Quest Software, backed by Clearlake Capital, acquires Anetac to add AI-powered monitoring of non-human and agentic identities—addressing a fast-growing security risk as enterprises deploy more automation and AI agents.

What happened: Quest Software announced the acquisition of Anetac, a provider of AI-powered identity security for human, non-human, and agentic identities. The deal strengthens Quest's position in identity security within Microsoft ecosystems by adding continuous visibility into identity access, privilege behavior, and access chains.

Why it matters: As AI and automation proliferate, organizations are deploying machine identities—service accounts, APIs, bots, and workloads—that now outnumber human users by up to 82:1. Legacy identity tools leave enterprises unable to see or manage these identities and the access chains they inherit, creating a new class of attack surface that most security teams are not equipped to address.

What to watch: Anetac's capabilities extend identity discovery beyond directories to provide continuous discovery, classification, and lifecycle management across hybrid and AI-driven environments. This enables organizations to reduce risk, enforce least-privilege access, and meet compliance requirements as agentic AI adoption accelerates.