Identity at the Center

Identity at the Center
  • 4.9 (39)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Identity at the Center is a weekly podcast all about identity security in the context of identity and access management (IAM). With decades of real-world IAM experience, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman bring you conversations with news, topics, and guests from the identity management industry. Do you know who has access to what? Visit us on the web at idacpodcast.com

  1. 1d ago

    #443 - Ghosts in the Machine with John Huyette and Omer Arshed

    Jeff and Jim are joined by John Huyette, AI Risk Leader at RSM, and Omer Arshed, North American Digital Identity Leader at RSM, to explore how identity controls can help organizations manage the growing risks of AI agents. John introduces five laws for managing AI risk: governability, lineage and integrity, trust boundaries, authority containment, and human impact. The conversation connects those ideas to familiar IAM principles including ownership, auditability, zero trust, least privilege, just-in-time access, privileged access management, and continuous monitoring. They also discuss prompt injection, shadow AI, human accountability, and why organizations should start by building an honest inventory of the AI capabilities already operating in their environments. 5 Laws of AI Risk: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7487942457075257344/ Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-huyette-1373906/ Connect with Omer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omerarshed/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com Timestamps 00:00 Introduction, 3D printing, and conference updates 06:58 Introducing John Huyette and Omer Arshed 07:52 John’s path from technology risk to AI risk 12:11 Omer’s identity origin story 13:43 The five laws for managing AI risk 18:00 What “ghosts in the machine” means for identity 20:17 Governability and ownership of AI identities 25:17 Do you know what has access to what? 29:43 Applying decades of IAM lessons to AI 32:35 Lineage and integrity 35:20 Building an AI bill of materials 37:12 Trust boundaries and external data 38:36 Prompt injection and untrusted content 42:48 Applying zero trust principles to AI agents 47:26 Authority containment 49:56 PAM, least privilege, and just-in-time agent access 56:22 Human impact and accountability 58:41 Is agentic AI really a new identity problem? 01:02:35 Starting with lower-risk AI use cases 01:04:21 Where organizations should start 01:05:07 Shadow AI and zombie accounts 01:07:09 What excuses would an AI give during an access review? 01:12:20 Wrap-up Keywords IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, John Huyette, Omer Arshed, RSM, AI risk, AI agents, agentic AI, AI governance, governability, lineage and integrity, trust boundaries, authority containment, human impact, shadow AI, identity governance, IAM, zero trust, privileged access management, PAM, least privilege, just-in-time access, non-human identity, NHI, prompt injection, AI identity, access governance, continuous monitoring

  2. 6d ago

    #442 - Identiverse 2026 - Identity After Dark with Bravura Security

    Recorded live at Identiverse 2026 in Las Vegas on June 17, Jeff and Jim are joined by Bart Allan, General Manager at Bravura Security, for a live recording with a studio audience. In a late-night talk show format, the three host an open Q&A driven by IAM practitioners in the room. From securing AI identities to whether access reviews are headed the way of the password, this is an unscripted conversation driven by practitioners for practitioners. Topics include identity as a business enabler, zero standing privilege, agentic authentication, standards for AI agents, vendor relationships, the captive customer problem, community, and hiring IAM talent. Thanks to Bravura Security for supporting the Identity at the Center podcast. Connect with Bart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartholomewallan/ Learn more about Bravura Security: http://bravurasecurity.com/idac Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com 00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:03:00 AI Identities: Should IAM Teams Panic? 00:07:30 Identity as a Business Enabler vs. Cost Center 00:24:00 Continuous Identity and the Future of Access Reviews 00:35:00 Zero Standing Privilege and JIT Access 00:38:00 Standards for Agentic AI 00:46:00 Vendor Relationships and the Captive Customer Problem 00:55:56 Normalizing Rip and Replace 01:01:00 IDPro, Identity Beers, and Building Community 01:11:00 Agentic Authentication and Non-Human Identities 01:18:00 Hiring IAM Talent 01:26:00 Team Diversity and Multiple Perspectives 01:27:00 Closing Identity at the Center, IDAC, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Bart Allan, Bravura Security, Identiverse 2026, Identiverse, IAM, identity and access management, identity security, AI identities, agentic identity, agentic authentication, non-human identities, NHI, access reviews, zero standing privilege, JIT access, continuous identity, IGA, vendor selection, identity community, IDPro, IdentiBeer, live podcast

  3. Aug 17

    #441 - Identiverse 2026 - Sachini Siriwardene and Ian Glazer

    Live from Identiverse 2026 in Las Vegas, Jeff and Jim sit down with Sachini Siriwardene, winner of this year's Kim Cameron Award, along with Ian Glazer of the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation (DIAF). Sachini shares how she moved from open banking API security into consumer identity work at a bank, and what led her to apply for the award named after identity pioneer Kim Cameron. Ian explains DIAF's mission to remove financial barriers to industry participation and previews the upcoming Vittorio Bertocci award for standards contributors. The conversation covers agentic AI and non-human identity governance, the AuthZen specification, continuous access management, and how practitioners can separate real AI capability from marketing hype. The group also swaps favorite hallway conversations from the show floor, including a discussion on extending the shared signals framework beyond RISC and CAPE, before wrapping with some very Vegas talk about the Sphere.Connect with Sachini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachini-siriwardene/Connect with Ian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglazer/Learn more about the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation: https://diaf.org/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com00:00 - Cold open and conference banter01:35 - Jim's origin story with identity and Kim Cameron03:22 - Welcoming Sachini Siriwardene and Ian Glazer04:02 - Ian explains the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation05:54 - How Sachini got into identity through open banking08:46 - The moment identity clicked as mission critical09:47 - Agentic AI and non-human identity governance11:25 - Optimist or pessimist on AI and the job market14:45 - Applying for and winning the Kim Cameron Award15:41 - How DIAF selects award recipients17:21 - Standout sessions and the AuthZen specification18:36 - First impressions of Identiverse20:01 - Advice for future award applicants22:03 - Managing agentic identity in practice23:16 - Separating AI hype from real capability24:32 - Where the identity industry can improve27:08 - Acting fast without chasing hype28:05 - Favorite hallway conversations29:23 - Extending the shared signals framework30:39 - A D&D themed conference talk31:08 - Vegas talk and the Sphere experience34:19 - Wrap up and how to support DIAFIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Sachini Siriwardene, Ian Glazer, Identiverse 2026, Kim Cameron Award, Vittorio Bertocci Award, Digital Identity Advancement Foundation, DIAF, agentic AI, non-human identity, AuthZen, continuous access management, open banking, OAuth2, FAPI, shared signals framework

  4. Aug 10

    #440 - Identiverse 2026 - Mike Kiser

    Recorded live at Identiverse 2026, Jeff and Jim sit down with returning guest Mike Kiser, Director of Strategy and Standards at SailPoint, for a wide-ranging conversation that spans two of the standards world's most active frontiers. The first half breaks down C2PA, the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, explaining how it differs from digital watermarking, how metadata and cryptographic signatures build a chain of custody for media, and why this work connects directly back to identity. The conversation then shifts to AI agents and the challenge of defining and governing intent, with Mike drawing an extended analogy to the early, under-regulated days of space exploration. The episode closes with reflections on the value of hallway conversations and community at Identiverse. Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kiser/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com 00:00 Introduction from Identiverse 2026 01:00 Mike previews his two Identiverse talks 01:35 What C2PA is and how chain of custody works 06:51 Watermarks versus C2PA explained 10:06 Why content provenance matters for identity 14:22 Is C2PA a standard or a working group 16:23 The SpaceX and space debris analogy for agent intent 20:13 Governing agent publishing without stifling innovation 22:00 Action Identification Theory and the how versus the why 27:47 Can an AI actually have intent 32:34 Why people humanize and fall in love with chatbots 38:37 The case for locking down intent early 39:39 Does intent change, or is it a new intent 46:19 Favorite hallway conversations at Identiverse 51:03 Wrap up and where to find Mike IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Mike Kiser, SailPoint, C2PA, Content Provenance and Authenticity, Identiverse 2026, Shared Signals Framework, AI Agents, Agentic Identity, Digital Watermarking, Decentralized Identity Foundation, Intent-Based Access Control

  5. Aug 5

    #439 - Sponsor Spotlight - Tuebora

    This Sponsor Spotlight episode, made possible with support from Tuebora, features Jim McDonald in conversation with Sanjay Nadimpalli, CEO and founder of Tuebora. Sanjay shares his path into identity beginning as one of the first engineers at Aveksa, then discusses how intelligence is reshaping identity governance and administration by replacing static configuration with continuous, context-aware decision making. The conversation covers the concept of governance debt, how AI can interpret organizational intent expressed in natural language, and where human oversight remains essential. The discussion also explores governance of agentic identities, including how they differ from traditional service accounts, the challenges posed by their ephemeral and dynamic nature, and the policy-driven frameworks needed to manage them. Sanjay closes with a reflection on what identity practitioners should be thinking about for the next few years. Connect with Sanjay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjaynadimpalli/ Learn more about Tuebora: https://www.tuebora.com/idac Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com 00:00:00 - Introduction and welcome 00:00:56 - How Sanjay got into identity 00:02:40 - Full circle moment with Deepak Taneja and Zilla 00:03:05 - What Tuebora does 00:04:14 - The story behind the name Tuebora 00:05:20 - Can intelligence replace configuration 00:10:05 - Why static configuration falls short today 00:14:52 - Customer frustrations with legacy environments 00:21:09 - Comparing this to everyday AI tool use 00:23:31 - How intelligence drives outcomes 00:28:42 - Maintaining security control alongside AI 00:32:38 - The orchestra analogy for AI and human roles 00:35:28 - Introducing agentic identity governance 00:36:10 - Why agentic identities differ from service accounts 00:42:20 - The scale problem of agentic identities 00:44:00 - Building a framework for agent governance 00:47:35 - Closing advice for identity practitioners 00:52:06 - Where to find Tuebora next IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Sanjay Nadimpalli, Tuebora, Sponsor Spotlight, identity governance, IGA, agentic identity, AI agents, governance debt, explainability, IAM, access governance, non-human identity, Aveksa, continuous governance, identity governance and administration

  6. Aug 3

    #438 - Identiverse 2026 - Sean O'Dell

    Recorded live at Identiverse 2026 in Las Vegas, Jeff sits down with Decoded co-host Sean O'Dell for a wide-ranging state of the union on continuous identity, shared signals, and the identity questions AI keeps raising. Sean shares what he is hearing on the ground about the upcoming transaction tokens spec, why continuous identity has moved from concept to mainstream adoption, and how shared signals are expanding into commerce. The conversation shifts to AI: the real cost of securing it, why model provenance matters, and the murky question of who is on the hook when an AI agent makes an expensive or harmful decision on your behalf. They debate companion agents, consent versus power of attorney, and whether the identity industry even owns this problem. Sean closes with a simple piece of advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed by AI right now. Connect with Sean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanodentity/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and a Decoded update 00:44 Transaction tokens spec preview 01:51 State of the union on continuous identity 03:39 The questions organizations are asking 04:34 Is it still all about the data 05:07 Shared signals framework moving into commerce 06:40 Is AI a fad at Identiverse this year 07:11 The real cost of securing AI 08:00 Model provenance and indemnity 09:39 IAM for AI versus AI for IAM 10:18 Trusting agents to act without oversight 14:51 Assigning authority to the who and the what 16:13 The cruise booking example and who is on the hook 20:16 Companion agents, consent, and power of attorney 23:00 Does the identity industry own this problem 25:00 Relationship and intent as the real issue 28:03 Could an insurance market emerge for agentic AI 29:18 An access review scenario gone wrong 30:41 Small specialized language models for identity tasks 32:11 Favorite hallway conversations at Identiverse 36:05 Wrap up and words of wisdom on AI FOMO Keywords: IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Sean O'Dell, Decoded, Identiverse 2026, continuous identity, transaction tokens, shared signals framework, agentic AI, AI security, model provenance, IAM, digital identity, identity and access management

  7. Jul 27

    #437 - Identiverse 2026 - Pam Dingle

    Live from the IDAC booth at Identiverse 2026, Jeff and Jim sit down with Pam Dingle, Director of Identity Standards at Microsoft, to unpack agentic identity. Pam breaks down assistive versus autonomous agents, walks through where standards like SPIFFE and OAuth hold up, and explains the difference between delegation, impersonation, and partition. The conversation also covers credential discovery risk, shared signals and revocation, what enterprises should prioritize now, and the value of hallway conversations at Identiverse. Connect with Pam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pameladingle/ OAuth Actor Profile for Delegation: https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-mcguinness-oauth-actor-profile-00.html Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and Identiverse 2026 vibes 04:01 Defining agentic identity 07:06 Has the earth really shifted 11:38 An old problem thats been bejeweled 15:13 From Nulli Secundus to Microsoft 16:00 How standards are holding up 19:27 Client ID metadata and just in time trust 21:41 Shared signals and the revocation problem 24:43 Deploying agentic identity at scale 28:11 Registries at scale 29:04 Delegation authorization and attenuation 32:33 Delegation vs impersonation vs partition 36:03 The one thing you can fix right now 37:56 Favorite hallway conversation 42:29 The solar system of hallway conversations 45:51 Remembering Kim Cameron 48:00 New voices to watch 52:08 Wrap up and thank you Keywords: IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Pam Dingle, Pamela Dingle, Microsoft, Identiverse 2026, agentic identity, agentic AI, non-human identity, delegation, impersonation, SPIFFE, OAuth, identity standards, IAM, digital identity, workload identity

  8. Jul 22

    #436 - Sponsor Spotlight - P0 Security

    In this Sponsor Spotlight episode, Jeff Steadman flies solo and welcomes Greg Danyi, co-founder and CTO of P0 Security, to the show. Greg walks through P0's approach to runtime access control, covering how it applies to humans, non-human identities, and AI agents alike. The conversation digs into the difference between authentication and authorization, why zero standing privilege is more achievable now than before agentic adoption took hold, and how dynamic, evidence-based policies can reduce reliance on manual approvals. Greg also shares real examples, including row-level access control for data lakes and a CRM mishap that shows how easily agents can misinterpret intent. The episode closes with a look at where enterprise AI agent governance may be headed over the next few years, plus a lighter conversation about explaining IAM to a 10-year-old. This episode is made possible through the generous support of P0 Security as part of IDAC's nonprofit Sponsor Spotlight series. Learn more at p0.dev/idac. Connect with Greg (Gergely): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gergely-danyi/ Learn more about P0: https://p0.dev/idac/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com 00:00 - Introduction and sponsor acknowledgment 01:13 - Greg Danyi's path into IAM 02:18 - What P0 Security solves for 03:21 - Where P0 fits versus PAM and IGA 04:46 - Agentic identity as a driver of adoption 05:27 - MCP servers and unpredictable agent actions 07:10 - Defining runtime access control 08:50 - How authentication and authorization work together 09:07 - Standing access versus expressed intent 10:16 - Zero standing privilege in practice 12:27 - Agentic identity as a distinct identity class 19:24 - Automated evidence for approvals 20:42 - Walking through a support agent example 22:13 - Row-level access control for data lakes 23:35 - Dynamic roles explained 29:55 - CRUD risks and underestimated concerns 31:32 - Human intent and giving agents clear direction 36:32 - Where enterprise AI agent governance is headed 39:36 - Advice for CIOs and CISOs getting started 41:15 - Explaining IAM to a 10-year-old 42:29 - Board games, dice, and calculated risk 44:00 - Closing thoughts and where to learn more Keywords: IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Greg Danyi, P0 Security, runtime access control, agentic identity, zero standing privilege, non-human identity, authentication, authorization, IAM podcast

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4.9
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

Identity at the Center is a weekly podcast all about identity security in the context of identity and access management (IAM). With decades of real-world IAM experience, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman bring you conversations with news, topics, and guests from the identity management industry. Do you know who has access to what? Visit us on the web at idacpodcast.com

Information

  • Creator
    Identity at the Center
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    443
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 771327
  • Show Website
    Identity at the Center

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