SailPoint (NASDAQ:SAIL) is heading into 2026 with a strong sense of momentum, according to CEO Mark McClain, who told Investing.com this week that the most valuable returns from artificial intelligence are showing up in reduced security risk rather than simple cost efficiencies.
In an exclusive discussion, McClain said consolidation in the cybersecurity and identity sectors is picking up pace, as companies pursue mergers and acquisitions to build broader, platform-based offerings. But he warned that this trend can complicate matters for large enterprises.
“While this can simplify procurement on the surface, it often introduces additional architectural and operational complexity for large enterprises,” McClain said, adding that customers still prioritize “depth and domain expertise in the most critical layers of their security stack.”
He also pointed to growing attention on identity governance, noting that both established players and new entrants are increasingly focused on this area. SailPoint views this shift as a sign of where complexity — and long-term value — is developing within the security market.
Regarding SailPoint’s own acquisition strategy, McClain said the company expects to “continue to look at acquiring focused technical capabilities that help us accelerate our roadmap.”
The CEO also highlighted rising interest in identity governance as the definition of identity broadens beyond employees to include machines and AI-driven agents. “As identity expands to include digital identities and becomes more central to security and compliance, enterprises increasingly require purpose-built solutions at scale,” he said, explaining why SailPoint remains focused on innovation and AI-powered capabilities rather than consolidation for its own sake.
McClain added that SailPoint’s confidence going into 2026 reflects direct customer feedback. Conversations with clients, he said, “consistently point to an identity landscape that is expanding faster than traditional security models were designed to handle.” As a result, customers are increasingly looking for “a common control layer that can operate across this universe of identities.”
SailPoint recently crossed the $1 billion mark in annual recurring revenue, delivering 28% total ARR growth and 38% SaaS ARR growth year over year. The company believes sustaining this pace “is rooted in continued successful execution and innovation.”
Looking ahead, McClain said market penetration will be a key focus in 2026, including “how broadly customers are leveraging SailPoint to provide a unified identity foundation across human, machine, and now, agent identities.”
While AI is already delivering operational benefits such as fewer manual reviews and faster entitlement clean-up, McClain stressed that the largest payoff is elsewhere. “The real ROI is in risk reduction,” he said. “AI gives them the ability to continuously map identity context, detect unintended exposures, and adapt access in real time as conditions change.”
“For many customers, preventing an AI agent from inadvertently exposing sensitive data, or stopping a mis-scoped identity before it becomes a breach, represents immediate, high-value impact. Identity-driven AI is where the returns are most tangible today.”
From a product perspective, SailPoint plans to keep advancing its platform by “embedding adaptive, real-time governance capabilities to address new identity types and rising automation requirements,” reflecting increasing identity complexity and customer demand.
McClain concluded that “broad adoption across Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies signals continued growth and confidence.”