Still using Editor, long-lived service account keys, or permanent admin access in GCP?

Then your IAM may be working — but it is not mature.

Secure IAM in 2026 means:
smallest possible scope,
group-based access,
temporary elevation instead of standing privilege,
and federation or impersonation instead of downloadable keys.

The shift is simple:
move from broad and permanent access to narrow, temporary, and explainable access.
https://medium.com/google-cloud/top-7-secure-iam-patterns-in-gcp-how-to-eliminate-editor-long-lived-keys-and-standing-privileges-6cf84e8b9d88