve, AI is being promoted as the next major line of defence. About a quarter (26%) of respondents identified AI-powered threat detection as the most important future trend. The problem? Most organisations aren’t prepared to implement AI effectively because their identity systems fail to generate the correct data signals.
That’s where Okta comes in. Its built-in AI continually learns from user behaviour, detects anomalies in real time, and adapts authentication dynamically. This reduces alert fatigue for SOC teams and transforms automation into real intelligence.
Security without user friction
One surprising insight revealed that 42% of leaders consider a seamless user experience as ‘very important’. In a region renowned for rapid innovation and thriving tech startups, frictionless access isn’t a luxury; it’s a business imperative.
Traditional IAM often slows processes down. Okta reverses that approach. Developers can personalise login journeys using robust SDKs, and employees or customers experience secure, swift access without endless obstacles. Security finally works in harmony with user experience.
A budget gap and strategic crossroads
Interestingly, the region is divided when it comes to investment. A total of 26% of organisations expect their security budgets to increase by over 50% in the coming year, while nearly the same number (23%) anticipate a decrease. Aside from budgets, what unites them is the need to demonstrate real outcomes.
Okta’s approach is focused on outcomes. It’s not just about purchasing more tools; it aims to reduce helpdesk calls, speed up user onboarding, and minimise identity-related risks across the organisation. Its modular pricing also offers flexibility, supporting both highly mature and resource-constrained teams.
Conclusion
In one of the world’s most geopolitically sensitive regions, cybersecurity is more than just a technical issue; it’s vital for national resilience. And identity lies at the centre of that equation. Whether it’s securing access to critical systems, enabling Zero Trust, or harnessing the power of AI, organisations in Israel and the Mediterranean require identity solutions that are intelligent, adaptable and designed for complexity.
Okta isn’t just offering technology, it’s providing peace of mind in a landscape that’s anything but peaceful.
